Daniel Cormier responded to Jon Jones after the reigning UFC heavyweight champion took offense to being labeled as a “bad employee” by his former rival.
Earlier this month, a series of text messages between Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were leaked as part of the promotion’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit. The current and former UFC CEOs made some disparaging remarks about Jon Jones as the duo were in the middle of negotiations with the then-light heavyweight titleholder.
Reacting to the messages, Daniel Cormier, perhaps Jon Jones’ greatest foe inside the Octagon, seemingly suggested that ‘Bones’ was a bad employee and that White was simply venting his frustration over the situation privately.
That prompted Jones to snap back at Cormier on social media. “Never let a “bad employee” beat you up and take everything from you twice. It’ll leave you bitter for a really long time evidently,” Jones wrote on X.
Never let a “bad employee” beat you up and take everything from you twice. It’ll leave you bitter for a really long time evidently
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 18, 2024
During a recent episode of Daniel Cormier TV on YouTube, ‘DC’ responded to Jones’ response by suggesting that he meant nothing personal and was not directly referencing ‘Bones’ when he made the “bad employee” comment.
“If I could say 100 [positive] things about him, he hangs onto the negative thing,” Cormier said. But I wasn’t talking about him directly. I was talking about in business and you have employees in your businesses, sometimes things go sideways with the employees and you say bad things. When someone is being a bad employee, you say bad things.”
‘DC’ proceeded to bring up some of Jones’ most egregious “bad employee” moments in his UFC career, specifically pointing out his refusal to fight short-notice replacement Chael Sonnen after his original UFC 151 opponent, Dan Henderson, withdrew due to injury. As a result, the promotion canceled the entire fight card.
Cormier also referenced Jones being pulled from UFC 200 after he violated USADA’s anti-doping policy. Cormier was scheduled to be Jones’ opponent that night.
“It doesn’t change what happened with the fight with Dan Henderson,” Cormier added. “It doesn’t change the stuff that happened at UFC 200. It doesn’t change all those reasons why Dana went off. If my wrestling coach in my academy is late constantly or is not showing up to work and I flip out on him, but he ultimately takes the team to the tournament and they do really well, great. But it does not change the reasons I said the things that I said.”
Cormier may not have been trying to blatantly call Jon Jones a bad UFC employee, but he certainly came armed with a heap of examples that support his non-statement.
Ok so of course here comes the back and forth again. Hopefully this response stops it. At 5 pm
Eastern /2pm pacific I respond to Jones and Chael saying the rivalry lives on. I also get into Tom Aspinall saying he’s done begging lol and I also discuss Strickland v Du Plessis and… pic.twitter.com/LoO5nZDH7A— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) January 24, 2024
Daniel Cormier Reacts to Sean Strickland’s Claim of an Illegal Headbutt at UFC 297
On Saturday (January 20), Daniel Cormier was on hand for the promotion’s return to Toronto for UFC 297. In the main event of the evening, Sean Strickland failed to defend his middleweight world title, coming up on the wrong side of a razor-close split decision.
Fans, like the judges, were divided as to who should have left The Great White North with gold wrapped around their waist, but aside from the scorecard controversy, it appears as though Strickland was comprised late in the fight due to an accidental headbutt. Strickland revealed online in multiple posts that he had been badly cut over his left eye due to a headbutt delivered by his opponent and new middleweight king, Dricus Du Plessis.
We all know I won… The only reason why it wasn't one sided for 5 rounds is the headbutt took my eye….. Wasn't touched till the blood took my vision.. pic.twitter.com/CLvcURLzWT
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) January 22, 2024
The video evidence certainly appears to show a clash of heads occurring in the fight. Addressing this, Cormier confirmed that nobody on the broadcast team caught it in real-time, but looking back at it, ‘DC’ is not so sure it would have changed anything.
“Strickland said the headbutt affected him because he believes the blood and the cut is a visual,” Cormier said. “I didn’t see that on the broadcast and my boy, Jon Anik, who sees everything, felt bad for it because we never made note of it. But when I watched the clip, it was clear. And honestly, those things happen in fighting. It wasn’t intentional. It was an accidental clash of heads.
“I don’t know how much that changes [the fight]. I would love to hear Sean Strickland explain what he thinks it changes outside of the visual. Because he fought so good in round five. He did exactly what his coaches asked him to do. He emptied the gas tank and won that round. It was just a matter of him getting started a little sooner in the fight.”
Watch the full video below:
