UFC 309: Daniel Cormier's three keys that will make or break Jones-Miocic - ESPN

When it comes to breaking down Saturday's heavyweight title fight that headlines UFC 309 — one of the most anticipated matchups in the division's history — nobody has a deeper understanding of what it's like to be locked inside the Octagon with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic than former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier.

No fighter has spent more time in the cage with Jones, the champion, than Cormier — 38 minutes, 1 second — over the course of two fights. And DC also knows what it's like to be in the cage with Miocic, the former titleholder, as they shared the only trilogy in UFC heavyweight history from 2018 to 2020.

Cormier brought out the best in Jones, and the worst, as their fighting extended beyond the Octagon. At a 2014 news conference to hype their first meeting, Jones and Cormier brawled in the MGM Grand hotel lobby in Las Vegas. They also engaged in a heated verbal battle while off-air during an appearance on «SportsCenter.» All of this — plus their fights — provided MMA with one of its most notable rivalries. Cormier lost the first fight against Jones via unanimous decision in January 2015, and the July 2017 rematch ended with a Jones knockout but, after Jones tested positive for a banned substance, was ruled a no contest.

In the trilogy with Miocic, Cormier won the first fight in July 2018 with a stunning first-round knockout, adding the heavyweight championship to the light heavyweight title he already owned. Miocic got revenge in the rematch, beating Cormier by fourth-round knockout in August 2019. He beat Cormier by unanimous decision in their final bout a year later.

«They say your opponents elevate you,» Cormier told ESPN. «These guys elevated me. I owe a lot of my success to them [and] I hope that I made