Jon Jones regards fighting as his profession, but he acknowledges that his heated rivalry with Daniel Cormier was not only deeply personal but also brought out his worst traits.
Widely considered one of the greatest fighters ever, Jones has rarely faced significant challenges inside the octagon during his lengthy career. He typically approached opponents with a detached, professional attitude, focused simply on getting the job done and winning. This mindset shifted completely when it came to Cormier. Jones confessed his intense dislike for the two-time Olympian was so profound that it motivated him to train even harder to ensure he would not lose when they finally met in the cage.
“Daniel Cormier and I, I swear he’s aged me in a certain way,” Jones shared with Vic Blends on YouTube. “My fighting is fueled by love. Everything I do comes genuinely from love — I cherish this talent, the opportunities, the fans, the income, everything. I just love it. But with Daniel Cormier, a hatred emerged for the first time, where I simply couldn`t bear the thought of losing to this man.”
“I recall doing extra training sessions on Christmas day just because I hated him so much then and couldn`t imagine being defeated by him. That feeling propelled me to beat him, but I never wish to operate from that kind of energy again.”
Jones knows his intense animosity was reciprocated, as he`s heard Cormier express similar feelings whenever discussing their rivalry publicly.
“I know he felt the same way about me,” Jones said regarding Cormier. “I’ve heard him state in interviews like ‘I truly hated Jon Jones.’ It was incredibly stressful, and those training camps took a significant toll, likely shaving years off our lives simply by operating with such intense hate.”
One particularly intense confrontation occurred during an interview Jones and Cormier did on ESPN. A verbal exchange was accidentally captured on camera when the fighters believed they were no longer being recorded.
The infamous back-and-forth was eventually released, and Jones admitted that his desire to physically harm Cormier during that incident was absolutely genuine.
“We had a leaked moment from behind the scenes where I literally told him I was going to kill him,” Jones recounted. “We thought the cameras were off and we were still live. He asked ‘are you next door?’ and I said ‘yeah, I’m next door.’ Then it was ‘are you still there [expletive]?’ and he replied ‘I’m still here.’ He added, ‘I wish they would let me next door so I could spit in your face.’”
“I considered how often I`d see him face-to-face and that he might actually spit in my face at some point, especially with more media appearances planned. I told him ‘bro, if you do that, I’m going to f***ing kill you, I’ll absolutely kill you’ and I genuinely meant it. That was too dark for sports and very real.”
Jones ultimately faced Cormier inside the octagon on two separate occasions and won both bouts. However, his knockout victory from 2017 was later overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drug test.
Regardless, Jones never felt that level of animosity towards any other opponent, and his burning hatred for Cormier was completely authentic, not just for the cameras.
“Daniel Cormier, we crossed paths [in public] once, and thank goodness both our teams were there to keep us apart,” Jones stated. “He was the only fighter I ever felt like I might get into a street fight with.”
“Then we actually did get into a physical altercation in the MGM Grand lobby before our fight. Daniel Cormier was one of those guys where seeing him meant it was on, anywhere, any time.”
Given that Cormier went on to claim titles at both heavyweight and light heavyweight and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Jones could certainly consider his wins over him among the biggest achievements of his career.
Still, Jones admits he wasn`t very fond of his own behavior during the period of his rivalry with Cormier, even though they created one of the most intense rivalries in combat sports history.
“It was good for others to watch,” Jones concluded. “But not that much fun to be directly involved in.”
