Daniel Cormier gives Jon Jones his flowers following UFC retirement announcement: “I was the best I’ve ever been when Jon beat me”

UFC legend Daniel Cormier has given Jon Jones his flowers in the wake of the latter’s mixed martial arts retirement.

As we all know, Jon Jones has decided to retire from mixed martial arts. It’s a bittersweet moment for a lot of fans, especially given the excitement surrounding him potentially fighting Tom Aspinall. Alas, Jon wasn’t interested in any of that, and he’s instead decided to pursue pastures new – and also deal with some fresh legal worries.

RELATED: Daniel Cormier continues to question Jon Jones for not fighting Tom Aspinall

One man who knows a thing or two about Jon Jones is none other than Daniel Cormier. These two men have had a rivalry spanning more than a decade, with the pair competing against one another twice in the Octagon.

After initially being critical, Cormier used a recent episode of his podcast with Chael Sonnen to actually praise Jones and his career.

Cormier’s view on Jones

“My immediate reaction to Jon Jones was, ‘If Jon Jones doesn’t fight this guy, he quit.’ I said that because I thought he needed to fight this guy. I thought you always give the next guy the opportunity…he decided not to do that.

“I have softened over the last couple of days, because of everything that you start to look at overall in terms of Jon Jones’ career.

“I did give him his flowers in this regard — he’s spanned three generations, Chael. He went through that first generation, then he went through our generation, then he actually beat Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos of the next generation, Ciryl Gane.

“Him and I have a whole history of ups and downs…but when you look at him overall, it was greatness from the moment he walked into the Octagon. How many people can have that level of greatness for that amount of time?”

Quotes via Bloody Elbow