Cormier-Jones: It’s complicated
Rivals hate each other but have been kind, too
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is packed with rivalries full of fire and fury and verbal promises of violent retribution. Some are manufactured, and mixed martial arts fans have become adept at sniffing those out. Of the few borne from real hatred, Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones appears to be the gold standard.
The two best light heavyweights in the world meet at Honda Center on Saturday in the main event of UFC 214, to bring a conclusion to weeks of animosity at assorted media events — and years of hostility. The pair have shown themselves incapable of being in the same room, or on the same television broadcast, without launching vitriolic personal attacks on the other.
The taunts and barbs have been profane and personal, and while the spectacle of mutual loathing does add some spice to one of the most compelling physical matchups that can be made in the UFC, it has sometimes been tough to see.
Yet there have been moments in the long history between Cormier and Jones, away from the glare of the cameras, where the bitterness has subsided, albeit temporarily.
When Jones’ mother, Camille, died recently after a long struggle with diabetes, Cormier sent along a note of condolence, despite all that had passed between them.
“I told him as a family we’ll pray for his family,” Cormier said. “There’s things that are bigger than mixed martial arts. I’m an African-American man. I see in our culture how the mom and grandma are held as the center of the family.”
When they go head-to-head in public, Cormier hammers Jones over his troubled past, highlighting his substance abuse problems and driving convictions and even accusing him of sleeping with prostitutes. For his part, Jones refuses to let Cormier forget the result of their previous fight, which Jones won on points in January 2015.
He also says Cormier is not a real champion, having claimed the belt when Jones was stripped of it after a hit-and-run incident in 2015.
The only time things haven’t turned medieval is when they involved family. Before their first fight, Jones told Cormier, “I’m going to be your daddy,” without being aware of his opponent’s personal history. Cormier’s father was shot and killed when the fighter was 7, gunned down by the father of his second wife.
Jones, upon discovering the facts, contacted UFC President Dana White and arranged a call between the two in which he offered his apologies.
“It might sound weird, but I do think that if our lives had somehow crossed in a different way, we might have ended up being friends in some way,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports over a lunch interview last year. “But too much has happened, and that’s just how it is. I think he is a good guy, but he is not a good guy to me. Or maybe he is just a fake good guy. It doesn’t matter if someone is the best guy in the world, if he acts like that towards you, then that’s how you’re going to see him.”
In one sense, fight fans will be relieved when the battle begins. Cormier and Jones were supposed to meet at UFC 197, but Cormier was forced to pull out due to an injury. That event, in which Jones easily defeated Ovince St. Preux, is the only contest he has had in 30 months.
The title was meant to be on the line again as the main event of UFC 200, before Jones got popped for an illegal substance late in fight week. Cormier ended up fighting Anderson Silva, who stepped in on short notice. Cormier’s pay was reduced by more than a million dollars as a result.
“For the longest time, I took the high road and said nothing,” Cormier added. “But when these actions continue to happen and directly affect me, why should I hold my tongue for anyone? I should be able to say and do as I please, because he does. These are my words vs. his actions. If my words hurt him, imagine how his actions feel for me? And if I have no words to speak, how can I say anything?”
Jones claims to be ready to make up for his difficulties yet also feels liberated by the feeling that the public is merely waiting for him to mess up again.
He was 23 when he became a UFC titleholder and has won 13 in a row over eight years, but he became wrapped up in the trappings of success and wealth. Cormier’s stint as champion came much later — he is 38 and has lost only once, to Jones. That experience has given Cormier some perspec- tive, and he now better appreciates the challenges that come with being one of the UFC’s most notable stars.
“It’s hard,” Cormier said. “Being the champion is hard. I can sympathize more with Jon now. I see all the traps. The excess. Everything that can be collected, from girls to new friends, the things available to you that you really shouldn’t be involved with. But I did it as a 36-year-old man. He was a 23-year-old kid. Then it became a part of who he was.”
If Cormier wins to level the series at 1-1, then a trilogy fight will surely be inevitable. Not just another fight, but another chapter to their complex story, both inside and outside the cage. An added edge to a fighting relationship with no love lost, between combatants who love to hate each other.