Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones had arguably the most bitter rivalry in UFC history. The two Americans were dominant forces in the promotion's light heavyweight division and ended up fighting each other twice with Jones winning both. However, his second victory was overturned to a no contest as he tested positive for banned substances following the bout. 'DC' still clearly holds a real grudge against Jones despite being retired, as he made clear during a recent podcast appearance.
During an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast which is hosted by former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, Cormier almost got up and left the recording of the episode when the Nigerian tried to draw a comparison between Jones and basketball icon, Michael Jordan.
Daniel Cormier Shuts Down Comparison Between Jon Jones and Michael Jordan
Cormier threatened to leave the podcast over Usman's claim
It's well-known that Cormier and Jones have never seen eye-to-eye. However, after one or even both parties involved in a rivalry retire, there is often a truce called and the beef is squashed. That's far from the case here.
'DC' retired from the sport of MMA in 2020 but still harbours a genuine dislike for Jones. As a result, Cormier was disgusted when Usman suggested 'Bones' should be celebrated as "the Michael Jordan of MMA."
Below you can watch the clip from the podcast where the former two-division UFC champion, threatened to walk out of the podcast following Usman's comments.
Kamaru was immediately cut off and shut down by Cormier after making the statement. Even when he tried to back up his points, 'DC' was having absolutely none of it as he fired back with a counter argument.
“Michael Jordan got done playing basketball in 1996 and people still don’t want to say somebody’s better. There will be a person that comes along that people will say replaces Jon Jones as the greatest of all time. He has not left such a legacy that it feels like it’s never gonna be toppled. Jordan left a legacy that is so strong, that we have seen LeBron James do what he does, we have seen Kobe (Bryant) do what he does, we’ve seen these great players and [people are] still unwilling to say they’re better (than Jordan).”
Whether Usman has a point is certainly debatable. Few in the history of MMA can match the resume and legacy which Jones has. He holds the record for most title wins and defences in UFC history and has wins over legendary names such as Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, and, of course, his bitter rival, Cormier.
As great as he has been inside the Octagon, though, Jones has had multiple issues with drug test failures and the legal system down the years, something that obviously irks Cormier and likely affects his view of how his rival's legacy should be considered.
While Cormier's in-cage career is well and truly over, Jones still has chapters left to write in his own story. The 37-year-old steps back into the Octagon to defend his UFC Heavyweight Championship on the 16th of November at UFC 309 against Stipe Miocic where victory - whether Cormier likes or not - would further enhance his claims to be considered the "Michael Jordan of MMA".
