Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may be done fighting, but they’re certainly not done with each other. Years after their last clash, the rivalry resurfaced on ALF Global, the Russian version of The Ultimate Fighter, when things quickly escalated from banter to a full-blown confrontation.
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It began as it often does between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier: with insults that seemed less like jokes and more like habit. ‘DC’ called Jones childish, Jones fired back, and they were back arguing over the same question that has followed them for years: Who truly won their feud?
But this time, ‘Bones’ didn’t just argue; he stood up and tried to act on it.
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“I’ll give Daniel one minute if he wants one. One minute!” he said, pushing for an immediate fight.
“You don’t have enough money to pay me to fight you,” Cormier replied. “I don’t need to fight you one minute. Again, you getting up and doing that, it’s child’s behavior.
Jon Jones says he wants to beat Daniel Cormier again fair and square 💪🤯
“I wanna beat Daniel again fair and square. It’s me in Thailand by myself with my business partner versus Daniel and his whole team. I’m a one-man winning machine.”
(Via ALF Global) pic.twitter.com/3qSDKQ4YFP
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 17, 2026
“I’m a grown man. You literally proved my point. You’re a child. The baby likes to stand up and say, ‘Look at me!’ The man sits back and observes.”
For ‘DC,’ this wasn’t about settling anything anymore. It was about not going backward. ‘Bones,’ however, kept pressing.
“One minute! Jones 3, DC 0. It wouldn’t be a fight,” Jon Jones continued.
That’s when the conversation became familiar again. Daniel Cormier brought up the PED controversies that have always surrounded Jones’ win, making it clear why he doesn’t accept the results as final.
“Yeah, it would,” Cormier shot back. “Listen, he was so concerned to fight that he stuck needles up his a– every time we fought. Every time we fought, he stuck needles in his a–; he was so concerned about the fight.”
However, Jones retorted with a simple promise.
“Fair and square,” he replied, assuring ‘DC’ that this will be a clean fight.
Even beyond the argument, the difference between them stood out. Jon Jones leaned into individual dominance, referring to himself as a “one-man winning machine” while emphasizing that he showed up alone. Daniel Cormier framed it differently, explaining that he brings his ALF Global team because his role is bigger than himself.
“Listen, I just take the ladder,” the 47-year-old stated. “Like, when you make it to the top? The ladder, you drop it down and pull people up.
“So, what I do is I take my ability to provide this unique opportunity for these guys to train, and I bring them here. Every day they train. I will leave the world a better place when I’m done.”
In the end, nothing physical occurred. But it didn’t have to, because with Jon Jones still chasing one last statement and ‘DC’ reluctant to give him that chance, this rivalry will continue in the only way it can—through moments like these, where neither man is willing to let it go. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of support between the two, either.
Jon Jones convinced Daniel Cormier to stay on ALF Global after the knife attack
That rivalry may look constant, but moments like these reveal another depth to Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier’s relationship. Behind the verbal jabs and tension on camera, things took a serious turn during filming when a scuffle between contestants escalated to the point that one fighter attempted to grab a knife, scaring everyone on set.
The former UFC double champion, already dealing with the intensity of the environment, seriously considered leaving the show altogether. The situation felt too dynamic and unexpected, with ‘DC’ admitting that he was willing to walk away rather than risk being a part of something that could spiral out of control.
“I think we’re going to go home,” Daniel Cormier said. “I might give them their money back and go home. I can’t do that s—, it’s too much. Somebody is going to get hurt bad, like bad. I didn’t know it was like this. I don’t know if I can do this, man. Tell him this is too much; I might not be able to do this.”
That’s when Jon Jones stepped in—not as a rival, but as someone trying to keep things together.
“Please, please, we all really need you, bro,” Jones said. “Daniel Cormier mentioned that he wanted to go home, and obviously, we can’t do this show without Daniel Cormier, especially this far into it. I just stood up and told the guys that ultimately, it’s just a TV show.”
And in that moment, the rivalry paused. Not because it ended, but because, for once, both men were on the same side of something bigger than their feud.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma