Jon Jones: 'He Wants to Be Enemies Forever'

Competition Never Left For Cormier

Cormier has acknowledged that the rivalry still carries an edge, even years after their final UFC bout. While he admitted there were stretches where things were cordial on set, he said tension inevitably resurfaced.

That tension eventually turned into talk of competing again this time outside the Octagon. According to Cormier, discussions included boxing and wrestling, with the former Olympic wrestler confidently asserting he would dominate Jones on the mat.

Cormier publicly stated he would beat Jones “10-0” in a freestyle wrestling match.

Jones Fires Back And Brings Gable Steveson Into It

Jones responded to the wrestling talk with a measured tone at least initially saying he couldn’t definitively predict the outcome of a pure wrestling match. But the humility didn’t last.

“I can’t definitively say what would happen in the sport of wrestling,” Jones said. “But the one thing I do know is that I made him cry in front of the world. I took him off the list of being considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.”

Jones then escalated things further by invoking Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist he has been mentoring and training for a future UFC run.

“He’ll be even lower in the rankings of the greatest heavyweights of all time because my prospect Gable Steveson is going to be three times the champion Daniel Cormier ever was,” Jones said. “He’ll always be in my shadow one way or another.”

Despite retirement, broadcasting careers, and time passed, the Jones–Cormier rivalry remains combustible. Their stint on Alf Reality may have promised a new chapter but instead, it reaffirmed why this feud still resonates with MMA fans.

For Dice City Sports, the takeaway is simple: Jones vs. Cormier doesn’t need a title belt, an Octagon, or even an MMA fight to stay relevant. Put them in the same room, and the rivalry writes itself again.