Coach Javier Mendez issues statement on Daniel Cormier’s UFC 214 loss to Jon Jones

Last night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 214, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier attempted to defend his title against his fiercest rival and the only man he’s lost to, Jon Jones. Unfortunately for Cormier and his fans, however, he came up short, as he was put down by a Jones head kick in the third round.

Though Cormier has not yet spoken up in the wake of this loss, his head-coach at American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, has. Mendez took to Instagram with a heartfelt post addressing Cormier’s knockout loss to Jones. See this post below.

He gave it hIs best and came up short. I will always be proud of @dc_mma because He will always be a True Champion in Sport and life who wears his heart on his sleeve. As your Coach I couldn’t be more proud of you and feel blessed to have you in my Life as a Fighter and Friend!! You are a great inspiration to me Me and everybody that know’s You!!! Love You @dc_mma

A post shared by Javier Mendez (@akajav) on Jul 30, 2017 at 1:40pm PDT

He gave it his best and came up short,” Mendez said on Instagram. “I will always be proud of [Daniel Cormier] because he will always be a true champion in sport and life who wears his heart on his sleeve. As your coach I couldn’t be more proud of you and feel blessed to have you in my life as a fighter and friend!! You are a great inspiration to me me and everybody that knows you!!! Love you [Daniel Cormier].

Cormier had not lost since January of 2015, when he was defeated by Jones by decision. Since then, he has defeated Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (twice), Alexander Gustafsson, and Anderson Silva.

What did you think of Daniel Cormier’s loss to Jon Jones?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/30/2017.