Enemies for life.
For a brief moment, it appeared former bitter rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier might finally be turning a corner. After years of pure, unfiltered animosity, the two UFC legends coached opposite one another on Alf Reality, a Russian knockoff Ultimate Fighter-style reality show — and according to Cormier, things were mostly cordial aside from a couple of arguments.
Jones, however, saw it very differently.
Speaking to Red Corner MMA, the former UFC champion painted the experience as
every bit as toxic as their rivalry inside the Octagon.
“This season against Daniel Cormier — oh man, what a stuffy, just dickhead Cormier really is,” Jones said. “If you really get to know Daniel Cormier, he’s an asshole. He didn’t really connect with any of the fighters here. I tried to make peace with him many times, and he made it very clear that he wants to be enemies for the rest of his life because of how lucrative it is.”
Jones admitted there were occasional lighter moments, but claimed the overall experience was miserable.
“There were moments where we laughed, but for the most part, he’s a dickhead,” Jones continued. “Look at the way he treats his staff. He brought like 10 yes-men with him — ‘Go get my water, where’s this, why’s that?’ When we weren’t filming, he wasn’t sociable at all. People who actually work with him know that.”
While the two will never fight inside a cage again, Cormier has repeatedly floated the idea of settling things on the wrestling mat, boldly claiming he would tech-fall Jones 10-0.
Jones responded to the challenge by revisiting one of the rivalry’s most infamous moments.
“If I wrestled Daniel Cormier, it would be interesting to see what happens,” Jones said. “I can’t say definitively what would happen in wrestling — but I do know I made him cry in front of the world. I took him off the list of being considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.”
Jones didn’t stop there, claiming Cormier’s legacy will continue to fade.
“He’ll be even lower on the list of greatest heavyweights because my prospect Gable Steveson will be a three-time champion — more than Daniel Cormier ever was,” Jones concluded.
Unfortunately, fans will likely never get a Shaq-and-Kobe-style sit-down between the two. The hatred still burns — and Jones is unlikely to give Cormier a chance to beat him in wrestling.
For now, Jones’ focus has shifted to securing a spot on the historic UFC White House card next year — though that opportunity appears increasingly unlikely.
