Jon Jones says the ugliest parts of his public feud with Daniel Cormier were not always as personal behind closed doors. Jones claimed Cormier once admitted the rivalry stayed alive because it was too good for business, adding another weird layer to a feud that already had Jones saying there was “no rivalry” because Cormier never beat him.
The clip came from ALF Global material shared on X, where Jones was asked about whether he would shake Cormier’s hand. Jones said he did not remember a specific missed handshake moment, but insisted he would not reject one now.
“I don’t recall having a moment of shaking hands or not shaking hands with DC,” Jones said. “I would shake his hand if I had the opportunity to.”
Jones said he tried to build something less toxic between them while they were around each other for the show.
“I attempted to create some sort of relationship, a positive relationship with him, multiple times throughout the TV show,” Jones said. “One time we were sitting down on the couch together and I said, isn’t this nice for us to just sit here with no problems, you know, just enjoy the moment.”
Here is the clip.
Jon Jones reveals Daniel Cormier admitted he doesn’t actually hate him, and only keeps their rivalry alive for business
“He said: ‘Jon, being your enemy has made me too much money over the years. So even though I have no problem with you, when the cameras turn on I can never be your friend.’
I respect him for telling me.”
(via ALF Global)
Jones Says Cormier Called The Rivalry Good Business
Jones then said Cormier answered by explaining why the public version of their beef could never fully disappear.
“He said, ‘Jon, being your enemy has made me too much money over the years. So even though I have no problem with you, when the cameras turn on, I can never be your friend in front of people. People thinking that we hate each other is very lucrative to me and I want it to be like this.'”
Jones said he did not take the admission as an insult. He framed it as Cormier being honest about a feud that sold tickets, interviews, television segments, and years of UFC drama.
“And I said, okay, all right, cool,” Jones said. “But I respect him for telling me that he actually doesn’t hate me. To him, there’s a part of it that’s business.”
The business part does not mean Jones thinks everything is fake. He still believes Cormier carries real competitive scar tissue from their fights.
“There’s probably another side inside of him,” Jones said. “I’ll never be his favorite person. I’ll never be his favorite person because I beat him in a time where he was considered one of the greatest fighters on the planet.”
Jones beat Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January 2015. Their UFC 214 rematch initially ended with Jones stopping Cormier, but that result was later overturned to a no contest. That history is why even the friendlier version of this story still has teeth.
“I’m the one person that has come between him being considered one of the greatest fighters ever, myself, and I guess Stipe Miocic, right?” Jones said.
Cormier’s side of the rivalry has stayed active too. He recently talked about a seven-figure wrestling offer tied to Jones, while their ALF Global run previously produced chaos when Cormier nearly walked away from the show after a knife incident. Jones saying the hate has a business switch does not erase the damage. It just makes one of MMA’s strangest rivalries look even more like a long-running pay-per-view machine.
