Daniel "DC" Cormier
Jon "Bones" Jones
One of the most legendary rivalries in UFC history: undefeated and controversial UFC superstar Jon "Bones" Jones versus his fiercest rival, Daniel "DC" Cormier. Face-off brawls, legendary interviews, and numerous postponements: this duel had it all. We take a closer look at the story and both fights.
Love at first sight
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier first met backstage at UFC 121 in 2010. Jones, a young and relatively unknown newcomer at the time, saw Cormier and approached him. As Jones himself describes the incident:
​
I met him, and I came up to him with a big smile on my face. He's another black guy in the sport, and I felt the need to say hello to him, and I was just like 'hey man, I hear you're a great wrestler' and all this stuff, and he's like 'Yeah, yeah, you don't know who I am?' I'm like 'No I don't know who you are, but my coaches were telling me that you wrestle at the Olympic level.' And I was like 'I bet you that I could take you down.'
It was my way of trying to develop a new friendship, and he just took it so seriously, and he was just so offended that I didn't know who he was, and from that moment on he decided that there was a beef between us. I was just trying to reach out to him at that moment, and he just decided that there wouldn't be a friendship between us.
"
"
To be fair, here's the whole thing from Cormier's perspective:
I didn't expect Jon Jones to know who I was as an Olympian. I don't expect Jon Jones to know any wrestlers. He was the guy that was coming up to be the UFC champion. What I said was, 'How do you break the ice by insulting someone?' That's the only problem I had. It was the first time he and I ever interacted. He walked up to me, a very tall individual. He looked down on me and started to make derogatory comments towards me, talking about how he could take me down easy and stuff...You don't even know who I am, guy!
"
"
Cormier konnte also mit seinem anscheinend exorbitanten Ego nicht verkraften, dass ein junger Wrestler in Jon Jones nicht wusste, wer er, der große Olympionike und Staatsmeister im Wrestling war und anschließend es auch noch wagt, ihm zu sagen, dass er ihn takedownen würde. Die größtmögliche Beleidigung für einen professionellen Wrestler. Auf der anderen Seite war ein rising Jon Jones eventuell auch etwas über selbstbewusst und sogar forsch.
Und so nahm die Geschichte seinen Lauf. Auf wessen Seite man sich hier stellt, ist jedem selbst überlassen, in der UFC Community wird Jones meist als "Bad Guy" und Cormier als "Good Guy" betitelt.
Dominant victory by Jones
When Jones's actual opponent, Alexan der Gustaffson, dropped out, it was time to finally hold this long overdue duel.
At a press conference in Las Vegas a few months before their fight, the two fighters were scheduled to face off. A standard routine in combat sports. However, what followed was one of the craziest moments ever seen in the buildup to a fight. After a shove from Daniel Cormier, both athletes randomly punched each other, thus extinguishing any remaining hope that this might still be a purely sporting rivalry. You can watch the whole thing again here .
Both athletes also left no doubt about sharing their feelings with each other on the microphone. We've compiled a short compilation of the best trash talk from the pair here .
On January 3, 2015, at UFC 182, the ultimate "grudge match" (a contest in which the opponents dislike each other at all) finally took place. After five rounds, a clear opponent was established: Jones dominated Cormier for long stretches, even landing a few takedowns against the Olympic wrestler, and confirmed his earlier statement that he could definitely take down "DC." A double defeat for Daniel Cormier.
A new champion
As rosy as all this may sound for the champion, several issues outside of the sport would cause Jones trouble in the coming months and years. Drug abuse, criminal activity, and domestic violence led to several lost partnerships, such as with Nike, and the loss of his title as UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion.
Daniel Cormier did not want to miss this opportunity: On May 23, 2015, Cormier won the vacant title at UFC 187 with a victory over Anthony Johnson.
"Jon Jones, pull yourself together, I'm waiting for you!" he said in an interview afterwards.
Run it back
Es sollte also unausweichbar zum erneuten Fight kommen. Einige Verletzungen von Cormier und ein paar positive Dopingtests von Jones führten zu Verschiebungen des Aufeinandertreffens. Die Beiden haben es in all der Zeit allerings nie ausgelassen, den anderen verbal zu konfrontieren und die Rivalität am Leben zu erhalten. Schließlich sollten sie bei UFC 214 die Möglichkeit bekommen, das Ganze ein für alle mal zu klären, im ultimativen "grudge match 2.0".
Die Entscheidung
One of the most anticipated fights in UFC history was set to take place on January 21, 2017, at UFC 214 in California. Two top athletes with outstanding athletic achievements since their high school days, who have harbored an almost uncontrollable hatred for each other for years, and who are both champions in the same weight class, were now set to bury their hatchet once and for all.
Der Fight begann auf hohem Niveau, beide Männer schienen in absoluter Topform zu sein. "DC" landete sogar etwas mehr Schaden, Jones allerdings mit einem etwas höheren Volumen. Die ersten beiden Runden waren auf Messer's Schneide, vermutlich eine Cormier eine Jones. Doch in Runde drei sollte sich das ändern.
Jon Jones landete einen perfekt platzierten Headkick, von dem "DC" nicht mehr recovern konnte. Jones beendete den Kampf mit recht brutalem Ground-and-Pound. Der Schiedsrichter beendete den Kampf in der dritten Runde, Jones gewann per TKO und war wieder alleiniger UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion.
Nachspiel und Einsichten
Jones said to Joe Rogan after the fight:
It's never over until it's over. I would like to thank Daniel for being my biggest rivalry and motivator. Thank you Daniel.
Daniel Cormier, who still seemed a bit shaky on his feet after the kick, said in a very emotional interview in the octagon with tears in his eyes:
I don't know what happened, I thought the fight was going well.[...] I guess there is no rivalry if the same guy wins twice.
In particular, Cormier's answer to reporter Joe Rogan's question about what this result would mean for the rivalry was a groundbreaking one. It was a significant statement, and for the first time, there seemed to be something resembling a friendly atmosphere between the two athletes after the fight.
"
"
"
"
Legacy and Future
The sporting rivalry between the two is over, with Jones coming out on top. However, anyone who thought the fighters would develop anything resembling mutual respect, let alone a friendship, was mistaken. Even after their last encounter, both men continue to engage in verbal sparring.
Nevertheless, the two top athletes gave us one of, if not the most legendary rivalry of all time: their bitter dislike for each other was too real and their athletic skills inside the octagon were too good.
In purely sporting terms, the two went their separate ways:
Jon "Bones" Jones would defend his title several times, only to lose it again due to events outside of the sport. He began a three-year hiatus from the sport and will challenge Cyril "Bon Gamin" Gane for the heavyweight title in a highly anticipated comeback in early March.
Daniel "DC" Cormier would go his own way, and with great success: He won both the light-heavyweight and, by defeating Stipe Miocic, the heavyweight belt, and is to date the only fighter in UFC history to hold both titles at the same time.
