A win is a win. No matter how it comes, if it is within the scope of the rules of MMA, they all count the same. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling won his title after opponent Petr Yan landed an illegal knee on him at UFC 259. Many fans were not happy with him being the first fighter in UFC history to win a title via disqualification.

However, former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier thinks that was the right choice. On episode 150 of the JRE MMA show, ‘DC’ told Joe Rogan why he thinks fighters should take disqualification wins and why he thinks Anthony Smith was mistaken to continue in his bout against Jon Jones.

DC says Joe Rogan Smith should have stayed down against Jones

Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in March 2019. In the fourth round, ‘Bones’ hit Smith with a knee that referee Herb Dean considered illegal. Smith had the choice to win via disqualification and become the new light heavyweight champion.

‘Lionheart’ decided to continue, however, and despite two points being deducted from his scorecard, Jon Jones still won the fight via a unanimous decision. After the fight, Jones commended Smith for his courage and sportsmanship, while the latter said that he did not want to win that way.

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Daniel Cormier discussed this moment with Joe Rogan on his podcast. ‘DC’ felt Smith should have stayed down, as that would have meant he became the champion and got an immediate rematch against Jones in which he would have made more money as well as a cut in pay-per-view revenue.

“Anthony Smith was sitting there… and there had to be a moment in there. If he sits down and if he stays down, he wins the belt, he fights Jones again… gets paid more money… otherwise they tell you you’re a beast for standing up,” he said.

His pride got in the way: Cormier on Anthony Smith

The Louisiana native felt Smith, who was far behind on the scorecards, should have taken the easy way out, but let his pride get the better of him, leading him to finish the fight. Cormier pointed out that this decision did not benefit Smith as the UFC moved on and ‘Lionheart’ has been on a 5-6 streak since then. The former champion agreed that, while it may have been perceived as cowardly, it would have been better for the 35-year-old’s long-term career trajectory.

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“That’s when Anthony was like, ‘You know what, man, if I just sit here, and I don’t do this no more, there’s a possibility for me to get all this money and come back as the champ’ – and then his pride got in the way. And he got up there and he finished the fight… I thought it was a mistake” Cormier said.

What do you think about Cormier’s take on Smith vs. Jones? Let us know in the comments.

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