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The Ten-Year Anniversary of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 1 – Perfect Rivals

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of Jon Jones facing Daniel Cormier, two competitive rivals who still have not found…

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of Jon Jones facing Daniel Cormier, two competitive rivals who still have not found peace. UFC 182 on January 3, 2015, saw Jon ‘Bones’ Jones defend his UFC light heavyweight crown by unanimous decision giving Cormier his first professional career loss.

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier

Jon Jones was a phenom. At just 23-year-old he became the youngest UFC champion in history and defended his title against former and future division champions. Cormier was a former Olympic wrestling standout who had an unbeaten MMA career where he also earned gold in Strikeforce.

The two met years prior and the bad blood was always evident. A backstage confrontation at UFC 121 turned heated, with trash talk setting the stage for years of animosity. The feud escalated during their press tour for UFC 178 in 2014, with a brawl during a media event in Las Vegas. Security struggled to separate the fighters as punches were thrown, sparking widespread headlines.

In the octagon, Jon Jones and Cormier delivered a high-stakes battle. Jones performed well with his reach and striking, while Cormier excelled in the clinch with dirty boxing and takedown attempts. However, Jones proved superior, landing critical strikes and securing takedowns against the Olympic wrestler. After five intense rounds, Jones retained his light heavyweight title via unanimous decision.

In a rematch years later, Jones would again defeat Cormier via head kick but this fight was overturned due to a banned substance in Jones’ system. Regardless, the two have never cooled or found peace with their ongoing feud. It remains one of the best rivalries in MMA and UFC history.

Jan3.2015

10 years ago today,

Jon Jones handed Daniel Cormier the first loss of his career. pic.twitter.com/fEptN7MAaz

— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) January 3, 2025

Former UFC Champion Explains Starvation and Abstinence to Unleash the Caveman Mindset

Former two-division UFC champion recalled the days when he’d have to starve himself ahead of a fight. Becoming a…

Former two-division UFC champion recalled the days when he’d have to starve himself ahead of a fight.

Becoming a mixed martial artist is no easy task. Aside from the years of dedication, endless hours of training, and the dietary discipline necessary to succeed, there also comes the task of making weight which often sees fighters significantly cutting down their food intake and dehydrating themselves to the point of exhaustion just before a fight.

Some fighters struggle so severely that they wind up fainting while trying to climb on or off the scale.

Taking away ‘the pleasures of life’ turned the UFC Hall of Famer into a different man

During a recent episode of his Funky and The Champ podcast with Ben Askren, ‘DC’ looked back on some of his more difficult weight cuts and how the lack of food and abstinence from intimacy would make him feel like someone straight out of the Paleolithic era.

“I tried to recreate that caveman sh*t in me every fight,” Cormier began. “Listen, I’m abstaining from sex for like a month, and then don’t eat like, literally don’t eat. So, main event usually walks out at 10 o’clock at night. Don’t eat past 2 PM in the afternoon. Starving. Like, literally just starving. Because when you’re hungry, right, your mind goes to a place. Like, if I had to go and kill something to eat right now, I would.

And obviously, we’re not at that level of hunger, but it’s like if I need to go… Yes, right. You can put yourself almost in a caveman mindset, to where you’re like taking all the—the—the pleasures of life that we as men love so much—food, you know, women, those things—you take it away from yourself.

And then by the time you get in there with this dude, you’re like, “Yo, you’re the reason that I didn’t get to do this. You’re the reason that I’m hungry.” Seriously.”

Fortunately, those days are long gone for the former champ-champ.

Former UFC Champion Explains Starvation and Abstinence to Unleash the Caveman Mindset 3

Daniel Cormier Picks ‘Most Marketable’ UFC Welterweight Champ — Snubs Muhammad, Rakhmonov, Edwards, Garry

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has given a somewhat surprising answer when pondering who would be the “most marketable” titleholder for the promotion at 170 pounds. The welterweight division has finished the year as one of the most talked about weight classes, largely thanks to standout contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry co-headlining UFC […]

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has given a somewhat surprising answer when pondering who would be the “most marketable” titleholder for the promotion at 170 pounds.

The welterweight division has finished the year as one of the most talked about weight classes, largely thanks to standout contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry co-headlining UFC 310 in arguably the most highly anticipated fight on the final pay-per-view card of 2024.

The Kazakh star emerged victorious from that, keeping his ‘0’ intact and maintaining his status as top contender, which he was made to defend after an injury forced champion Belal Muhammad out.

With that, Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov is still expected to mark the next title fight at 170 pounds. But regardless of who wins, Cormier doesn’t think the UFC will be left with the best option for peak marketability.

During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Cormier explained why the rising Jack Della Maddalena might just be the UFC’s top choice when it comes to a future welterweight champ.

