Incensed at Jon Jones playing the good guy in a TV interview before their eventual UFC 182 clash, Daniel Cormier would tell ‘Bones’: “I wish they would let me next door so I can spit in your f—ing face.” To which the GOAT contender seethed, “I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right?… I will literally kill you if you spit in my face. Literally kill you.”
And that, folks, is Jones and Cormier’s relationship in a nutshell. Their rivalry went beyond mere athletic competition, transforming into a volatile saga of personal animosity and professional warfare. They don’t quite have the same animosity for each other now that ‘DC’ is retired but it was pretty heated back in the day as you can tell from this interaction. The roots of their animosity can be traced back to 2014, when a seemingly routine UFC 178 promotional event erupted into an explosive brawl, forever altering their relationship.
By the time they finally squared off inside the Octagon in 2015, tensions had reached a boiling point. Jones dominated Cormier over five grueling rounds, handing him the first professional loss of his career. But their saga was far from over. After Jones was stripped of his title due to legal troubles, Cormier seized the vacant 205-pound belt, though critics questioned his legitimacy, arguing he had never defeated Jones. Their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 214 in 2017 promised to settle the debate once and for all. That night, Jones delivered a brutal head kick that sent Cormier crashing to the canvas, securing a decisive victory.
However, even after that emphatic finish, the rivalry remained as fierce as ever as Jones would once again lose his title outside the Octagon on the back of a banned substance. However, what almost no one is aware of is the ‘real’ reason Jones hated Cormier so much. Well, Dominick Reyes, who most think was robbed of a victory against the GOAT contender in their UFC 247 clash, feels he understands exactly what motivates Jones and why he dislikes ‘DC’ so much.
“That’s what I learned about Jon. I learned that he’s motivated by being the runt, I guess you could say. Like that’s been his motivation throughout most of his career. Oh big time, you know, big time. And then like he takes pride in taking out guys that were blessed. That’s why he hated, hated Daniel so much,” Reyes said in a recent interview with the ‘Gypsy Tales’ podcast on YouTube.
Cormier, of course, was the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner when he first fought Jones and seemed on the way to becoming one of the greatest of all time. And eventually took Jon’s place as the 205lbs kingpin after his run-in with USADA. Not to mention the Louisiana native was a wrestling Olympian, a two-time NJCAA champion (1998 and 1999), a Pan American champion (2002), as well as a medallist at the NCAA (2001), the World Championship (2007), and the World Cup (2005). Mixed martial artists don’t come much more ‘blessed’ than Cormier. And ‘Demolidor’ is convinced that this is precisely why Jones had so much contempt for ‘DC’.
MMA: UFC 182-Jones vs Cormier Jan 3, 2015, Las Vegas, NV, USA Jon Jones red gloves, and Daniel Cormier blue gloves compete during their light heavyweight title fight at UFC 182 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Jones won. Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena NV USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJaynexKamin-Onceax 8312149
But where we hear you say, did Reyes get this idea in the first place? Well, the collegiate football player got this by watching Jones in interviews and psychoanalyzing the New Mexico resident to determine who he was as a person. “So I looked at all those interviews, I looked at everything, I looked at all of it and just analyzed this man as a human being and what is his motivation, what makes this guy tick. And that’s what it is,” Reyes added.
As we have mentioned, Jones and ‘DC’ do not quite detest each other as much as they used to, but the embers are still smoldering, as Cormier proved just earlier this month.
Daniel Cormier explains why Jon Jones cannot be the GOAT
If there is one thing that Dana White believes to be the gospel truth, then it is Jon Jones being the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. And you know what? Most people would agree with that. After all, the New York native has remained undefeated (except a disqualification loss), and beaten twenty of the twenty-one opponents put in front of him.
Except of course, for Mark Hamill, against whom he got the aforementioned disqualification loss. This is quite something in a sport like MMA, where one mistake, one momentary lapse of concentration, and one wrong move can lead to you getting slept. However, Daniel Cormier disagrees.
“You guys always do that and, honestly, you can’t deny his greatness. Look at what he’s done: The guy has now fought through three generations of fighters… So, yeah, of course, he’s one of the greatest fighters of all time, but when you do dirty s–t, you don’t get to be called the greatest of all time,” ‘DC’ said at the UFC 312 QnA session earlier this month.
The ‘shady stuff’ Cormier is referencing is ‘Bones’ history of failing d–g tests, which many feel disqualifies him from GOAT contention. How could a man who is a proven d–g cheat, the argument goes, be considered the greatest of all time in any sport? This is a pretty compelling argument.
Lance Armstrong, by far the greatest cyclist of all time, saw his name become mud after he was caught doping. Barry Bonds, perhaps the greatest baseball hitter of all time (or the second greatest after Babe Ruth), is not even in the Hall of Fame because of the doping allegations against him.
But MMA seems to be different, where being a d–g cheat isn’t treated with the same gusto and gravity as it rightfully is in other sports. But Cormier’s argument still stands. What do you think about Dominick Reyes’ thoughts on the real reason Jon Jones hated Daniel Cormier?
The post “That’s Why He Hated Daniel” – Dominick Reyes Gives Clarity on Jon Jones’s ‘Hatred’ for ‘Blessed’ Rival Daniel Cormier appeared first on EssentiallySports.
