Big rivals, Daniel Cormier says he supports Jon Jones in a specific situation; understand

Cormier was defeated by Jones in January 2015. (Photo: Disclosure/UFC)

PUBLICITY:

Two of the best athletes of all time and protagonists of one of the most intense rivalries in the history of MMA, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones may end up becoming more sympathetic to each other in the next 12 months. After Donald Trump's announcement of his intention to hold a UFC event in the White House garden to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, DC publicly stated that he would root for Bones if he were to step into the octagon to represent the USA.

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The topic was discussed in the latest edition of the ' Good Guy/Bad Guy ' program on ESPN's official YouTube channel, where Cormier stated that his arch-rival would be the best choice to secure a victory for the inhabitants of Uncle Sam's land.

“It pains me to say that if we have to send a badass American to do the job… call Jon Jones . I would root for him! I know you guys always say I’m tough on Jones. If we have to send an American fighter to the White House to get a win, man, send Jon Jones there,” DC stated in a conversation with Chael Sonnen.

It feels nice to be the hunter and not the hunted for once.

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) July 7, 2025

“I’m going to call him to ask. I love Colby (Covington), I love Michael (Chandler)… if we have to send an American, man, you better send Jon Jones to get us a win as a country,” he added.

Currently, the US is experiencing lean times in the world's largest MMA organization. Kayla Harrison is the only person born in the United States to hold a championship belt in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in eight men's and three women's weight classes.

Jones and Cormier are old rivals

Jones (right) and Cormier (left) are declared enemies. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Although both are now retired, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier experienced one of the most intense rivalries in MMA history in the second half of the 2010s. They faced each other twice, both times with the light heavyweight title on the line, and made headlines with heated exchanges of taunts and even a fight at an Ultimate press conference.

In their first duel, in January 2015, Jones prevailed, ending DC's undefeated streak with a unanimous decision victory. In the rematch, in July 2017, Jones once again won, knocking out his opponent with a head kick in the third round. However, the fight was declared a No Contest after Jones tested positive for Turinabol in a doping test.

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