The road out of Anaheim will be a tough one to travel for Daniel Cormier.

The former light heavyweight champion and former Strikeforce titleholder suffered a third-round knockout at the hands of Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 214 on Saturday night in California. With the bout being the most anticipated fight of the year and the main event of the promotion's biggest card in 2017, there were certainly plenty of eyes on the matchup. Yet, with the personal history between Cormier and Jones, and the former Olympian's legacy in MMA on the line, the end result will be a heavy weight to carry.

Despite finding success early on against his greatest rival, Cormier ate a head kick early in the third round that sparked the beginning of the end. Once Cormier hit the canvas, he also absorbed 18 unanswered strikes from Jones before the referee jumped in to stop the fight. Cormier was visibly upset in the immediate aftermath and took to his Instagram on Sunday to post a statement for his fans.

"I have felt the support. Congratulations to Jon Jones and his team," Cormier wrote. "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"

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