Jon Jones admits that his intense rivalry with Daniel Cormier was personal and brought out the worst in him, driven by mutual hatred, leading to one of the most heated rivalries in combat sports history.
Jon Jones sees fighting as a business, but his rivalry with Daniel Cormier? That was personal. It brought out the worst in him.
Known as the greatest fighter ever, Jones usually faces opponents with a job-to-win mindset. But with Cormier, it was different. He despised the two-time Olympian so much it fueled him to work harder, ensuring he wouldn’t lose.
“Daniel Cormier and I, I swear he’s aged me,” Jones shared on YouTube. He fights out of love, but with Cormier, it was pure hatred. Losing wasn’t an option.
He even did extra workouts on Christmas, driven by his dislike for Cormier. It pushed him to victory, but he never wants to operate from that energy again.
Jones knows the feeling was mutual. Cormier publicly admitted he genuinely hated Jones, adding stress to their training camps.
One intense moment happened during an ESPN interview, caught on camera when they thought it wasn’t recording. Jones genuinely wanted to harm Cormier then.
“We got a leaked moment,” Jones recalled. They exchanged threats, believing the cameras were off. It was too dark for sports, yet very real.
Jones faced Cormier twice in the octagon, winning both times. However, a knockout win in 2017 was overturned due to a failed drug test.
That hatred was unique to Cormier. There was nothing staged about it. They even had a street encounter, only stopped by their teams.
They fought in the MGM Grand lobby before their official fight. With Cormier, “on sight” meant anywhere, anytime.
Despite Cormier’s achievements and Hall of Fame status, those wins were huge for Jones. Yet, he didn’t like himself much during that period.
“It was good to watch,” Jones admitted. “But not that much fun being in.”