The rivalry between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones just found a new spark—and Cormier is not the one who lit the match.
During the UFC 318 Weigh-In Show, Cormier was asked a playful hypothetical about where he’d want to fight an “enemy.” His answer: at his house—“because I kind of want the ability to kill him.” He didn’t name names, but longtime fans knew exactly who everyone thought he meant.
Jon Jones wasted no time jumping into the fray—only to backpedal just as fast. In now-deleted tweets, Jones said he’s already “buried” Cormier twice in the cage, lives rent-free in his rival’s head, and called their two fights “the most painful things” Cormier has experienced in life.
Cormier, stunned by the personal nature of the attack, took to YouTube to set the record straight.
“I never said I wanted to kill him at my house,” he clarified. “I didn’t even say his name.”
According to Cormier, the comment was meant as an offbeat joke—one of many he makes during UFC weigh-in coverage. He pointed out that host Dan Hellie even joked if the person’s name rhymed with “Jones,” but Cormier kept it light and never said his name.
So why did Jones fire back so hard?
Jon Jones in a now deleted tweet:
🗣️ "The guy who was known for calling out Jon Jones, and didn't end up being great at all." 🤔#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/HcOuTs26Nm
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 17, 2025
“Only an insecure person would go, immediately, ‘he’s talking about me,’” Cormier said. “Maybe I wasn’t. But maybe I was. You don’t know.”
But it wasn’t just the thin-skinned reaction that irked the former two-division champ—it was Jones’ complete lack of perspective.
“You can’t say that you’re the most painful thing that’s happened in a person’s life when they’ve lost a child. That’s the craziest thing in the world. Their father got murdered. He knows that.”
Jones, who recently flip-flopped on retirement and now says he’s back in the USADA testing pool, hasn’t been officially tested yet—further fueling questions about his status in the sport.
Cormier says he’ll keep talking about Jones because it’s part of his job—and because Jones keeps making headlines.
“I’m only talking about what is the news now, and also how stupid he is,” Cormier said bluntly. “He just really is not the smartest person.”
And with that, Cormier asked the question every fight fan has asked at some point over the last decade:
“When does this end? Like, can this end, guys?”
