UFC 200: The Definitive Timeline of the Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier Beef
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier really don't seem to like each other. That one thing you must remember, or nothing that follows will seem wondrous.
Jones, the best fighter in the world, and Cormier, the UFC light heavyweight champion and best non-Jones light heavyweight in the world, will face off July 9 to culminate the blockbuster UFC 200. It's a rematch of their fight from January of last year, which Jones won by decision.
But you know all that already. You know about the heat between them. You know about that scuffle on the media podium. You know about "you still there?" and "you think I'm just going to let you kill me?" and one thousand and one other neatly tweetable media clips that fluctuate, like many things in MMA, between the ridiculous and the terrifying.
Before we shoot down the chute of a packed event calendar that ends in Jones-Cormier 2, why don't we now take a moment to remember how we got here? Why, exactly, do Jones and Cormier share what seems to be a mutual, visceral hatred? Why are they trying so hard to get inside the other's metaphorical head? And what keeps their actual physical matchup—because, yes, cage fighting is still a part of MMA—so compelling?
Let us now recount the history of this rivalry. There are video clips. There are still photographs. There are text blocks. Please enjoy.
A Beef Is Born
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It's amazing how many conflicts begin with a little miscommunication.
Opinions on the Big Bang of this bad blood probably differ based on allegiance, but it's still pretty clear that a casual exchange quickly morphed into something more.
Back in 2013, Jones detailed that fateful introduction to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour broadcast (h/t Bloody Elbow):
"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 on 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 add a little symmetry to the party, this apparently occurred on the night Cormier's teammate, Cain Velasquez, fought for the heavyweight title against a man by the name of Brock Lesnar, according to Jonathan Bradley of Fox Sports. That was in 2010 at UFC 121, and it just so happens that Velasquez and that Lesnar guy are also on the card at UFC 200 this Saturday.
Was this meeting an innocuous overture that misfired, or was it a cocky display of disrespect? It's not the first time a young buck clashed egos with an older lion, or whatever, I don't know animals. But this time, it quickly became one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history.
It Simmers
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As we learned in the previous slide, the first Jones-Cormier grudge match was five years in the making. That's what you might call a slow burn.
That backstage meeting was the spark, but to generate serious heat over such a long time period, what you really need is fuel, and lots of it. Here, instead of firewood, we have each man's record inside the cage. No kind of log is more substantial than Ws.
When Cormier entered the UFC, he was 11-0 and not far removed from defeating Josh Barnett to win the heavyweight grand prix in the Strikeforce promotion. Cormier was also 34 years old. Although his Olympic pedigree was a solid MMA base, he was no spring chicken when his fight career began, or when he first entered the Octagon.
So there was uncertainty over how Cormier might fare in the UFC. He quickly created some certainties though, by ripping off four straight wins. His dominance continued after a drop to light heavyweight.
Jones' record is well known. He sits at 22-1 now, with his only loss coming on a controversial DQ to Matt Hamill. As Cormier established himself as elite, Jones established himself as a champ. His 2011 title-winning win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua touched off a title run that only ended because of Jones' behaviors outside of fighting.
Bottom line: For all the personal enmity between these two, what really sets this up as an all-time beef is the collective athletic greatness of these men.
The Brawl at the Mall
3 of 12All right, so it wasn't a mall. It was the MGM Grand. But it looks a little like a mall, doesn't it? And that headline is just too good.
It's easy to remember Jones and Cormier scuffling at this media event, which happened in August 2014. What's easy to forget, and the video serves as a good reminder of this, is how visceral the brawl was.
The recap in a nutshell: Jones got in Cormier's face and Cormier took it as a sign of disrespect (sound familiar?). So DC shoved him back, hard. Jones is forced to step back but quickly gathers himself and moves forward, pushing past UFC public relations executive David Sholler like J.J. Watt bull-rushing a Razor scooter.
When he gets to Cormier, the donnybrook is on, with the two taking each other and most of the stage with them to the floor, where several hapless people join the entanglement and/or try to separate the two monsters.
After the melee, the two took to Twitter, where the wild swings continued unabated.
Some people claim the brawl was scripted to promote the fight. It's not impossible there was some premeditation in one or more participating minds, but the way they recklessly tumbled around on the hard stage and floor, destroying property as they went, shows you all you need to know about how real this brawl—and rivalry—really was.
When the Mics Were Hot (NSFW)
4 of 12Not long after the brawl, Bones and DC took to SportsCenter to discuss the incident. The juiciest sound bites were recorded when the show wasn't actually airing—or so they thought.
Per MMA Fighting, here's a little transcript (language NSFW):
"JJ: "Hey pu**y, are you still there?"
DC: "I'm here, I'm here. You are just the fakest person. I actually admire that you can actually be this fake, and like, when the TV comes on, how you can just change. It's like you're a chameleon. It's awesome."
JJ: "Hey, listen. I'm a professional. That fact that you're a pu**y—"
DC: "It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable."
JJ: "The fact that you're a pu**y hasn't changed, but I am a professional."
DC: "It's unbelievable how fake you can really be. Like, you are just such a f**king pussy. My god, it is amazing. It is amazing. But, you know, hats off to you. You've got a great P.R. person, they do a great job with training you because you are just terrible. You're the f**king scum of the earth. You are a terrible human being, but you can sure turn it on, huh?"
JJ: "Thank you."
——
DC: "I wish they would let me next door so I could spit in your f**king face."
JJ: "You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right?"
DC: "You could never kill me."
JJ: "Oh, I bet you I could."
DC: "Then you should try, Jon. You really should try, Jon."
JJ: "I would literally kill you if you spit in my face."
DC: "Yeah, let's try that, Jon."
JJ: "Literally kill you."
DC: "Let's try that, Jon."
JJ: "I'm not saying I would fight you. I said I would kill you if you did some silly s**t like that."
DC: "Jon, do you think I'm just going to sit there and let you kill me, Jon? I mean, really?"
"
Jones Brings Olympics into It, Gets Burned
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The MGM melee drummed up so much attention for this rivalry that Jones went on Jimmy Kimmel Live just a few days later.
In retelling the feud's origin story, Jones took a swipe at Cormier's track record as an Olympic-level wrestler, in particular his fourth-place finish at the 2004 Athens Games.
Turns out Jones was just setting himself up on a tee.
Somehow, some way, Cormier came across a photo of Jones in his high school wrestling days. It's not hard to infer from said photo that Jones didn't medal at the meet in question.
I know it's a shocker, but Cormier chose to tweet the photo. Oh, and the guy at the top of that particular podium? UFC also-ran Matt Riddle. That's got to sting.
Not long after, another Olympic wrestler, Ben Askren, got in on the fun. Jones shot back, but it's pretty clear which contingent grabbed the gold in this particular round.
It's on Hold, Again
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It was pretty disappointing when Jones-Cormier I, originally scheduled for Sept. 27, 2014, at UFC 178, was put on ice after Jones sustained a leg injury in training.
The match was rescheduled for UFC 182 in January 2015, where it would finally go down.
In the meantime, as Jones made the apology rounds, Cormier pounced on the opportunity to throw some extra shade the champ's way.
"It's very disappointing," Cormier said, according to MMA Fighting. "I started to train very hard. It's a little discouraging, but now I have time to get completely healthy. I don't know how hurt Jon is but we have to remember that I took this fight with a pre-existing injury. I could have fought through it. I just wish he would have done the same."
UFC 182: Jones Wins Chapter 1, Rubs Entire Salt Mine in the Wound
7 of 12On Jan. 3, 2015, it finally, really happened.
The first three rounds were largely a clinch battle, with Cormier landing some big punches and using his massive power to keep Jones under wraps.
The fourth and fifth stanzas, however, swung the bout firmly for Jones, who opened up and took advantage of Cormier's emptying gas tank.
What about that initial salvo that started it all? As Brent Brookhouse wrote on Bloody Elbow: "Jones had managed a takedown in the first round, but wasn't able to keep position. He'd manage to get two more big takedowns in the fourth round as Cormier was visibly tiring. That put an end to a part of the rivalry that may have been the true start, a young Jones telling Cormier, 'I bet I can take you down.'"
But that wasn't the end of it. Not in the fight, after the fight or beyond.
In the bout's waning seconds, Jones appeared to celebrate prematurely, then throw a cheap shot at Cormier. An angry scuffle ensued, followed by a Jones crotch chop.
After the fight, Jones told broadcaster Joe Rogan, according to Mark La Monica of Newsday, that "everybody who bought a 'Break Bones' T-shirt [should] take it back, you wasted your money. I'm sorry I'm being classless right now, but I don't like DC. That's why I'm being this way."
Cooler heads didn't prevail, either. In an interview later with Fox Sports, per MMA Fighting Marc Raimondi, Jones said: "I don't respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he's somewhere crying right now. I'm sure he is."
What makes this comment truly vicious though is that it was accurate.
Man.
Jones Can't Stay out of Trouble, Cormier Takes the High Road
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Anyone not living under a non-WiFi-enabled rock is probably aware of the April 2015 hit-and-run collision that left a pregnant woman injured and, less importantly, left Jones with no belt and an indefinite suspension.
In light of all that, UFC officials tabbed Cormier to take Jones' place and face Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 for the newly vacant light heavyweight title.
Perhaps figuring all of that was punishment enough, Cormier was, for the most part, classy in a written statement reacting to the news (h/t Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting):
"Make no mistake about it, this is a sad day for our sport. One of the best fighters of all time has found himself in trouble again. It sucks. Despite our differences, I truly wish the best for Jon and his family, and I know he can get through this. But in life, opportunity knocks, and it's up to you to answer the door. So as I've done time and again, I'm answering that door. I will be in Vegas on May 23 -- you can count on me -- I will win the belt, and then when Jon is ready to return, I will be happy to give him a shot at my belt.
