Today marks the ten-year anniversary of Jon Jones facing Daniel Cormier, two competitive rivals who still have not found peace. UFC 182 on January 3, 2015, saw Jon ‘Bones’ Jones defend his UFC light heavyweight crown by unanimous decision giving Cormier his first professional career loss.
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones was a phenom. At just 23-year-old he became the youngest UFC champion in history and defended his title against former and future division champions. Cormier was a former Olympic wrestling standout who had an unbeaten MMA career where he also earned gold in Strikeforce.
The two met years prior and the bad blood was always evident. A backstage confrontation at UFC 121 turned heated, with trash talk setting the stage for years of animosity. The feud escalated during their press tour for UFC 178 in 2014, with a brawl during a media event in Las Vegas. Security struggled to separate the fighters as punches were thrown, sparking widespread headlines.
In the octagon, Jon Jones and Cormier delivered a high-stakes battle. Jones performed well with his reach and striking, while Cormier excelled in the clinch with dirty boxing and takedown attempts. However, Jones proved superior, landing critical strikes and securing takedowns against the Olympic wrestler. After five intense rounds, Jones retained his light heavyweight title via unanimous decision.
In a rematch years later, Jones would again defeat Cormier via head kick but this fight was overturned due to a banned substance in Jones’ system. Regardless, the two have never cooled or found peace with their ongoing feud. It remains one of the best rivalries in MMA and UFC history.
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