The bad blood between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones continues to boil years after their legendary UFC showdowns.
UFC heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones‘s potential Octagon return is becoming more uncertain by the day. Jones and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall have been linked to a potential title unification bout since November, after Jones defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Fans continue to critique Jones for his apparent reluctance in allowing the heavyweight division to move forward, whether it’s with the Aspinall fight or with a potential title vacation. A petition signed by around 200,000 UFC fans is gaining steam calling for the UFC to strip Jones of his heavyweight title.
In the meantime, two of Jones’s former rivals, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, irked the heavyweight champion in recent days.
Daniel Cormier to Jon Jones: ‘I would’ve fought Tom Aspinall already’
Cormier and Sonnen, who co-host Good Guy/Bad Guy on ESPN, recently had a lot to say about the Jones/Aspinall saga and the state of the heavyweight division. This quickly caught Jones’s attention, as he expressed in a recent post to X.
“Jon Jones whooped both of y’all, but hey–why not team up on a podcast and gossip about his life? Meanwhile, he’s out here making your annual salary in a week. Stay busy, boys,” Jones wrote.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier reacted to Jones’s recent barbs.
“It seems as though Jon Jones doesn’t like being talked about by two of the biggest voices in this game, and I’m going to pull the curtain back,” Cormier said of Jones.
“I know what Jon Jones made in Thailand, I was offered to coach this show with Jon Jones. His resume is impeccable, star power, his ability to sell, matches up with anybody in the business. But guess what? Daniel Cormier’s resume matches up with anybody in the business, I bring eyes like other people in the business,” Cormier continued. “Jon Jones don’t make more money than me in a week! He makes more money than me, when he fights! We’re over here eating. The biggest paydays you ever had were directly tied to me! I’m talking about you, and I’m getting paid to talk about you, but I don’t fight no more ’cause all I can really do is talk. That’s what I do.
“You fight! Or at least, you’re supposed to fight. You’re talking about me, Francis, Chael, and almost ignoring the right thing. You can then stick it to everybody like you’ve done on so many occasions and tell ’em about it. I can tell you guys on good authority, if I was still fighting today, and I was still the heavyweight champion and Tom Aspinall was the number one contender, I would’ve already fought him. One thousand percent. Know how dangerous, it would’ve done nothing but excite me. This dude Jon Jones is still talking? Come on.”
Aspinall recently claimed the UFC has given him a date and location for his next fight, but wouldn’t disclose whether or not Jones would be his opponent. If Jones walks away, Aspinall will fight for the undisputed title against a top contender like Ciryl Gane or Alexander Volkov.
Cormier, a former UFC heavyweight champion, retired after a trilogy loss to Miocic in 2020. Before the Miocic rivalry blossomed, a Cormier vs. Jones heavyweight showdown nearly came to fruition.
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier heavyweight fight nearly happened during their primes
After their second UFC light heavyweight showdown ended in a no-contest due to Jones testing positive for a banned substance, a third fight between Jones and Cormier was briefly teased. Fight talks ramped up after Cormier earned the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Miocic at UFC 226.
Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title after defeating Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. He took four years away from fighting before returning in 2023 to fight for the then-vacant heavyweight belt at UFC 285 against Gane, winning by first-round submission.
Years after the second chapter of their rivalry, tensions remain high between Jones and Cormier. Cormier ripped into Jones in a passionate defense of Islam Makhachev, revamping their bitter UFC feud.
Cormier and Jones nearly squared off on a Russian spinoff of The Ultimate Fighter as coaches, before Cormier declined the offer following Nate Diaz‘s sudden departure.
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