“I think Jack Della Maddalena is one fight away from becoming a guy fighting for the belt,” Cormier said. “If that fight is against Kamaru Usman, he will be rushed into that title fight. Let me tell you something about the UFC: Vince McMahon famously said, ‘I don’t like the UFC because I cannot control the outcome.’ What the UFC will do, they do know how to follow a game plan and they do know star-building.

“So when you get a guy like Jack Della Maddalena who has an entire country behind him, that everybody is excited about, they will find a way to get him into the position if he earns it,” Cormier continued. “So, if he beats a Kamaru Usman, there will be no other obstacle because, if I am being honest with you, right now at 170 (pounds), the most marketable guy as a champion right now is Jack Della Maddalena because of where he’s from, because of the entire country behind him, and because of the way they are excited about him.”

Della Maddalena is currently being brought up in the discussion for Comeback of the Year for 2024, having prevented a certain defeat on the scorecards by knocking Gilbert Burns out with just over a minute left in their fight at UFC 299 this past March.

The Australian hasn’t competed since, and after missing out on a home fight in Perth this year, it appears that the striking specialist may also be absent from the Sydney-held UFC 312 lineup next February following a recent report from Alex Behunin.

JDM vs. Usman is not happening at UFC 312 and unfortunately there’s a good chance JDM will not be on that PPV at all.

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) December 17, 2024

Read More: Dustin Poirier Makes His Pick For 2024 Knockout Of The Year: ‘Never Really Seen Him Rocked’

Daniel Cormier Ready to Take Over UFC Matchmaking Duties, Fantasy Books Bantamweight Top 10

Stand back Sean Shelby, Daniel Cormier has got this. The UFC’s bantamweight division is perhaps the most stacked weight…

Stand back Sean Shelby, Daniel Cormier has got this.

The UFC’s bantamweight division is perhaps the most stacked weight class in all of mixed martial arts, boasting a slew of former and future world champions like Sean O’Malley, Petr Yan, Deiveson Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Then there’s 135-pound titleholder Merab Dvalishvili who’s coming off a stellar performance against ‘Sugar’ at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.

Riding an 11-fight win streak dating back to 2018, ‘The Machine’ will look to keep his unbeaten run alive when he inevitably locks up with the No. 2 ranked Nurmagomedov in 2025.

But what about the rest of the division?

Cormier Reveals his bantamweight wishlist

Following Petr Yan’s impressive win over Figueiredo in Macau, there are a lot of intriguing matchups to be had at 135. Doing the UFC’s job for them, Cormier broke down what he believes are the bantamweight matches that the promotion should be booking for the new year.

“There is a bunch of guys at 135 that need to be matched up. So I figured, it’s time for some matchmaking,” Cormier said on his ESPN show Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen. “For the title…easy, Merab vs. Umar. … Then I go Yan vs. Sandhagen (2) as my second fight, Chael. Because then it gives you a clear number one contender.

“Sean O’Malley needs a big fight, right? You know who else needs a big fight? Henry Cejudo. These guys have a beef, an easy beef to sell…I say put Sean O’Malley in there with the former champion Henry Cejudo. That means more than a win over Cory Sandhagen,” Cormier continued. “After that, I’m going Figgy (Deiveson Figueiredo) vs. Dominick Cruz. And my last one, Chael, we’ve got to give Mario Bautista a chance. … I’m giving him (Marlon) ‘Chito’ Vera” (h/t MMA News).

Chances are, Sean O’Malley will walk straight into a title fight once he’s ready to return following the loss against Dvalishvili in Vegas.

Also, Yan seems to think that his win over Figueiredo has already made him worthy of a rematch with ‘The Machine,’ as evidenced by his recent post on social media responding to the reigning champ’s praise.

Dvalishvili seemed to like the idea, even going so far as to offer ‘No Mercy’ an exact date for their potential rematch.

“Great fight Petr (Yan),” Dvalishvili said in a video posted on X. “I like your callout, and I like your respect. Let’s go again, after 2 years. March 8th, T Mobile. Let’s f*cking go.”

What bantamweight matchups would you like to see in the coming year?

Daniel Cormier Pitches Next Fights For O’Malley, Yan, Figueiredo At Bantamweight

Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has some matchups in mind for the bantamweight division in 2025, including the next outings for Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan. The 135-pound weight class is entering the new year with a fresh champion at the helm and a number of hungry contenders chasing him down. Merab Dvalishvili achieved […]

Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has some matchups in mind for the bantamweight division in 2025, including the next outings for Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan.

The 135-pound weight class is entering the new year with a fresh champion at the helm and a number of hungry contenders chasing him down.

