Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier reflects on one of the vicious rivalries in MMA - 'If he had a gun, he would shoot me'
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Image by Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier faced one of the greatest rivalries in the history of
UFC
The rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier was declared a no-contest owing to the former's drug test results being positive
Daniel Cormier's comment at the publicist of Jon Jones ignited the long drawn rivalry between the fighters
Current
UFC heavyweight champion
Jon Jones
and
former UFC two-weight division champion Daniel Cormier
share one of the most violent histories of
rivalry in MMA.
The legends faced each other twice within the Octagon, at UFC 182 and UFC 214. Even though both bouts went in favor of The Bones, the rematch was declared a no-contest after Jones tested positive for drugs. In a recent talk with Chael Sonnen, Cormier reflected upon the one incident that formed as one of the major causes for the instigated rivalry between Cormier and Jones.
Daniel Cormier opens up about the instigating trash-talk that fueled his rivalry with Jon Jones for years
Over time, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have trash-talked each other on air or during pre-fight and post-fight interviews. The feud was so agitated that it even led to threats of killing between the fighters. Despite an impressive track record in the world of MMA, Jones' past life was not free of controversy. In other words, his legal cases and personal life issues rendered one of the nastiest past lives carried around by any fighter in the combat sports world. Cormier left no stone unturned in using these situations to get back at the fighter, fueling their rivalry even more.
Cormier retired from the Octagon in 2020, with everyone calling him one of the greatest fighters of all time, while Jones continued to fight after a long layoff of 3 years. In recent years, the fighters have developed a sense of respect for each other. As the color commentator of the UFC, Cormier has conducted a weigh-in interview with Jones at UFC 309, who continues to fight inside the Octagon. Even though a strong friendship is a distant idea for both fighters, the in-cage rivalry does not seem to exist now.
While reflecting on this relationship, Cormier, while talking to Chael Sonnen, reflected on an incident that kind of formed the basis of the iconic rivalry between two of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time.
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'One time Jon and I were arguing, and I looked at his publicist and I pointed to her. 'You have the worst job in history, I feel sorry for you! I feel sorry you're tasked with trying to keep this psychopath under control!' Cormier said. 'And Jon was sitting there, so mad at me. The one thing about Jon, Jon isn't the best with his words. He just wanted to kill me' Cormier continued, 'I could see it, in his mind, if he had a gun, he would shoot me. It was bad! Poor girl.'
Also read:
From the cage to the camera: Paddy Pimblett eyes Hollywood dream
Despite the rivalry, the fighters have spoken while praising each other in different interviews. The Octagon rivalry seems to be left behind inside the cage, which forms the spirit of the combat sport of MMA. While rivalries are common in the world of combat sports, however, this particular rivalry is one of the biggest that the UFC has ever seen.
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