It’s been around fifteen months since Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier faced each other. In that time, much has changed in the lives of both men, except for one mutual constant. The rivalry between the two fighters, no matter how much time apart, continues to remain as heated as it ever did.
With the rematch having recently been scrapped due to a Cormier injury, and Ovince St. Preux stepping in as a late replacement, you could have been forgiven for thinking the two’s rivalry would be somewhat placed to the side for now, but clearly Jones and Cormier have something else in mind.
Today the two engaged in heated words both via interviews and Twitter.
It all started when Cormier appeared on MMAFighting’s MMAHour, where he revealed that he had offered Jones’s new opponent the opportunity to come and train with his team (American Kickboxing Academy), all expenses paid. Should OSP accept, Cormier said, he would have the game plan and the teammates necessary to beat the number one pound for pound fighter on the planet.
OSP respectfully declined the offer, but it’s safe to say that Jones was not impressed.
Speaking on The MMA Hour, Jones tore into the Light Heavyweight Champion, labelling him a coward.
“Daniel is an absolute coward who will never beat me,” Jones said. “And I say that not from an arrogant place. I say that from a place where, me getting my belt back, it means everything to me. That belt right now is a big part of my life. It means everything to me. Me losing to OSP should be the last thing that [DC] would want, because if I were to somehow lose, that means he doesn’t get to avenge his only loss.”
Jones hasn’t fought since defeating Cormier at UFC 182, after a series of personal issues, including a suspension for a hit and run conviction. Stripped of his championship, Jones had to watch from the sides as during that suspension, Cormier defeated Anthony Johnson for the vacant title.
“His inviting OSP to his training camp shows me that he’s so grateful that he’s not fighting me in three weeks,” Jones said. “That he’s so grateful that he gets to have one more family photo-op with that belt, because he knows that he’s not going to beat me, especially now with a knee injury. He’s going to be nursing his knee to get back to 100-percent. I’m going to just be getting stronger, better, faster, more rehearsed in my gameplan to beat him.”
Cormier, having heard Jones’s comments, took to Twitter to answer the allegations of cowardice. He pulled no punches.
The champ didn’t stop there, going as far as to call Jones a “loser junkie,” who needed to avoid being arrested for them to be able to rematch.
Jones, far from being annoyed, seemed to revel in the reaction, tweeting to ask “lol U mad Bro?” before asking Cormier why would he want to help OSP, seeing as he needs to defeat Jones in the rematch to validate his championship.
Cormier bit, and replied “[AKA] don’t like you. We’d side with anyone fighting you.”
The back and forth went on for sometime, before the two appeared to run out of anymore abuse. With Cormier out for around 5-6 weeks, should Jones defeat OSP at UFC 197 (he’s currently around 10-1 favourite), it could be that the rematch may take place at mega event UFC 200.
If not then, or if DC were unable to return from injury as currently scheduled, then the fact that MMA has recently been legalised in Jones’s home state of New York could mean the two would meet in the promotions inaugural appearance at Madison Square Garden.
Either way, no matter where the two end up fighting, don’t expect the two greatest Light Heavyweights in the sport mutual hatred to go anywhere.
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