Jones fires back at Cormier over GOAT debate: 'Your jealousy runs so deep through your blood'

Jon Jones hit back at Daniel Cormier on social media this week after his longtime rival invoked Jones’ sole career loss to make the case for Khabib Nurmagomedov as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. The exchange reignited one of the sport’s most enduring feuds, even as both men are now retired from active competition.

The flashpoint came when a clip surfaced of Cormier praising Nurmagomedov’s flawless 29-0 record by contrasting it with Jones’ disqualification defeat against Matt Hamill — a loss that came when Jones was penalised for throwing illegal 12-6 downward elbows on a grounded opponent.

“Think about this,” Cormier said in the clip. “Jon Jones, for as good as he is, he has one loss. Why? He made a mistake. Khabib never made a mistake. Never got himself disqualified, never got caught in a submission, he made no mistakes. Twenty-nine times to walk to that octagon against the best guys in the world and win twenty-nine times?”

Jones was quick to respond in the comments section, first offering context for the Hamill defeat before turning his fire on Cormier directly.

“I started in the UFC so early that I didn’t even know what the rules were,” Jones wrote. “The night I fought Matt was the first night I had ever even heard the term ‘12-to-6.’ Literally, my entire career has been in the main event, fighting for a world title.”

He then addressed Cormier personally: “My brother, Daniel Cormier, your jealousy runs so deep through your blood. I honestly pray that the good Lord heals you from your envy and that, one day, you won’t feel the need to do interviews like this. Until then, it’s flattering to see the passion you have when it comes to me.”

The two men have fought twice in UFC title fights, with Jones winning both. At UFC 182, Jones claimed a unanimous decision to defend the light heavyweight championship. At UFC 214, he stopped Cormier with a head kick, though that result was later overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for banned substances.

The rivalry has persisted long after both retired. Cormier recently dismissed claims that the pair had reached a truce during the filming of a project together, calling the suggestion a fabrication on Jones’ part.

Cormier’s latest remarks were primarily aimed at elevating Nurmagomedov rather than targeting Jones, with several other all-time greats also drawn into the comparison. “Georges St-Pierre has two or three losses,” Cormier noted. “Demetrious Johnson, one of the greatest, has losses. Even Islam Makhachev, as good…” — before the clip cut off. Jones, as ever, was not prepared to let even a passing mention go without a reply.