One of the interesting takeaways from the recently concluded UFC 285 event, where Jon Jones locked in GOAT status by making quick work of Ciryl Gane, was his purported interaction with arch-nemesis Daniel Cormier.
Cormier was on commentary for the actual event, and even during fight week, much was made about a the two doing an interview together. Although that never came to fruition, Cormier did reveal that he had a phone call with Jones during the fighter meetings to gain a better understanding of how he was going to approach the fight.
For his part, Jon Jones had also offered an olive branch in the lead up to the contest, publicly endorsing Daniel Cormier’s professionalism in the commentary desk. Cormier also responded in kind, saying that it ‘feels nice’ to hear Jones’ endorsement of his commentary skills.
However, it would appear that Jones has now retracted his peace offering in one of his latest Tweets.
In a Twitter Q& A that he conducted, Jones had this response to a fan who noticed Daniel Cormier’s less-than-animated reaction to his UFC 285 win.
“My man couldn’t even pretend to smile, it was pretty funny. Asking what happened, an experience(d) former champion and analyst suddenly not being able to identify a guillotine,” said Jones.
To place this in context, Daniel Cormier is generally known for his over-the-top, effervescent reactions when he’s on commentary. In contract, his reaction to Jones’ win was rather subdue – a fact that seemingly hasn’t escaped the attention of the UFC heavyweight champion either.
You can watch Cormier’s Octagon-side reaction below:
Jon Jones Claims Francis Ngannou Left The UFC To Avoid Fighting Him
In another Tweet during the same Q& A, Jones was also less-than-complimentary of his predecessor, Francis Ngannou.
UFC 270 in January 2022 was Ngannou’s last UFC outing, when he outpointed Ciryl Gane in a close contest. ‘The Predator’ has since been released from his UFC contract as he could not come to terms with the organization.
Jones, however, feels that Ngannou had another reason for leaving. Replying to a fan who asked him if a potential fight against Francis Ngannou would be possible in the future, Jones had this to say.
“I highly doubt it, especially after that first performance [at UFC 285]. Like I said, the dude left for a reason. Came up with every demand and request in the world. He knew that the UFC wasn’t going to bend, he found his way out.”
You can read more about Jones’ thoughts on Francis Ngannou here.
How do you think a potential Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou super fight goes? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.