Covington invokes domestic abuse allegations as Jones feud pulls in Cormier

Colby Covington has dragged Daniel Cormier into his increasingly bitter public dispute with Jon Jones, citing domestic abuse allegations against the former champion and urging Jones’s protégé Gable Steveson to switch camps.

The feud ignited after Steveson was knocked out by Sean Sharaf in a major upset at UFC 331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington publicly attributed the loss to Jones’s “bad energy,” prompting Jones to fire back by pointing out that Covington — his former college roommate — has not come close to matching his achievements inside the UFC.

Covington’s rebuttal went considerably further. In a post on X, the former interim welterweight champion wrote: “The things I say only bother you because they’re true. You’re a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your achievements inside the Octagon don’t make you a better person outside of it. Those same achievements definitely don’t give you the right to abuse women either, Jon.”

He then turned his attention to Steveson directly, suggesting the young heavyweight prospect would be better served by leaving Jones’s tutelage. “If Gable really cares about advancing in his career, he should leave you and go train with a real man like Daniel Cormier,” Covington wrote.

The reference to Cormier adds another layer to an already combustible exchange. Jones and Cormier’s rivalry is one of the most storied — and acrimonious — in UFC history. Jones defeated Cormier in their first meeting, but his knockout victory in the rematch was overturned to a no contest after Jones failed a drug test. Even in retirement, Cormier has made clear he has no interest in reconciling with Jones.

Covington’s invocation of domestic abuse allegations against Jones — which Jones has faced in the past — marks a significant escalation in tone. “Chaos” framed his comments as a matter of character rather than competition, arguing that cage accomplishments carry no moral weight outside the Octagon.

Neither Jones nor Cormier had publicly responded to Covington’s latest post at the time of publication.