Over the years, the MMA community has witnessed many great friendships and bitter rivalries among the fighters. One such great friendship was between the former UFC champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier. Interestingly, to the extent that Nurmagomedov recently revealed he would never befriend his friend Cormier’s rivals, in this case Jon Jones.
Khabib Nurmagomedov did not befriend many individuals during the UFC stint. However, in the middle of that, there were few fighters, including Daniel Cormier, with whom he shared a great bond. With that camaraderie being so strong between Nurmagomedov and Cormier, they even support each other by sharing a mutual dislike for each other’s rivals.
I never had any disagreements with Jones. As a fighter, he is great, and it will be hard to match him. But my friend Cormier is in conflict with him, so Jones can’t be my friend. I don’t befriend those who aren’t friends with my friends.
Khabib Nurmagomedov via Instagram Story (@khabib_nurmagomedov)
Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel “DC” Cormier faced each other twice, with Jones emerging as the winner both times. However, their rivalry was marked by a lot of back and forth between them. Interestingly, Jones tested positive for using PEDs after their second fight, leading to it being declared a no-contest. To this day, Cormier still appears to take a jab at Jones regarding this issue.
Khabib explains why he’ll never be friends with Jon Jones:
“I never had any disagreements with Jones. As a fighter, he is great, and it will be hard to match him. But my friend Cormier is in conflict with him, so Jones can’t be my friend.
I don’t befriend those who aren’t… pic.twitter.com/GByYKslfbL
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov has no personal issues or animosity towards the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. The Dagestani fighter has always respected Jones and never criticized him. However, the same cannot be said for the current UFC heavyweight champion. Jones has had some issues with Nurmagomedov, as the two have often clashed over the GOAT status in the fighting community.
When Jon Jones dismissed Khabib Nurmagomedov from the GOAT debate
The MMA community is well acquainted with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s remarkable career in the UFC. Since his debut in 2012, the Eagle has emerged victorious against all his opponents. In 2020, following a successful title defense, the Dagestani fighter retired with an undefeated record. Many within the promotion found inspiration in Nurmagomedov’s achievements, but that wasn’t the case for Jones.
Jon Jones has always harbored bitter feelings towards Khabib Nurmagomedov because netizens often compared them. Jones lashed out at the netizens after hearing several debates about him and Nurmagomedov. As such, Bones seemingly dismissed all the debates by stating that his championship fights were the method to compare him and Nurmagomedov.
I’m talking to all you Khabib fans out there. Fifteen world titles to your guys’ four, and you guys are really talking about who’s the best fighter ever? You guys are joking, right?
Jon Jones via Instagram
Jon Jones sent a message to anybody who believes Khabib is the GOAT 👀
(via @JonnyBones) pic.twitter.com/rAzaowTvIi
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 26, 2020
Currently, following his retirement, Nurmagomedov coaches his fellow Dagestani fighters. While on the other hand, Jones is still an active UFC fighter. As such, Bones is even set to defend his UFC heavyweight title for the first time against Stipe Miocic in November.
