Why Khabib Nurmagomedov will never be friends with Jon Jones

While Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones are widely regarded as two of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the sport of MMA, 'The Eagle' is convinced that he'll never befriend the reigning heavyweight champion.

Jones has on various occasions vehemently argued against fan sentiment over 'The Eagle's' claim as the GOAT, often by trying to belittle his accomplishments. And one might assume this is the source of the Russian's animosity towards 'Bones'. However, the truth is far from that.

It's Jones' rivalry with Nurmagomedov's teammate and friend Daniel Cormier, that prevents him from maintaining a cordial relationship with the former. In a recent Instagram story, Nurmagomedov responded to a clip of Jones picking him in his top 5 list of MMA fighters, writing:

"I never had any disagreements with Jones, but my friend Cormier is in conflict with him, so Jones can't be my friend. I can't befriend those who aren't friends with my friends."

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below:

Jones and Cormier shared one of the most intense and contentious rivalries in modern-day MMA. The two men faced each other in the octagon twice during their careers with 'Bones' securing a decisive victory the first time around.

Their second fight, however, was tainted by controversy after Jones tested positive for turinabol, a banned performance-enhancing drug. This led to speculations that the 'Bones' might have used the substance during their first fight as well, preventing Cormier from achieving a definite resolution to their rivalry.

In several media segments following the fight, 'DC' has stated that he and Jones would probably never be on friendly terms.

Check out Daniel Cormier speak about his standing with Jon Jones below:

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When Jon Jones laid out why he is a better fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov

While Jon Jones acknowledges that Khabib Nurmagomedov is a great fighter and a credible representative for the sport of MMA, he unapologetically believes that he is a superior fighter to 'The Eagle'.

During a pre-fight media interaction at UFC 247 in 2020, the reigning heavyweight champion made his case by saying:

"Just our resumes are completely different. I've fought so many world champions under my belt that I've defeated. Khabib, a lot of his victories are against a lot of people that are relatively unknown, where I've been fighting legends since I was a young man in my early twenties."

Check out Jon Jones compare his and Khabib Nurmagomedov's resumes below:

Jones boasts title wins at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. He holds 15 championship bout victories in the UFC and has had more championship bouts than non-title ones in his promotional career.

While the former undefeated lightweight champion only racked up four title bout wins before calling it a career, Nurmagomedov's run in the promotion is seen by many as one of the most dominant in MMA history.