Jon Jones blasts Daniel Cormier after reality show. UFC legend Jon Jones has reignited his long-running feud with fellow former champion Daniel Cormier, this time with sharply critical comments following their recent stint as opposing coaches on a reality television show filmed in Thailand.
Jones and Cormier reunited on ALF Reality Season 3 which is a Russian MMA-themed competition series similar to The Ultimate Fighter amid hopes that spending extended time together might help ease their decades-long rivalry. Hwever, Jones says the experience only confirmed his negative impression of Cormier.
“This season against Daniel Cormier, what a stuffy, just d*ckhead Cormier really is,” Jones told Red Corner. “I think if you really get to know Daniel Cormier, he’s an assh*le. He was an assh*le. He didn’t really connect with any of the fighters here. He’s just an assh*le.
“I tried to make peace with him many times but he made it very clear that he wants to be enemies for the rest of his life because of how lucrative it is.”
Jones and Cormier’s feud stretches back over a decade, with two high-profile UFC light heavyweight title fights defining their competitive history. Jones won their first meeting at UFC 182 by unanimous decision and claimed victory again at UFC 214 via head-kick knockout, though that latter result was later overturned to a no-contest due to Jones testing positive for a banned substance.
Both men later achieved honours in multiple divisions. Cormier won light heavyweight and heavyweight titles before retiring, while Jones captured the heavyweight crown in 2023 before vacating it upon his own retirement announcement last year. Jones quickly walked back that decision with hopes to compete on the upcoming UFC White House card slated for June, but UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly stated he’s not interested in booking Jones for that event.
As far as his rivalry with Cormier goes, Jones promises he was more than willing to close that chapter but it sounds like filming the reality show only ratcheted up tension between them even more.
“There’s moments where we got to laugh but for the most part, he’s a d*ckhead,” Jones said. “You look at the way he treats his staff members. He brought like 10 Yes Men out with him and literally [telling them] ‘Go get me my water … where’s my this?’ ‘Why is that this?’ He just bosses guys around.
“The times we weren’t filming, he wasn’t very sociable with the people on set. He’s just a d*ckhead. I think people that really work with him know that.”
“If I wrestled against Daniel Cormier, it would be really interesting to see what happened,” Jones said. “I can’t definitively say what would happen in the sport of wrestling. The one thing I do know is 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.
“He’ll be even lower in the ranking of the greatest heavyweights of all time because my prospect Gable Steveson is going to be three times the champion Daniel Cormier ever was. He’ll just always be in my shadow one way or another.”
In the end, it’s clear that the rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier is far from over. Even after years away from fighting each other, the tension is still there. Whether on reality TV or in future projects, their dislike hasn’t faded.
