Luke Rockhold says his boy, Daniel Cormier, WILL DEFEAT Jon Jones at UFC 214 this weekend -- but it'll be a war.
"I just think they beat the living crap out of each other for 5 rounds," Rockhold tells TMZ Sports ... "and I think we can come out on top."
Yeah, he's a little biased -- the two are extremely close and have been for years.
"Me and D.C. have been together from the beginning," Rockhold says ... "Living in my manager's house. I'm living in the garage and he's living in the shanty house in front in Gilroy, CA."
"Rags to riches. It's been a long road."
We also spoke with D.C.'s boxing coach Rosendo Sanchez who tells us the beef with Jon Jones couldn't be more real.