Over the last year or so, Strikeforce Heavyweight GP champion Daniel Cormier has been teasing a drop to Light Heavyweight to challenge the UFC’s champion Jon Jones. With his teammate and friend Cain Velasquez holding the Heavyweight belt in addition to Cormier’s relatively small size in the division, it looked like he was simply trying to set up the biggest fight possible. However, a recent report from a former sponsor of Daniel’s indicates that there may be more to the story.
TrauMMA Combat Apparel owner Todd Rexx recently appeared on MMA Roasted and related a story from the 2011 World MMA Awards. According to Rexx, he spoke with Jones at the awards show and the conversation eventually turned to a possible sponsorship opportunity. Jones had a surprising response for Rexx when he said “if you sponsor Daniel, then I don’t want to f–k with you guys.”
Shortly after, Rexx relayed the conversation to Cormier, who confronted Jones as he was leaving the show (via MixedMartialArts.com):
So at that point Jon Jones and Malki Kawa are getting into a limo, and Daniel walked outside and grabbed Jon by the arm, and spun him around and was like ‘dude, you got f—— problem with me?’
And I was like ‘oh my God.’
So they are facing off
Jon said ‘Yo, I think that you, King Mo, and Rashad Evans, ya’ll full of yourselves.’ He just talked s— about Daniel.
They were like in each other’s face.
Daniel was like ‘mother f—– you don’t know anything about me. I’m a grown ass man. This all started when you claimed to be this wrestling aficionado, and when you met me, you didn’t know who I was. Motherf—– you knew who I was. I knew every wrestler when I was coming up.’
Since the incident was first reported by Rexx, neither Jones nor Cormier have given a statement regarding the altercation. However, Jones’ manager Malki Kawa did respond on Twitter calling it “some bulls–t” and that “it didn’t happen that way at all.”
With as much as a (sanctioned) fight between the two has been discussed recently, it seems likely that they’ll meet in the Octagon eventually. But, it will have to wait since Cormier has decided to stay at Heavyweight while Jones is expected to continue defending his 205 lb. title after recovering from the dislocated toe he suffered at UFC 159.