Jones fires back at Cormier's GOAT snub, calling rivalry 'jealousy running deep through your blood'

Jon Jones has publicly accused Daniel Cormier of jealousy after the former UFC light heavyweight champion once again left him out of the greatest-of-all-time conversation, pointing to Khabib Nurmagomedov as a more deserving candidate.

Cormier’s argument rested on Jones’ history with performance-enhancing drugs, which he said disqualifies “Bones” from the sport’s highest honour. “DC” instead championed Nurmagomedov, the undefeated former UFC lightweight champion, citing the Russian’s clean record and absence of major controversies. Cormier also raised Jones’ sole defeat — a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill — as further ammunition.

Jones was quick to respond on social media, offering both a defence of that Hamill result and a pointed message to his old rival. “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. 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 exchange is the latest chapter in one of the UFC’s most enduring and acrimonious rivalries. Jones and Cormier met twice for the light heavyweight title, with Jones winning both bouts on the night. However, the result of their second fight was subsequently overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for a turinabol metabolite — a finding that has continued to shadow his legacy and fuel debates of exactly this kind.

The Hamill disqualification, which came via illegal downward elbows in a bout Jones was otherwise controlling, remains the only blemish on his official record. Jones has long maintained it was a technical ruling rather than a competitive defeat, a position he reiterated in his social media post.

Whether Cormier responds publicly remains to be seen, but the back-and-forth underlines how unresolved the personal and competitive tensions between the two men remain, years after their last meeting inside the octagon.