{"id":392983,"date":"2026-01-07T02:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/392983\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T02:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:39:09","slug":"jon-jones-daniel-cormier-reunite-as-rival-coaches-on-reality-tv-russin-ultimate-fighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/392983\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Jones Daniel Cormier reunite as rival coaches on reality TV, Russin Ultimate Fighter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Longtime UFC rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are set to cross paths again, rekindling their bitter feud \u2014 but this time as opposing coaches on a reality TV show.<\/p>\n<p>The Jones\u2013Cormier rivalry is still remembered as one of the most heated in MMA history, marked by personal jabs, an infamous press conference scuffle and two unforgettable fights inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n<p>UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett | SUN 25 JAN 1PM AEDT | Justin Gaethje faces Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight championship. |<a href=\"https:\/\/mainevent.kayosports.com.au\/ufc\/ufc-324?pg=default&amp;extcamp=fsaeditoriallinkmma-edt-fsp-lnk-awr-grc-mma-kyo&amp;channel=fsa&amp;campaign=fsacontra&amp;voucher=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"> Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/poster-fallback.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jones beat Cormier via decision to keep the light-heavyweight strap in 2015, then appeared to settle things with a knockout win in 2017. That result was later overturned after \u2018Bones\u2019 failed a drug test.<\/p>\n<p>A trilogy fight was often discussed, but Jones didn\u2019t follow Cormier to the heavyweight division until after DC had retired.<\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK, NY &#8211; APRIL 27: UFC president Dana White stars between Daniel Cormier (L) and Jon Jones as they square off during a media availability for UFC 200 at Madison Square Garden on April 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Now, though, the pair will finally go head to head for a third time, just in a very different setting.<\/p>\n<p>The UFC legends will go against each other as opposing coaches on the upcoming season of the ALF reality TV show &#8211; which is like a Russian version of The Ultimate Fighter.<\/p>\n<p>Jones had already taken on a coaching role in an earlier season of the show opposite former UFC star Nate Diaz, but his stint ended abruptly after a brawl erupted on set during production.<\/p>\n<p>The series will not end with Jones and Cormier fighting each other in the Octagon, but DC has floated the idea of the pair throwing down in a wrestling match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m telling you, Real American Freestyle Wrestling is gonna see me and Jon Jones at some point, and I\u2019m gonna kick his ass, like you would never believe,\u201d Cormier said in a video on his YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause guess what? I still shoot, I still train wrestlers every single day, so I don\u2019t have a problem shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cormier has a stellar wrestling background, having represented the United States at the Olympic Games. He finished fourth in freestyle wrestling at Athens 2004 and later captained the team at Beijing 2008.<\/p>\n<p>DC is also part of a small group in UFC history, one of just four fighters &#8211; along with Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo &#8211; to hold two UFC titles at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/ufc\/i-dont-want-to-fight-him-but-ufc-cult-hero-reveals-volk-theory-amid-retirement-debate\/news-story\/47f5699864453b7a75b83c624ce556e8\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Volkanovski has been urged to retire rather than chase another title<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/ufc\/ufc-2026-bold-predictions-for-the-new-year-alexander-volkanovski-title-fight-conor-mcgregor-return\/news-story\/8cbfc63d588d114c87a0abcde47bb089\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Volk\u2019s legacy-defining year&#8230; and a Conor comeback: Bold UFC predictions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Cormier hasn\u2019t fought in MMA since his loss to Stipe Miocic in 2020, but he\u2019s been spotted back in the gym recently and appears intent on getting himself back into shape.<\/p>\n<p>While not as decorated as Cormier on the mat, Jones also has a strong wrestling base, having won a national junior college championship.<\/p>\n<p>Widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Jones retired from the sport last year but has since suggested he plans to return on the White House card later this year.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the new reality TV series, Cormier said the feud with Jones has eased somewhat.<\/p>\n<p>ANAHEIM, CA &#8211; JULY 29: Daniel Cormier (L) fights Jon Jones in the Light Heavyweight title bout during UFC 214 at Honda Center on July 29, 2017 in Anaheim, California. Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images\/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS &amp; TELEVISION USE ONLY ==Source: AFP<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing around Jon Jones is different because we had such a bad history,\u201d Cormier told Red Corner MMA. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut, the reality is, I\u2019m done fighting now. That part of it is gone, so it\u2019s not nearly as nasty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve done a good job of being professional as much as we can. Obviously, we argue a lot but that\u2019s the status of our relationship. <\/p>\n<p>Volk dismisses retirement talk | 02:27<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten to a point in our lives where we can be in the same area without trying to fight each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whether Jones feels the same way remains to be seen, with the former champion having taken several shots at Cormier on social media over the past six months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Longtime UFC rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are set to cross paths again, rekindling their bitter feud&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":392984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-392983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}