Jon Jones says there’s no more ill will towards Daniel Cormier: “I think we’d actually make great friends”
For years, the rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, both former UFC light heavyweight champions, was the biggest rivalry in the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts. While Jones reigned over the division for years, he would find himself in trouble outside of the cage whether it was legal issues or being suspended by USADA, and when he was gone, Cormier would take the reigns as champion.
The two would deliver nasty insults to each other in press conference but inside the UFC Octagon, Jones had the upper-hand getting victories in both of their matchups. With one of those victories being overturned to a No Contest, Jones is technically 1-0-1 with a decision victory to his credit, but in their second fight, he finished the fight with a head-kick and follow-up strikes leading to a TKO, which was overturned.
A bitter feud where neither man would let up against the other, it appears that things are now in a much different place. Ahead of his heavyweight debut, the division where Cormier moved up to and became a two-division champ back in 2018 with a win over Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones appeared on ‘Unlocking The Cage’ with Jimmy Smith on Sirius XM and opened up on his relationship with Cormier.
Last week, the two engaged in a respectful back-and-forth about Cormier potentially calling Jones’ upcoming heavyweight title fight, with “Bones” saying he has no issues with “DC” calling his fight at UFC 285. Now that years have passed in their rivalry and Cormier has since retired from the sport and is a marquee figure on UFC PPV broadcasts, Jones believes the two of them could be friends if they sat down and talk it out. Jones also credited Cormier with his commentating skills on the broadcast.
“I do believe that Daniel will do a great job, all the guys do a really good job at being unbiased. The UFC hires these guys because they’re professionals and yeah, I think he’s going to do a great job if he gets the job. Daniel has commentated for me before, I believe he was in the corner when I fought Ovince Saint Preux and he did a great job, he’s not biased.”
Despite their history, Jon Jones says that people try to make he and Cormier archrivals but it was the competitive nature between two high level athletes at their very best.
"I think we'd actually make great friends, if we were ever to sit down in front of each other and really just chat it out."
'Absolute archenemies' no more, @JonnyBones says he has no ill will towards @dc_mma #UFC285🛑@jimmysmithmma
Source: Unlocking the Cage with Jimmy Smith pic.twitter.com/a0r56jEGCF
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 21, 2023
“People try to Daniel and I out to be these absolute archenemies. If you look at competitive athletes throughout history, they all come around, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, they all come around and it’s just competition. Outside of the sport, I have no ill will towards Daniel. I think he’s a very stand-up individual and I think we’d actually make great friends if we were ever to sit down in front of each other and really just chat it out.”
It is quite the change of tone between the two, but after years have passed and each man has gone in separate directions, it appears there may be a friendly ending to the rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. As for Jones, he is set to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight champion at UFC 285 on March 4, in Las Vegas, Nevada.