Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones: The Origin of MMA's Most Personal Rivalry

It started with seven words backstage at UFC 121.

Jon Jones 23 years old, six fights into his UFC career, and already looking like the most terrifying prospect the light heavyweight division had ever seen walked up to a stocky wrestler he'd never met and dropped this gem: "I bet you that I could take you down."

The stocky wrestler? Daniel Cormier. A 2004 U.S. Olympic team captain. A two time Pan American Games gold medalist. One of the most accomplished grapplers ever to step into an MMA cage. And a guy who did not appreciate being talked down to literally and figuratively by some kid who didn't even know his name.

That one line, delivered in October 2010 at the Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez event in Anaheim, California, planted the seed for what would become the most personal, most heated, and most consequential rivalry in UFC history. A beef so deep it lasted over a decade. A feud so toxic that Jones himself later admitted it was "too dark for sports."

But how did a clumsy backstage introduction spiral into press conference brawls, death threats on live television, hit and run scandals, failed drug tests, and two of the most anticipated fights the UFC has ever produced?

Let's break it all down.

Two Sides of the Same Coin And They Both Knew It

To understand why this rivalry burned so hot, you have to understand how fundamentally different these two men are and how much that difference got under both of their skins.

Jon Jones was the prodigy. The youngest UFC champion in history at 23 years old when he dethroned Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011. He was 6'4" with an 84.5 inch reach, fought with a creativity nobody had ever seen at light heavyweight, and was racking up title defenses against legends like they were regional circuit fighters. Rampage Jackson. Lyoto Machida. Rashad Evans. Vitor Belfort. Chael Sonnen. Alexander Gustafsson. Glover Teixeira. By the time he and Cormier finally met in the octagon, Jones was 21-1 (with his only "loss" being that infamous disqualification against Matt Hamill for illegal elbows a fight Jones was dominating).

But Jones was also chaos. DUI arrests. A positive cocaine test before UFC 182. A hit-and-run that injured a pregnant woman. A persona that swung wildly between church boy humility and ruthless trash talk. You never knew which Jon Jones was showing up.

Daniel Cormier was the opposite. The grinder. The guy who didn't get to the UFC until he was 33 years old. The heavyweight who dropped to 205 pounds because his best friend and teammate, Cain Velasquez, already held the heavyweight belt and DC refused to fight him for it. Think about that loyalty for a second. He literally changed weight classes and reshaped his entire career path out of respect for a friendship.

Cormier was 15-0 when he got the Jones fight, with wins over Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Dan Henderson, and Patrick Cummins. He was respected, professional, and carried himself like the role model Jones was pretending to be. And that's exactly what made Jones' disrespect at UFC 121 sting so badly.

The Backstage Meeting That Started It All

Both fighters remember the UFC 121 encounter, but their versions tell you everything about why this beef was real.

Here's Jones' version, as he told Ariel Helwani. He approached Cormier with a smile. He knew Cormier was a wrestler. He was trying to make friends another Black guy in the sport, he felt the need to say hello. He mentioned hearing about DC's wrestling and said he bet he could take him down. In Jones' mind, it was competitive banter. Locker room talk.

Cormier saw it completely differently. He told ESPN that Jones, a "very tall individual," looked down on him and made derogatory comments about how easily he could take him down. Cormier's reaction? "You don't even know who I am, guy!"

Was it a misunderstanding that spiraled out of control? Probably. Jones was likely trying way too hard to be cool, and Cormier was probably a little too sensitive about his recognition in the sport. But here's the thing about rivalries in MMA it doesn't matter how they start. It matters how they escalate.

And this one escalated fast.

2014: When the Beef Went Nuclear

For four years after that backstage encounter, Jones and Cormier existed in separate weight classes. Jones was running through the light heavyweight division like it owed him money. Cormier was doing damage at heavyweight. The beef was simmering, but there was no reason for it to boil over.

That changed in 2014.

Cormier officially moved down to light heavyweight, and suddenly these two were on a collision course. DC put together quick wins over Patrick Cummins and Dan Henderson, and when Alexander Gustafsson the man who'd given Jones the toughest fight of his career at UFC 165 tore his meniscus and had to pull out of the rematch, Cormier slid right into the title shot.

Now the rivalry had an octagon attached to it. And it immediately went off the rails.

The UFC 178 Brawl

On August 4, 2014, at a media event to promote UFC 178, Jones and Cormier were doing a standard face off for the cameras. Standard stuff until it wasn't.

Cormier shoved Jones in the throat. Jones threw a punch. And suddenly two of the best fighters on the planet were rolling around on a media stage, taking each other and half the production setup to the ground, while UFC staffers and security scrambled to separate them.

Was it staged? Some fans thought so. But watching the footage the way they tumbled recklessly on that hard stage, destroying everything in their path you could tell this was real. These two wanted to hurt each other, cameras or no cameras.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed Jones a $50,000 fine and 40 hours of community service. Cormier got a $9,000 fine and 20 hours. But the real damage? Nike ended its endorsement deal with Jones, costing him six figures in income.

The rivalry was now costing them real money. That's when you know it's personal.

