The bitter, decade-long feud between UFC legends Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier has once again exploded onto social media. The latest chapter began over the Thanksgiving holiday when Cormier, now a prominent UFC commentator, supposedly questioned why Jones was not with his family under a video post showing Jones eating local food during his trip to Chechnya.
Jones, who recently revealed he was approached about a charity grappling match against Cormier, did not take the jab lightly. He fired back with a multi-layered retort on X (formerly Twitter) that extended the conflict beyond their personal history and involved one of Cormier’s closest friends and former training partners, undefeated UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Despite news of Cormier’s comment gaining traction, no actual source was given as to which post he commented on, and no comment on Instagram was ever found.
Jones didn’t care whether or not this comment was verified, however, and on Thanksgiving Day itself, he posted this in response:
Notably, Jones’ latest post dragged retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Cormier’s close friend and former teammate, into the fray by referencing “those Khabib gifts.”
This is a direct nod to Khabib’s recent sale of digital hat NFTs on the Telegram platform, a venture launched with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov that was mocked by Nurmagomedov’s former UFC rival, Conor McGregor.
Though Jones used Khabib’s business venture as a punchline, he responded to Durov on X, saying, “Aight @durov, get me a link on Telegram my guy. I see everyone making the move.”
What started as a punchline turned into what seems like a genuine interest in Khabib’s NFT venture.
A Feud That Refuses to Fade
Despite both men being out of active MMA competition, the animosity clearly persists, at least on Jones’s end.
Outside of bringing up Cormier’s name, Jones’ focus remains on coming out of retirement, returning to UFC competition, and getting the chance to fight on the promotion’s historic White House card, even if Dana White has admitted his hesitancy in booking Jones for the event.
The prospect of a charity grappling match, which Jones claims to have agreed to, offers a potential final chapter to their story. Even in retirement, Jones tries to find innovative ways to ensure his greatest rival is always thinking about him.