Daniel Cormier is one of mixed martial arts' most respected champions, and his Jon Jones punching bag sparked one of their most heated exchanges ever. Ahead of their UFC 200 rematch in 2016, the two-time former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion received a heavy bag emblazoned with Jones' face, posting a video captioning it you have made training camp easy lol. Jones fired back on Instagram, writing it's good to see you enjoying your last days as paper champ Daniel, insisting he was clearly living rent-free in Cormier's head. The stunt escalated a rivalry that had already boiled over into a real backstage brawl at a 2014 press conference. Known for relentless competitiveness and ferocious trash talk, the feud remains one of combat sports' most bitter rivalries ever documented. #ufc #mma #jonjones #danielcormier
Daniel Cormier once turned a piece of training equipment into a weapon in his rivalry with Jon Jones. Ahead of their UFC 200 rematch in 2016, the two-time former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion received a heavy bag printed with Jones' face and posted a video of it, captioning the clip that Jones had "made training camp easy lol."
Jones answered on Instagram. He wrote that it was good to see Cormier "enjoying your last days as paper champ," adding that he was clearly living rent-free in Cormier's head. The exchange remains one of the sharpest of their long feud.
The bag stunt came after the rivalry had already turned physical. The two brawled backstage at a 2014 press conference, an incident that set the tone for a competition defined by trash talk and mutual disdain.
The fighters
Cormier, known as "DC," is 22-3-0 and 47 years old. The orthodox fighter stands five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach. He lands 4.25 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and averages 1.83 takedowns per 15 minutes, a reflection of the wrestling base that carried him through both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Jones, nicknamed "Bones," is 28-1-0 and 39 years old. He stands six-foot-four with an 84-inch reach, a 12-inch advantage over Cormier. The orthodox fighter lands 4.38 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, with 1.89 takedowns and 0.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- The rivalry is a study in contrasting frames: Jones' reach and length against Cormier's compact wrestling pressure.
- Their numbers are close in output. Strikes landed per minute and takedown rates barely separate them, though Jones holds the accuracy edge.
- The heavy bag episode shows how much of the feud played out outside the cage, with psychological warfare used as a form of preparation.
Both men built their reputations on relentless competitiveness, and the bitterness between them has kept the feud among the most talked-about in combat sports history.
