Old habits die hard.
When Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones recently linked up as opposing coaches on ALF Global’s Alf Reality series, it didn’t take long for their old rivalry to reignite.
The pair shared a frosty relationship during their time competing in the UFC light heavyweight division, with Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) defeating Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) twice, in 2015 and 2017. However, the second victory was later overturned to a no contest after “Bones” failed a drug test.
With Cormier long since retired, the prospect of a third UFC bout between the pair is off the table. However, “DC” revealed that tensions flared when they met recently, and that he even agreed to take part in a boxing match against his longtime rival.
“There were multiple occasions in the midst of the times (we were) put together where Jones and I argued about fighting each other in a boxing match, to which I agreed to do if it's just boxing,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We also (in the one that caught fire the most) was the wrestling thing because I said that I would wrestle him in Real American Freestyle wrestling (match) and I would beat him. That stems from Jon earlier saying, ‘I would wrestle Daniel in an exhibition or a grappling match for charity.’ That was something he said prior.
“I'm not making this up. There's a desire, right? Regardless of the respect for the fighting ability, there's a desire to compete against each other in something. I think that is honestly the most telling part of the relationship between myself and Jon Jones, that no matter what it is in terms of respect for skill, respect for ability, you guys know in terms of a person, him and I will never be or see eye to eye.”
Both men held the UFC light heavyweight title at various points during their careers, with Cormier twice stepping in to win the belt while Jones was serving suspensions. Cormier later went on to claim the heavyweight title by defeating Stipe Miocic in 2018, an achievement Jones matched when he returned from a three-year hiatus to submit Ciryl Gane in 2023.
Although their relationship was contentious while they were actively competing in the same weight class, Cormier has expressed gratitude for the motivation the rivalry provided and has cited it as one of the factors that drove him to greatness.
“I feel like between us, there's a need to compete and truthfully, in the heart of it, in the heart of the fighting, it was actually a gift to have someone with that level of skill to want to compete with that much and have that need for competition, and that still sits today,” Cormier admitted. “It's still in there. So while maybe we're not fighting each other physically like we did or throwing stuff at each other, it's still ‘chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, box me, wrestle me, grapple me.’ Do something to make us be on the opposite side of a line to where him and I come together and we compete or fight.”
