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          Daniel Cormier goes to Instagram to congratulate Jon Jones, thank team for support

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          Jones on 'cloud nine' after title win (1:52)

          Jon Jones reacts to reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight championship after defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 and what this means for career. (1:52)

          • ESPN.com news services
          Jul 31, 2017, 04:54 AM

          In making his first public comments since he relinquished the light heavyweight championship at UFC 214 by falling via knockout to Jon Jones on Saturday night, Daniel Cormier posted a statement via Instagram thanking his supporters and lauding Jones with praise for his victory.

          Cormier's statement also included an apology to referee John McCarthy, who called the fight in the third round after Cormier staggered backward and then around the cage with Jones in pursuit and took a vicious head kick and a series of merciless strikes on the ground in losing to Jones for the second time.

          Cormier, whom USA Today reported was seen arguing with McCarthy after the fight, thanked the longtime referee for "the time you gave me to try and defend myself and stay in the fight."

          First off, thank you all for the kind words. I have felt the support. Congratulations to Jon Jones and his team. They did a phenomenal job and got the victory. Also, to Big John McCarthy, I would like to apologize for acting up with you. I am thankful for the time you gave me to try and defend myself and stay in the fight. You are the best in the business for a reason. I also wanna thank my team and my coaches. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. Your time and energy is greatly appreciated. You guys did a wonderful job, I was ready. It's a fist fight and things happen. Dana White and the @ufc, thank you for being the premiere organization in all of MMA. Again, congrats to Team Jones and JacksonWink. Love you all. I'll see you soon. DC 📷@layziethesavage

          A post shared by Daniel "DC" Cormier (@dc_mma) on

          In responding to a question on Twitter earlier Sunday about if he had stopped the fight too late, McCarthy himself was quick to express his regret for not protecting Cormier and stopping the fight sooner.

          Cormier, who held the belt for most of the past two years while Jones (23-1) dealt with self-inflicted setbacks outside the cage and had lost only to Jones during his professional career, issued an emotional quote after the loss.

          "I don't know, man," said Cormier, who lost to Jones by clear decision in their first bout in January 2015. "I thought the fight was going well. I don't even know what happened. I got kicked in the head. ... Oh, man, I am so disappointed."

          Jones, for his part, was highly complimentary of Cormier after the win, his 10th career knockout. Jones heaped praise on the 39-year-old ex-Olympic wrestler before walking over to embrace a distraught Cormier.

          "I want to take this time to thank Daniel Cormier for being my biggest rival and motivator," Jones said. "He has absolutely no reason to hang his head. He has been a model champion, a model husband, a model father, a teammate, a leader, and I aspire to be a lot more like that man because he's an amazing human being. Unfortunately, we were opponents, but outside of that, he is a true champion for the rest of his life."