Daniel Cormier Expresses Unexpected Sympathy for Rival Jon Jones
In a remarkable turn of events, Daniel Cormier has come to the defence of his long-time rival Jon Jones, following the controversial fighter's exclusion from the UFC's upcoming White House event. Cormier, who has historically clashed with Jones both inside and outside the octagon, revealed he genuinely felt sympathy for the former champion's predicament.
White House Event Sparks Controversy
The UFC is scheduled to host an unprecedented fight card on the South Lawn of the White House on 14 June, with the contests officially unveiled last Saturday. The co-main event features Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title bout. Notably absent from the lineup was Jon Jones, who retired last summer and vacated the heavyweight championship in the process.
Upon learning about the UFC's White House plans, Jones immediately attempted to reverse his retirement decision. UFC President Dana White stated on Saturday evening that Jones was never going to feature at the event, prompting the former two-weight champion to challenge this claim. Jones, now 38 years old, insisted that negotiations had indeed taken place regarding his potential participation.
Support from Unexpected Quarters
Even Tom Aspinall, who was elevated from interim champion to regular title-holder when Jones retired, supported "Bones" despite the American fighter putting the Briton's career on hold by refusing to fight him for nearly two years. Now, Jones's fiercest rival has joined the chorus of support.
Fighter-turned-commentator Cormier, who lost to Jones in 2015 before their 2017 bout was declared a no-contest, shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel. "I kind of felt bad for him," Cormier admitted. "I felt bad for Jon, because it just seemed like he wanted to fight on that card badly."
Analysing Jones's Career Trajectory
Cormier, 46, provided insight into Jones's recent career decisions, referencing the fighter's sole defence of the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November 2024. "Think about this, and I've said this time and time again: I think Jon got to fight Stipe because he goes, 'Give me this legacy one, and I'll give you the Aspinall fight.' Then he reneged. 'I'm retired.'"
Before Jones stopped Miocic in November 2024, the latter hadn't fought since March 2021, making the victory particularly significant for Jones's legacy. Cormier continued his analysis, suggesting this situation represents a pivotal moment in Jones's career.
A Changing Relationship with the UFC
"Then he goes, 'I kind of want to fight at the White House,'" Cormier explained. "I think this is kind of like a come-to-Jesus moment. At 28, 29 – no matter what you did – when he got that event cancelled with Chael [Sonnen], they said: 'You'll never headline again.' But he was selling pay-per-views, so you had to go back to him."
Cormier was referring to a 2012 event that was cancelled when Jones refused to face Sonnen on short notice after his original opponent Dan Henderson withdrew. The commentator contrasted that situation with Jones's current standing: "But at 38, 39, he's got bad hips and injuries, and it looks like he's on his way out. They're kind of like, 'You're not going to prove value for me in the long term, so I don't think we need bend over for you anymore.' It's crazy."
Jones's Reaction and Cormier's Perspective
Cormier noted that Saturday's comments from Dana White weren't the first time the UFC president has made derogatory remarks about Jones. "It's hard to get that upset when someone's actually shown you that behaviour before," Cormier observed, "but right now, it seems like it just really bothered [Jones] that he was getting called a liar."
The commentator added a surprising perspective: "I've called him everything. He's been called negative stuff for years, but now it's like this thing bothered him. I honestly think maybe it was because the White House thing meant something to him."
Contractual Implications and Future Prospects
Jones took to social media to request his release from the UFC, but Cormier expressed scepticism about this possibility. "There's no way you can release Jones," Cormier asserted, "because then Jones and Francis [Ngannou] can be made outside of the UFC. That's you giving someone power. You can't let him go. There's no way that he could actually fight anywhere else or be released. I don't think he's getting released."
This commentary comes amid news that former UFC champion Francis Ngannou has left the PFL and will fight Philipe Lins at an event organised by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. The bout is scheduled for 16 May at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Historical Context of the Rivalry
The relationship between Jones and Cormier has been contentious for years. After Jones outpointed Cormier in 2015, they clashed again in 2017, with Jones knocking out "DC" only to see the victory later overturned to a no-contest. This altered result came courtesy of a failed drug test by Jones – neither his first nor his last violation.
Jones's first two failed drug tests thwarted planned contests with Cormier in early 2015 and again in 2016, adding further complexity to their rivalry. Despite this history of conflict, Cormier's recent comments demonstrate an unexpected empathy for his former adversary's current situation with the UFC organisation.