"Hey Pu**y, Are You Still There?"

Just days after the brawl, the two appeared on SportsCenter in separate rooms, for obvious reasons. But what happened when they thought the cameras weren't rolling became one of the most iconic moments in MMA history.

Jones, from the other room, called out to Cormier with the now legendary line "Hey pu**y, are you still there?"

Cormier fired back "I wish they would let me next door so I could spit in your f**king face."

Jones' response? "I would literally kill you if you spit in my face."

This wasn't promotional trash talk. This wasn't Conor McGregor crafting soundbites for a press tour. This was two men who genuinely despised each other, and it was all caught on a hot mic. The clip went everywhere. MMA had never seen anything like it, and it cemented Jones vs. Cormier as something bigger than a title fight.

It was personal warfare.

UFC 182: The First Battle January 3, 2015

After Jones tore his meniscus and postponed the fight from UFC 178, the two finally met at UFC 182 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The hype was unreal. This was billed as perhaps the most anticipated fight in UFC history at the time, and it delivered just not the way many expected.

The pre fight narrative was all about wrestling. Who would get the takedowns? The Olympic caliber wrestler in Cormier, or the unorthodox phenom in Jones? The answer shocked everyone.

Jones took Cormier down. Multiple times. He outwrestled the wrestler. Jones landed takedowns for the first time in Cormier's career, proving that his freakish athleticism and reach could neutralize even an elite level grappler. Cormier had his moments he pressed Jones in the clinch, found success with dirty boxing, and showed real heart in the second round but Jones' conditioning, length, and adaptability were simply too much.

The scorecards read 49-46, 49-46, 49-46. A clear, convincing unanimous decision for Jones.

And just to twist the knife? After the final bell, Jones hit Cormier with a DX crotch chop straight out of WWE's Attitude Era.

The message was clear, Jones didn't just beat Cormier. He wanted to humiliate him.

At the post fight mic, Jones didn't hold back. "The undefeated DC, the haters, all the crap he talked it motivated me. I took him down. Five takedowns to zero. For everybody who bought a Break Bones shirt, take it back now. You wasted your money."

The Fall of Jon Jones And the Rise of DC

If this rivalry was a movie, this is where the villain's downfall begins.

In April 2015 just four months after his dominant win over Cormier Jon Jones was involved in a hit and run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He struck a car at an intersection, injuring a pregnant woman who suffered a broken arm. According to witnesses, Jones fled the scene, came back to grab a large amount of cash from his vehicle, and fled again. Police found marijuana paraphernalia in the car.

Jones was stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title and suspended indefinitely. The golden boy of MMA had self-destructed in the most spectacular way possible.

For Cormier, the door was wide open. In May 2015, he fought Anthony "Rumble" Johnson for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 187. Despite getting rocked badly in the first round by Johnson's terrifying power, Cormier weathered the storm and submitted Johnson with a rear naked choke in the third round.

Daniel Cormier was the UFC light heavyweight champion. But in the back of every fan's mind and probably DC's too there was that nagging thought: he never actually beat the best guy in the division. You can hold the belt all you want, but if the one dude everybody knows is better than you is sitting at home instead of standing across from you in the cage, that belt just doesn't hit the same.

And DC knew it. That's what kept this rivalry alive.

The Rematch That Almost Was, Then Wasn't, Then Was

Getting these two back in the cage proved absurdly difficult.

The UFC scheduled them for UFC 197 in April 2016, but Cormier injured his foot and had to pull out. Jones fought Ovince Saint Preux instead, winning by unanimous decision for the interim light heavyweight title.

Then came UFC 200. The biggest card in UFC history at the time. Jones vs. Cormier 2 was the headliner. The whole combat sports world was watching.

And then Jones tested positive for clomiphene and letrozole substances that affect testosterone and estrogen production. The fight was scrapped days before the event. Cormier instead fought Anderson Silva in a non title bout (and won by unanimous decision), but the damage was done.

Jones received a one year suspension. The rematch was dead. And Cormier was left once again with the belt but without the satisfaction of settling the score.

UFC 214: The Head Kick That Didn't Count July 29, 2017

Finally. After years of cancellations, suspensions, and failed drug tests, Jones and Cormier met again at UFC 214 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

This time, the script flipped. Cormier was the champion. Jones was the challenger.

For two rounds, the fight was competitive. And then, in the third round, Jones uncorked one of the most devastating head kicks in UFC history. A left high kick landed flush on Cormier's temple, and DC crumbled. Jones swarmed with ground and pound, and the referee stopped the fight.

Jon Jones had knocked out Daniel Cormier. He was the light heavyweight champion again. The GOAT had returned.

Except... he hadn't. Not really.

Weeks after UFC 214, Jones tested positive for turinabol an anabolic steroid. The result was overturned to a no contest. The title was returned to Cormier. Jones was suspended again.

Let that sink in. Their two official results? A unanimous decision for Jones and a no contest. In the record books, Jones never actually knocked out Daniel Cormier. That legendary head kick? It doesn't count.

The irony is almost poetic. Jones won both fights, but the one that should have silenced the rivalry forever the knockout that would have ended the debate was wiped from the books by his own actions outside the cage.

DC Becomes a Two Division Champion Without Jones

What Cormier did next cemented his legacy forever.

Rather than wait around for another shot at Jones who was suspended and unreliable Cormier went back up to heavyweight and challenged Stipe Miocic for the title at UFC 226 in July 2018. In the first round, Cormier knocked out Miocic with a short right hand and became the UFC's second simultaneous two division champion (after Conor McGregor).

At 39 years old, Daniel Cormier held both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. Nobody could say a word. No more "yeah but what about Jones" talk. DC shut all of that down and proved he was one of the greatest fighters to ever live, with or without a definitive win over Bones.

Cormier would defend the heavyweight title once (a fourth round TKO over Derrick Lewis) before losing back to back fights to Stipe Miocic the rematch at UFC 241 in 2019 and the trilogy at UFC 252 in 2020. That trilogy loss to Stipe was DC's final fight. He retired with a record of 22-3, a Hall of Fame career, and a legacy that stands on its own.

15 Years Later And They Still Can't Stand Each Other

Here's the thing about Jones vs. Cormier that separates it from every other rivalry in MMA. It never ended. Most beefs have an expiration date. Fighters retire, shake hands, do a podcast together, and move on.

Not these two.

As recently as early 2026, Jones and Cormier competed against each other again this time as opposing coaches on the ALF Reality television show in Thailand. Afterwards, Jones called Cormier "an a**hole" and a "d**khead," claiming he'd tried to reconcile and been rejected. Cormier told Ariel Helwani that while he's moved past the hatred, he simply has zero interest in being friends with Jones.

In a recent interview with Megan Olivi, Cormier admitted that being permanently tied to Jones still frustrates him. "We have our own careers. I had a career that was so great, with him and outside of him, it doesn't need to always be just running side by side. But it is what it is."

And Jones? In a candid moment on the DeepCut podcast, he reflected on the rivalry's peak with something that sounded almost like regret: "It was stressful and that training camp took a lot of time and it probably took a few years off of our lives just operating out of so much hate."

Too dark for sports, he said. And he was probably right.

The CageLore Take

I love both of these guys. Respect DC as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time the man became a double champ at 39 years old. That's legendary. But let's be real: Jon Jones is the GOAT. Period. No question. He beat the best of the best in their primes, and no amount of controversy outside the cage changes what he did inside it.

Jones said it best he lived rent free in Cormier's head. And even now, all these years later, Cormier still says he doesn't like him. That's not a knock on DC. That's just the reality of what this rivalry did to both men. It consumed them in a way no other feud in MMA ever has.

What makes it the greatest rivalry in UFC history isn't just the fights. It's the layers. A backstage misunderstanding that became genuine hatred. Press conference brawls. Hot mic moments that went viral. A hit and run. Failed drug tests. A knockout that got erased from the record books. Two men who spent the best years of their careers trying to destroy each other and still can't let it go.

DC vs. Jones wasn't manufactured drama. It wasn't a promotional angle. It was two all time greats who genuinely could not stand each other, and that authenticity is what made every single moment of this rivalry electric.

Will they ever truly bury it? Based on everything we've seen, probably not. And maybe that's what makes it perfect. Some rivalries aren't meant to have a clean ending. Some rivalries are just built different.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did the Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones rivalry start?

The rivalry began backstage at UFC 121 in October 2010 when Jon Jones approached Daniel Cormier who he didn't know and told him, "I bet you that I could take you down." Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler, took offense, and the animosity grew over the following years until they first fought at UFC 182 in January 2015.

How many times did Jones and Cormier fight?

Jones and Cormier fought twice in the UFC. Their first fight at UFC 182 (January 3, 2015) was a unanimous decision win for Jones. Their second fight at UFC 214 (July 29, 2017) was originally a third round knockout win for Jones, but was later overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for turinabol.

What happened during the Jones vs. Cormier press conference brawl?

At a media event on August 4, 2014, promoting UFC 178, Jones and Cormier got into a physical altercation during their face off. Cormier shoved Jones, Jones threw a punch, and the two ended up on the ground while security intervened. Jones was fined $50,000 and lost his Nike endorsement deal as a result.

What is the "Hey pu**y, are you still there?" moment?

During a SportsCenter appearance shortly after their brawl, Jones and Cormier were kept in separate rooms. When they believed cameras were off, Jones said, "Hey pu**y, are you still there?" This was caught on a hot mic and became one of the most iconic moments in MMA history.

Why was Jones vs. Cormier 2 overturned to a no-contest?

After Jones knocked out Cormier in the third round at UFC 214, he tested positive for the anabolic steroid turinabol. The result was changed to a no contest, the light heavyweight title was returned to Cormier, and Jones was suspended.

Do Jones and Cormier still have beef?

Yes. As of 2026, the two appeared as opposing coaches on the ALF Reality TV show and exchanged barbs afterward. Cormier has said he no longer carries intense hatred but has no interest in a friendship with Jones. Jones has described the rivalry as "too dark for sports."