UFC champ Jon Jones not moved by Daniel Cormier's tears

LAS VEGAS – Immediately after his eighth title defense, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) showed no signs of warming to rival Daniel Cormier (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

And even after Cormier teared up at UFC 182’s post-event press conference, which followed a dominant decision for Jones in the event’s headliner at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, there appeared to be no reconciling.

“I know if he would have won, he would have been up here, talking all types of trash,” Jones told MMAjunkie. “So I don’t feel sorry for him. This is combat.”

Jones spoke prior to UFC 182 of embracing the role of bad guy, and seemed to bask in it after his win. He brought boos from the crowd as he told fans to return shirts in support of Cormier.

He then softened, explaining he was being “classless” because he didn’t like the previously undefeated fighter, with whom he shared a longstanding grudge.

On FOX Sports 1, however, he was back at it, saying Alexander Gustafsson, not Cormier, was his toughest fight to date.

“Whenever someone faced up to (Cormier) and is a man, he breaks,” Jones said. “He says he’s the king of the grind – he’s not.”

“I hope he’s somewhere crying right now – I’m sure he is,” the champ added. “I hope he earns his way back so I can whoop him.”

Jones’ enmity was contrasted by the title challenger, who expressed respect for his opponent and his inventive performance in a subsequent interview on FOX Sports 1.

At the presser, Cormier arrived before Jones and said he was surprised when he found the champ was able to strike moving backwards, a skill he hadn’t seen watching tape of previous fights. He said Jones was able to turn the tide in the third round with a “championship spirit” and refused to cede momentum.

“I said something before this fight, that I was looking for the man to push me and put me into a war, and he did that,” Cormier said. “By the end of the first round, we both were bleeding, and that’s what a championship should be. And you know what, he got better, and he won the fight.”

Later, the former Olympic wrestler became emotional as he described his feelings about the loss.

“I’ve had to rebuild myself a number of times, like people can’t even imagine,” Cormier said as his voice broke. “And this is no different. This is not going to ruin me, one way or the other. I’m going to stand across the cage from that man again, and I’ll believe just as I did tonight, that I’ll take the fight to him.”

Jones’ comments on camera were initially tempered at the start of the press conference. He said he respected Cormier’s performance and noted the damage he’d taken over five rounds.

“I thought (Cormier) had a very good performance out there tonight, absolutely,” Jones said. “My lip’s swollen, my eye’s fat. It was a five-round fight; it was entertaining. He had some great flurries in there. As an athlete, how can you not respect an athlete like that?”

At the same time, Jones made it clear he had dominated a fighter who was expected to be his biggest challenge to date, particularly on the mat.

“(Me and my team) had a chip on our shoulder, and our goal was to go out there and have faith in our wrestling and take him down, and earn respect from the wrestling community,” Jones said. “As far as beating him at his own style, I watched him fight so much, I actually absorbed who he is. I absorbed grinding. I watched him hold Frank Mir against the cage, and I was like, ‘I see what you’re doing there.’ I watch my opponents so much I start to subconsciously inherit their talent and their gifts.”

And Jones admitted he pulled a trick on Cormier when he put his hands up in the final seconds of their five-round fight, prompting “DC” to drop his hands and expose him to punches.

“I snuck in two punches before the bell rang,” Jones told MMAjunkie. “After the bell rang, he snuck in a few punches. I don’t think any of them hit me; I think he almost hit Herb Dean. And that’s why I gave him the second sign, because he tried to hit me after the bell.”

The second sign, of course, was a gesture to his crotch. Perhaps it was the most blatant expression of hostility from Jones to Cormier, but certainly not the only one.

For complete coverage of UFC 182, check out the UFC Events section of the site.