Daniel Cormier nearly walked out on Kamaru Usman’s Pound 4 Pound podcast after the former welterweight world champion likened Jon Jones to NBA legend Michael Jordan.
It’s no secret that ‘DC’ has a deep hatred for Jones. Their rivalry dates back almost a decade when the Hall of Famers first squared off at UFC 182 for the light heavyweight championship. ‘Bones’ won the bout via unanimous decision, but their iconic rivalry prompted the promotion to book a rematch between the two at UFC 214.
This time around, Jones finished Cormier in the third round, but the result was later overturned after Jones was found to have tested positive for a banned substance.
Regularly citing Jones’ multiple banned substance violations and his slew of run-ins with the law, Cormier has regularly lobbied against the notion that ‘Bones’ is the undisputed GOAT of mixed martial arts.
So it should come as no surprise that ‘DC’ was ready to get up and walk out on Kamaru Usman after ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ suggested that Jon Jones is the Michael Jordan of MMA.
Kamaru Usman said Jon Jones was the Michael Jordan of MMA, and Daniel Cormier almost ended the interview
"I'm about to leave. You done with the interview?"
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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 26, 2024
Daniel Cormier throws a fit over Jon Jones/Michael Jordan comparison
It all began as Usman started to sing the praises of Jones and likened him to Conor McGregor in that he, like the Irishman, has gotten to a point in his career where he can handpick his opponents. Cormier quickly chimed in, saying:
“I thought you were gonna say Michael Jordan or some crazy sh*t like that. If you would’ve said that I was leaving,”
Things got a little heated between the two when Usman doubled down, suggesting that Jones is an MMA version of the six-time NBA champion.
“To be honest, Jon is in a sense the Michael Jordan that we’ve seen in MMA,” Usman stated.
That pissed Cormier off something terrible. So much so that ‘DC’ threatened to get up and walk out of the interview altogether.
“No he isn’t,” Cormier replied matter-of-factly. “I’m about to leave, are you done with the interview? Do you just wanna be done? So you’re telling me Jon Jones is the Michael Jordan and Lebron James of MMA? You’re gonna sit up here in real life on five cameras (and say that)?”
Jon Jones is scheduled to return to the Octagon on November 16 when the promotion heads back to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for UFC 309. There, ‘Bones’ will put his undisputed heavyweight championship on the line against two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic.
In all likelihood, Daniel Cormier will be on the call that night and get a cageside seat for Jones’ first heavyweight title defense.