The rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier remains as heated as ever, years after the pair last shared the Octagon.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) recently revisited his long-standing feud with Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) while appearing on the Russian reality show ALF Global, where the former UFC heavyweight champion downplayed both the rivalry itself and Cormier’s standing among the toughest opponents of his career.
“I feel like everyone feels as if we have a big rivalry,” Jones said. “Rivalry usually happens when one person has one (win), one person has one (win). I have two (wins). There's no rivalry.”
The comments add another chapter to one of the UFC’s most bitter rivalries, which dates back more than a decade. Jones and Cormier first met at UFC 182 in January 2015, with Jones earning a unanimous decision victory to retain the UFC light heavyweight title.
Later that year, however, Jones was stripped of the championship following a hit-and-run incident involving a pregnant woman. During Jones’ absence, Cormier captured the vacant 205-pound belt and successfully defended it twice before the two rivals were booked for a rematch at UFC 214 in 2017.
Jones initially appeared to settle the rivalry decisively when he stopped Cormier via knockout in their second meeting. The result was later overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance, leading to another title stripping.
Despite their complicated history, Jones suggested Cormier was not the most difficult challenge of his career.
“Not only is there not a rivalry, he's not even my toughest opponent,” Jones said. “My toughest opponents: Alexander Gustafsson, Dominick Reyes, DC. DC is my third toughest opponent.”
