UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has made his feelings clear about his arch rival, heavyweight champion Jon Jones, after the pair appeared to resolve their differences in a released video.
The two starred in one of sports' most heated rivalries, with Jones scoring two victories over the former Olympic wrestler.
In a video that recently circulated on MMA Twitter, the two, who now work as commentators for UFC and analysts for ESPN, were seen praising each other on a call with Cormier's colleague, Jon Anik.
But once the exchange was over, Cormier flashed a sarcastic smile and flipped his middle finger at the camera, as if to tell Jones how he really felt.
“DC, I have a question for you,” Jones said after greeting Cormier and speaking with Annick. “How are you doing? How is life post-fight?”
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Cormier laughed and said, “My life is great. It's going really well. Thank you.”
“Daniel, I'm so proud of how well your life is going,” Jones continued, as the camera showed Cormier stepping away from the conversation. “I congratulate you on your success.”
“It sounds like you're progressing well,” Cormier responded. “That's very encouraging. A lot of people look up to you, so keep it up.”
“Yes, I'll do that,” Jones said. “Thanks. It's nice to be talking to you with this kind of energy, unlike usual.”
Tensions between them infamously rose when the two brawled during media day ahead of their supposed first fight at UFC 178. During the confrontation, Jones and Cormier bumped foreheads, resulting in Cormier shoving his rival.
Jones grabbed Cormier and chaos ensued as staff and both sides tried to separate them.
The brawl was just a turning point in a long-running feud. In another scandalous interview, Cormier said he would spit in Jones' face if he was in the same room as him, and Jones said he would “kill me for sure” if Cormier did that.
Still, JBJ beat Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182 in 2015 and by knockout at UFC 214 in 2017. However, the second win over DC was overturned after Jones tested positive for turinabol.
Jones has fought and won five times since then, including his heavyweight debut where he submitted Ciril Gane to win the vacant title.
Jones was scheduled to fight Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November but injured his shoulder and has not competed since.
Before Jones, Cormier also beat Miocic to win heavyweight gold in 2018. He defended the title against Derrick Lewis, but suffered consecutive losses to Miocic in his second and third bouts, leading to his retirement in 2020.