Merab Dvalishvili achieved his title ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage by dethroning O’Malley inside the Sphere this past September. While “Suga” eyes a shot at redemption in his return from injury next March or April, Umar Nurmagomedov sits as the consensus number one contender.

In spite of the Georgian’s ongoing attempts to push that matchup away, the Dagestani has plenty of support when it comes to his claim to an opportunity, including from Cormier.

During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Cormier pointed to Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov as the logical next title fight in the bantamweight division.

And in terms of how the rest of the top names should be matched up, “DC” has some ideas for that too.

“There is a bunch of guys at 135 that need to be matched up. So I figured, it’s time for some matchmaking,” Cormier began. “For the title…easy, Merab vs. Umar. … Then I go Yan vs. Sandhagen (2) as my second fight, Chael. Because then it gives you a clear number one contender.

“Sean O’Malley needs a big fight, right? You know who else needs a big fight? Henry Cejudo. These guys have a beef, an easy beef to sell…I say put Sean O’Malley in there with the former champion Henry Cejudo. That means more than a win over Cory Sandhagen,” Cormier continued. “After that, I’m going Figgy (Deiveson Figueiredo) vs. Dominick Cruz. And my last one, Chael, we’ve got to give Mario Bautista a chance. … I’m giving him (Marlon) ‘Chito’ Vera.”

It remains to be seen whether or not the UFC higher-ups will share Cormier’s view of the division. For now, it doesn’t appear the champ himself does.

Having previously pointed to others as more worthy of challenging for his gold than Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili most recently called for a rematch with Yan following “No Mercy’s” decision win over Figueiredo in Macau last weekend.

Read More: Sean O’Malley Slams Merab Dvalishvili Pushing For Petr Yan Rematch: ‘Sh*tting Himself Terrified Of Umar’

Daniel Cormier Reacts to Bo Nickal’s Blistering Criticism of UFC 309 Commentary

Bo Nickal wasn’t happy about Daniel Cormier’s commentary during his scrap with Paul Craig at UFC 309 in New…

Bo Nickal wasn’t happy about Daniel Cormier’s commentary during his scrap with Paul Craig at UFC 309 in New York City.

Nickal returned to the Octagon for a main card clash with ‘Bearjew’ inside Madison Square Garden, and while he secured his sixth straight win in MMA, it was a performance that left a lot of pundits underwhelmed.

Instead of utilizing the world-class wrestling that made him a three-time NCAA Division I national champion, Nickal opted to stand and trade with Craig, eeking out a fairly uneventful unanimous decision. During the three-round affair, fans inside the world’s most famous arena lambasted the former Nittany Lion, calling him overrated and showering him with boos.

Cormier was also critical on commentary, noting that Nickal had a long way to go before he’d be ready for someone like Khamzat Chimaev — a fighter Nickal has called out since his days on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Nickal voiced his frustration over Cormier’s pro-Khamzat commentary which sparked a response from the UFC Hall of Famer.

“Bo Nickal is a bit upset about the commentary during the fight last week,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve got to be honest, this one took me a little bit by surprise, because I do like Bo, and I do believe that at some point he’s going to be a champion. Bo said he took offense to the commentary, but I think he’s a little misguided. I think he may have misunderstood what I’m trying to say.”

“What I’m more trying to say in this fight is let’s not rush him into fights with people that are much more experienced, much more battle-tested, much more ready to compete at the highest level,” Cormier continued. “Because it feels like one of those situations where a young guy who has shown so much promise gets a little bit fast-tracked. We have seen this time and time again, where an athlete comes onto the scene, they do so well initially that they get overwhelmed because you don’t know what to do with him.”

Cormier went on to clarify his stance on a potential showdown between Nickal and Chimaev in the future, noting that his criticism doesn’t mean Nickal won’t ever be ready to fight ‘Borz.’ He just isn’t ready right now.

“People have already started to compare him to Khamzat Chimaev, how do they stack up, can he wrestle him, can he do this? I’m not saying he’s not ready for Khamzat because I don’t think he ever will be ready for Khamzat, right now he just isn’t,” Cormier added. “Bo Nickal has now seen the opposite side of fame. I wonder how he’s going to handle negativity coming his direction. I wasn’t negative.

“I have no problem with Bo Nickal. I believe he’s going to be fine. I don’t have a problem with the performance. I thought he fought really well, but there’s room for improvement. Everybody said it! Let’s just take our time. We don’t need to rush him, that’s all I’m saying.”

Bo Nickal Responds to Daniel Cormier’s Explanation

To Nickal’s credit, he was quick to squash any beef he had with Cormier after getting a detailed explanation from the former champ-champ.

“Absolutely agree,” Nickal said on X while sharing Cormier’s comments. “I have of room for improvement and I appreciate the clarification @dc_mma thank you.”