Chi Lewis-Parry is officially part of the American Kickboxing Academy. Having been brought in initially to help Daniel Cormier prepare for the Jon Jones rematch, AKA is now the gym he calls home. If you follow Lewis-Parry or Cormier on social media, it’s easy to see they have bonded.
“I’ve been at AKA three months straight and it’s been a productive three months,” said Lewis-Parry. “Me and DC are close. We got similar attitudes. He likes to laugh and joke as do I and never take things too serious. I’m an AKA boy now, they’ve welcomed me with open arms and they actually want me to move out here but we’ll see what happens there. I’ve got a wealth of people to train with – big, legit heavyweights. You don’t get that back home really in the UK.”
Daniel Cormier is set to face Jon Jones for the undisputed UFC light heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 200 on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s the second time the pair will meet in the Octagon having fought 18 months ago at UFC 183. In the first fight Jones defeated Cormier via unanimous decision and a rematch has been building ever since. Lewis-Parry gave Fighters Only his insight on the improvements he’s seen in Cormier since working with him.
“I noticed within two weeks massive improvement from where he was when I first worked with him and everyone in the gym was saying the same thing – like he’s a different guy. I remember sparring with him in Vegas and he was like a bulldozer and bulldozers don’t have much finesse do they? If he fights the way he’s been sparring he’ll stop him inside two. I don’t think there’s any way Jon gets outside two rounds but DC has to turn up like he’s been training. It’s incredible the way he moves and how he’s changed.”
Jones made his return to the Octagon in May when he fought Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197, a fight he won via unanimous decision. Lewis-Parry says that performance just underlined that the Cormier camp was on the right path with regards to their preparation.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” says Lewis-Parry. “You can’t deny him that. He deserves to be where he’s at because of his athletic ability. But just seeing how he fought against OSP, it just reiterated we were doing the right thing and it’s going to be light work. People will hear that and laugh and say DC lost last time but the circumstances have changed dramatically. So it’ll be interesting to see what he’s going to do now.”
Lewis-Parry has never been one to keep his thoughts about Jones a secret and his distaste for him seems to grow with every new encounter the two have. Jones has said his hatred for Cormier has diminished but Lewis-Parry isn’t buying that.
“As a person he’s a bit of a scum bag you know and anyone who’s met him and spent an iota of a second with him, they’ll be able to identify that. He lies so much. So if someone can lie like that I would have trouble believing anything they say. So if he’s saying his hatred for DC has gone – I don’t believe that. I believe he’s trying to focus on the fight. He’d be appreciated more if he was just open and a d***. I think people would like him more but he tries to play this innocent thing but you’re not that way mate and yet DC gets booed. I don’t get that. He gets booed for doing the right thing and Jon gets hailed for doing the wrong thing.
“On camera he’s such a nice guy. What a professional. As soon as the camera is off, he’s a different man and you’re like, ‘Ah that’s who you really are. You’re actually a d***.’ It’s like if you met Adolf Hitler, you might not know anything about him but you learn quick. I don’t like this guy, there’s something about him I don’t like. ‘Oh f*** that’s your agenda? Oh s*** OK, now I know I don’t like you’ That’s the same sort of feeling. I can imagine Jon Jones and Adolf Hitler in the same room. I reckon they’d probably hang out, have a few shandies at a dinner party or something. Same conniving little attitudes. F*** them. F*** him.”
Lewis-Parry is set to make his return to the GLORY kickboxing ring as he takes on Maurice Greene in the main event of GLORY 32 SuperFight Series, which will air on UFC Fight Pass on Friday July 22nd. While kickboxing bouts are his immediate future the British heavyweight hints at the possibility of fighting in the UFC.
“I just wanted to get some kickboxing fights under my belt. Some people believe in ring rust. I don’t, but I do want to enjoy the entertainment factor of it, get in there and put on a showcase and enjoy being in there. So a few more fights and I believe the UFC is already an option. There’s definitely been some communication and the possibilities at this stage seem endless. Right now I am just going to get some more kickboxing fights in and raise my stock.”
