Newsflash: They Still Don’t Like Each Other… Jon Jones is Throwing Digs at Daniel Cormier on Twitter…
MMA rivalries mostly seem fake and contrived, but there are a few real ones. Think Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagamedov and Conor McGregor, the UFC 223 media bus and Conor McGregor. None of these compare to the sheer toxic nature of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier’s vicious and violent relationship.
The pair has fought twice, with Jones winning both times. However, both were tarnished by Jones being stripped of the light-heavyweight title for some incredibly stupid reason for an athlete of his caliber. In any other division, Cormier would be considered one of the all-time greats. But because of Jones, he’s always got that shadow hanging over him.
Jones is very happy to remind his former foe about this. He’s been very active on social media over the past couple of weeks and managed to take time out to throw some shade at DC. That’s nice of him.
Here's one for you Jones. Is The beef still as fierce as it once was between you and DC? @JonnyBones
— Fran O'Reilly (@ShadEO9) May 21, 2018
Online Assault
Jon Jones fights out of Jackson-Wink in Alberquerque, New Mexico. Only last week he invited Chuck Liddell down to fight after the Iceman announced his return by calling out arguably the greatest light-heavyweight fighter ever. Not a smart move. ‘Bones’ tore Liddell apart.
He also took time to answer a few fans on Twitter. He offered to snap chat with one fan’s grandmother. That’s a little odd but seemed to come from a good place. However, when he was asked if the beef with DC was still strong, Jones replied:
“Probably when he dreams at night, not so much for me these days”
Probably when he dreams at night, not so much for me these days https://t.co/AU5qIBtV9K
— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 21, 2018
Violent Rivalry
Their rivalry is arguably the greatest in the history of the UFC. Who can forget that press conference which ended with the two of them rolling around on the floor? If you have, there’s video footage above. Jones won their first match by unanimous decision at UFC 182.
The second fight was even more dramatic. Cormier, who had never been knocked out before, was determined to prove that he was the real and worthy champion. He ended up unconscious after Jones kicked his lights out, with a third round knock out at UFC 214.
That fight was overturned to a no-contest after Jones was cited for using Turinabol, an anabolic steroid. He’s still banned. Cormier was given back the title and went on to defend against Volkan Oezdemir.
What If
It’s one of the great questions in MMA: what if Jon Jones wasn’t so self-destructive? We would probably be talking about the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. Only Alexander Gustafsson has given him a proper challenge. He’s looked invincible throughout his career.
However, for all his glory in the cage, there’s an inglorious incident outside of it. He’s crashing his car on a cocaine binge into a pregnant woman’s vehicle. He’s getting into fights or seeing prostitutes. It’s a waste of talent, and there will always be question marks over him now that he has tested positive for PEDs.
Worst of all, he’s damaged Daniel Cormier’s legacy. At least he gets to move up to heavyweight and prove once and for all how good he is.
