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Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had, and in a sense still do, one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history. Between 2015 and 2018, their feud dominated the landscape of the light heavyweight division, with both men trading the title due to Jones' out-of-cage troubles causing him to be stripped of his crown.
But what exactly led to the immense enmity between both men? If their joint account of their first encounter is accurate, it was down to a simple misunderstanding. Jones, aware of Cormier's reputation as an Olympic wrestler, joked that he could take him down, hoping his words would be an icebreaker.
'DC,' however, took it as a sign of disrespect, that Jones was reducing his life's work with an insult. From then onward, neither man saw eye to eye, and once Cormier signed with the UFC, their rivalry became personal and competitive, punctuated by countless moments that have become part of MMA folklore.
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#5. Daniel Cormier predicts his head-kick knockout loss (now a no-contest) to Jon Jones
In the leadup to their first encounter, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones joined Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier at a UFC 178 pre-fight press conference. Unfortunately, 'DC' and 'Bones,' who were originally scheduled to face each other at the event, were forced to compete at UFC 182 due to a Jones injury.
However, the pair still had a memorable press conference. When talking of his preparation for the fight, Jones mentioned that he and his coaches had studied footage of Cormier, with the intention of exploiting certain tendencies they had noticed. This quickly drew 'DC's' attention.
Cormier acknowledged that he had some defensive lapses, before bluntly telling (at 1:08 minutes) Jones that he wouldn't kick him in the head with his left leg, likely due to how often he leans off to the side in response to body shots:
"Maybe we are on the same wavelength. That will be figured by September 27th. So, don't think you're gonna kick me in the head with your left leg."
Unfortunately, for 'DC,' this is exactly what happened in the pair's rematch, as Jones conditioned him to lean in response to body shots, before knocking him out with a left head kick that Cormier leaned into. The result, however, was overturned into a no-contest.
#4. Daniel Cormier calls out Jon Jones at UFC 173
Due to his friendship with fellow American Kickboxing Academy teammate Cain Velasquez, who reigned as the UFC heavyweight champion at the time, Daniel Cormier made the decision to drop down to light heavyweight in his pursuit of UFC championship gold. Furthermore, doing so would land him a bout with Jon Jones.
So after beating Patrick Cummins in his 205-pound debut, 'DC' submitted fellow Olympian, Dan Henderson in a title eliminator. Upon being approached by Joe Rogan for the post-fight interview, who congratulated him on his performance, Cormier had one man on his mind, and challenged him (0:21 minutes):
"One second. Jon Jones! You can't run away from me forever, I'm the kid at the wrestling tournament that is always in your bracket. No matter where you go, boy, I'm coming! You better hurry, because I'm getting better!"
A win over 'Hendo,' who at the time was 1-3 in his last four fights, wouldn't have earned anyone else a title shot. But no one else had cut that promo on Jones, nor had an unbeaten record and personal feud that had fans salivating for a bout between them.
#3. Daniel Cormier brings up Jon Jones' cocaine use
After the two squared off at UFC 182, which saw Jon Jones emerge victorious after outwrestling and outgrinding Daniel Cormier in a strong unanimous decision win, the MMA world stood in shock when it was revealed that Jones had failed a pre-fight drug test for benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine.
The positive test shattered Jones' self-cast illusion of a God-fearing Christian and highlighted claims from the likes of Daniel Cormier, Rashad Evans and even Sean Strickland years later, that Jon Jones was a fraudulent individual. Naturally, 'DC' held on to the news of his rival's positive dr*g test, to be used in the future.
Years later, the two were scheduled to lock horns at UFC 214 in a highly anticipated rematch. At the pre-fight press conference, the pair traded barbs, with Jones referring to Cormier as a 'crackhead.' Armed with Jones' past with cocaine, Cormier (at 2:14 minutes) sniped back with a jab two years in the making:
"I could look like a crackhead with a suit on, but I've never been a crackhead like you though."
Cormier's quick comeback drew an audible response from the crowd attending the press conference and left Jones speechless.
#2. Jon Jones threatens to kill Daniel Cormier
For much of Jon Jones' career, he was dogged by accusations of using a fake persona to make himself seem like a good person. However, no one accused him of being a fraudulent person more than Daniel Cormier did. Ahead of their canceled first encounter at UFC 178, both men took part in a pre-fight interview.
Due to their hostile feud, the SportsCenter interview was conducted via satellite. After the interview was paused, both Jones and Cormier were under the impression that it had gone off the air, and the two engaged in a heated NSFW argument that included (at 2:40 minutes) an infamous Jones insult:
"Hey p***y, are you still there?"
Moments later, Cormier expressed a desire to find Jones in the other room and spit in his face. In response, Jones, though having already revealed his true colors, still surveyed his surroundings to make sure no one was within earshot, before issuing (at 3:37 minutes) a death threat:
"You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right? I will literally kill you if you spit in my face. Literally kill you. I'm not saying I would fight you. I said I would kill you if you did some stupid sh*t like that."
#1. The Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier pre-fight brawl
While neither man competed at UFC 178 due to Jon Jones having to withdraw as a result of injury, they did come to blows after engaging in a face-off at a promotional event for the pay-per-view. During the face-off, Jones, holding his light heavyweight title, pressed his forehead against the shorter Cormier's forehead.
In response to what he perceived as a disrespectful micro-aggression, Cormier shoved Jones away and things reached a boiling point. Jones tossed his UFC light heavyweight title aside and threw a punch that narrowly missed. Cormier fell onto his back in the ensuing melee, and chaos engulfed the venue.
Security and UFC personnel immediately entered the fray to separate the two, although Cormier managed to throw one of his shoes at Jones, but narrowly missed. The brawl set the tone for an extremely heated rivalry that still hasn't completely cooled off to this day.