"
Cormier Beats Johnson for the Belt, Barbs Exchanged
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On May 23, 2015, Cormier submitted Johnson to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion. It was a reminder not only of Cormier's greatness but of Jones' ability to dominate said greatness.
In the hours and days that followed, Cormier insisted time and again that any talk of Jones was irrelevant, as he, not Jones, was the UFC's 205-pound kingpin now.
But that doesn't mean DC was unaware of or uninterested in the challenge. Speaking to Rogan in the cage after the fight, Cormier said, per MMA Junkie, that he had "a message for one man: Jon Jones, get your s--t together, I’m waiting for you."
On the other side of the glass, Jones was, as DC mentioned, still just trying to get his stuff together. Getting sober and getting his life back on track were the highest priorities, with everything else taking a back seat.
About a month after Cormier's win, Jones told John Morgan and Fernanda Prates of MMA Junkie that his own animosity was fading, before going on to threaten Cormier in a very animosity-laden sort of way.
“It’s just a fight for me at this point, to be honest,” Jones said, per the MMA Junkie report, adding:
"Obviously I don’t want to lose to anybody, and I’ve got a lot on the line. But as far as the genuine hatred and things like that, you know, it’s not as powerful as it was before. I’m still motivated, and I’m excited to stick a foot in DC’s ass, but the hatred and all the extra is not really there for me."
Training Camp Kerfluffle
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At UFC 178, Jones withdrew with an injury. At UFC 187, the suspension kept him sidelined.
At UFC 197, it was Cormier's turn. The champion had injured his foot and wouldn't be available. DC out, OSP in, as middling contender Ovince Saint Preux stepped in for Cormier.
If you've been observing the pattern to date, you'll realize that the drama is coming.
And here it is. Cormier offered OSP a chance to spend his training camp with him and other luminaries at American Kickboxing Academy in California, according to Zane Simon of the Bloody Elbow. (OSP politely declined.)
Well, Jones didn't like that, and called Cormier an "absolute coward," according to Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour (h/t Nick Baldwin of the Bloody Elbow). Well, Cormier didn't like that, and took to Twitter to lambaste Jones on all of his weaknesses, in and out of the cage. Among the blasts? He tweeted to Jones that "you lunch like a b---h." Presumably, he meant "punch" instead of "lunch," but that didn't stop about 7 million Twitter jokes that continue to this day.
It all came to a head in a protracted Twitter exchange, with Jones firing off such brilliant salvos as "change your tampon" and the like. Great times.
Recent Barbs
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When your fight announcement takes place on Good Morning America, you might just be involved in a big fight.
So it went for Jones-DC II, which was unveiled on the show's April 27 edition as the UFC 200 main event.
Things were relatively quiet between them for a while, with one notable exception. Cormier posted a photo on his Instagram account of him posing with a heavy bag that was plastered with a photo of Jones, to which Jones responded that he was "balls deep" in Cormier's head.
It all began to ramp up—and, with the rematch now just a few days away, continues to be ramped up—as more cameras and microphones came into view.
On a July 1 media call, Cormier went after Jones for his winning but rusty performance against Saint Preux, according to E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com:
"The Jon that showed up against Ovince Saint Preux is the guy that is going to be in the Octagon on July 9; that is who he is today. ...Nothing is free, so all the other stuff—the partying, all the other stuff—you have to pay for that and now we’re seeing him where it’s time to pay the cost. He’s paying for all the outlandish living and burning the candle at two ends.
"
Jones repeatedly asked where Cormier's "candle" was in their first bout.
But Cormier went back to the well, saying he felt more liberated coming into UFC 200 because he was viewing the fight less personally than he did their first meeting:
"A lot of the things that I did not like about Jon, honestly, it was stuff that had nothing to do with what he did in the Octagon. ...Who the hell am I to try to make Jon pay for his crimes against society and the world? I could not understand how a person that had so much to lose was willing to toss it all away, but now, I really don’t care, to be honest with you.
"
Jones again responded with mock incredulity, asking Cormier, "The reason why you lost the first time was because you were carrying the weight of the world?"
The call then became garbled as the two began speaking over each other. Only the schadenfreude cackling of Brock Lesnar was able to cut through the banter.
I believe the correct phrase is "buckle up."
It All Comes Down to This?
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If Jones wins Saturday and recaptures the strap, it would probably signal the effective end of the rivalry, at least in the cage and under such a public spotlight. It would be 2-0 for Bones, and his run as the best light heavyweight and fighter of all time would probably seek a new destination.
But what if Cormier wins? It would not only even his record and rivalry with Jones, but might put the legacy of Jones—something with which he is admittedly obsessed—in doubt, or at least in question.
In this latter case, I imagine we might hear a thing or two about a rubber match.
We won't know until early Sunday morning, but no matter what happens, this might be the nastiest and most personal of the UFC's high-profile rivalries.
Will the book close Saturday, or is another chapter (or chapters) destined to be written? We'll see, said the Zen master. We'll see.
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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