Jon Jones’ beef with Daniel Cormier has fights, death threats, and sex pills

- This meat has almost everything. A clear origin story, real sanctioned

fights

, real unsanctioned

fights

, endless Twitter roasts, a moderate amount of drugs. The only thing missing is an ending, which at this point may never come. (electronic music) The stage was set for UFC 121 in October 2010. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier were backstage awaiting the Cain Velasquez/Brock Lesnar main event. Our wrestlers had never met and all Jones seemed to know about Cormier was that he wrestled. So when Jones approached DC, he started with that. He would later say that this meeting was in hopes of making a friend.

He wanted to just joke around backstage, but when he said this, he missed any possible good intentions. In less time than it took for Velasquez to knock out Lesnar that same night, the MMA world got a big helping of fresh meat. Now, I won't say I was in any of these guys' heads, much less present in the interaction, but regardless of the intent, it's clear how this conversation could take things from zero to 60. Jon Jones had his facts straight . Daniel Cormier had always been a great fighter. He was an All-American at Oklahoma State, placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics, and was named Captain of the 2008 Olympic Team.

The guy was really good. He didn't even start training in MMA until after those second Olympics, and debuted with Strikeforce at the age of 30. So Cormier was still on his long, non-traditional road to the UFC when Jones first approached him. A young fighter on the rise, arrogant enough to tell Cormier that he didn't know who he was and that he could beat him. He could do additional damage to the psyche of someone still trying to make a name for themselves in the sport. And compared to DC, Jones didn't have much left to prove. He was, in industry terms, hot shit.

Jones made his MMA debut before his 21st birthday. Four months later, he was fighting in the UFC. Less than two years after that, Dana White was talking about how Jones deserved a step up in competition. On a fast track to the belt, it wasn't unreasonable for Jones to have thought that other fighters would want to be friends with him. He simply did it wrong, and while time heals wounds, he only ages the flesh. At the 2011 World MMA Awards, Jones, now the UFC light heavyweight champion, let a potential sponsor know that he wouldn't sign if the brand also pursued Cormier.

DC found out about this and stopped Jones as he was leaving to find out what was going on. According to the sponsor, Jones was no longer looking for friendship and Cormier made it clear that he was tired of feeling disrespected. Our guys showed that this wouldn't be a one-time thing. Moving forward a bit, I should mention one of the sponsors of this video, Twitter. Twitter, the cesspool that everyone uses. Jones took to social media and subtweeted DC about his weight ahead of Cormier's UFC debut. Conveniently, Cormier had a microphone when he responded. - Jon, now you can leave the street no matter what you weigh and we can enter the octagon.

Let's fight at any weight, Jon, you and me. -Jones doubled down and talked about how DC wasn't fighting for the right reasons, before making it clear that he wasn't sweating over anything related to Cormier. It's important to note that at this point, these two were in different weight classes. Technically, they weren't really relevant to each other. That was fixed. In September 2013, Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson in a tough fight to defend the belt. The following July, he scheduled a rematch, scheduled for about a year after the first. But just a couple of weeks after the announcement, Gustafsson tore a meniscus while he was training.

Almost immediately, Cormier was appointed to replace him and quickly predicted his own championship. DC's shot at the belt came just five months after he moved down to light heavyweight. To celebrate the game date, Jones texted Cormier and expressed his excitement about the fight. A week later, they changed the virtual world to the flesh world and, come on guys, they didn't let me finish my line. Okay, yeah, so in their first appearance together to promote the fight, they fought. Leaving the stage, they showed that they were not joking. But with that out of their system, they went back to training, no, never mind, they both went straight to Twitter.

In the first round, Jones caught Cormier early, but DC did what Jones couldn't and actually tagged @JonnyBones on his comeback. Landing a combo before Jones responded and managed to give us the perfect transition. One of those interviews brought them together again on the same day, no less. And while ESPN made sure to keep them in separate rooms, they also knew not to turn off their microphones after their SportsCenter interview. Those hot mics resulted in more

threats

between the pair, highlighted by Cormier calling out Jones for being disingenuous, wishing he could spit in his face before Jones threatened to outright kill DC. - In fact, I admire that you can be so fake and when the television turns on, how you can change.

It's like you're a chameleon! I wish they would leave me aside so I could spit in your face. - You know I would definitely kill you if you ever did something like that, right? - You could never kill me. - Oh, I bet you I could. - Then you should try it, Jon. -Jones' next move was an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel where, of all things, he decided to make fun of Cormier's fourth-place finish at the Olympics. And he inadvertently gave DC a perfect opportunity to gain some ground in the Twitter dispute. Once again they shared the stage and, as their hatred flowed, it took the fighters down a path full of meat, but even more sensual. - I'm going to make you my wife. (laughter) (applause) - It's not that kind of press, let's move on... - You'll be Mrs.

Jones for tonight. - That is not true. - Just a week after the fight in Las Vegas, it was announced that we would have to wait longer to see the actual fight. -Jones tore his meniscus while he was training and required surgery. The fight moved to January 3 and it became easier for both guys to keep their composure after the fines for their previous encounter decreased. And once night came, it all came crashing down. They went the distance, with Jones winning by unanimous decision and Cormier receiving the first blemish on his record. And it's not like he needed the win to talk trash, but Jones did after the fight.

He reiterated that he knew Cormier would break. How DC wasn't a challenge for him. How he still had no respect for him and he was hoping to hit him again. As for Cormier, he simply promised to return for another shot at the title. But since nothing is easy with these two, it was learned that Jones had tested positive for cocaine before the card. However, since it is not a banned substance outside of competition, the fight was allowed to proceed as planned. Because you know, it's just a little cocaine. It's not something really bad like steroids or marijuana.

Jones entered rehab and proved that he could handle anything in record time. In the following days, fighters and journalists insisted on the decision to let the fighting continue. Cormier, however, was respectful of Jones and looked at the bigger picture. For now. He would get another chance to criticize the champion after Jones' car was found at the scene of an accident where he collided with a vehicle driven by a pregnant woman and then fled the scene. Police found marijuana, cash and a notable amount of condoms in the car, along with documents linking the vehicle to Jon Jones. - I wonder if this is that fighter's car. - WHO? - Jon Jones? -He was immediately stripped of the belt, given an indefinite suspension, and as an extra twist of the knife, Cormier took his place in an upcoming fight against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, which was now for the vacant light heavyweight title.

DC won the belt via a rear-naked choke in the third round and successfully defended it against Gustafsson in October 2015. By then, Jones had returned from suspension and a rematch was in the works. He jumped on Twitter to celebrate his reinstatement and only had eyes for one man. We had our first exchange in a while while discussing a meeting, which included a more than likely Photoshopping of Cormier and an exchange that only reminded us of his disdain. They finally got a time and place set. April 23, 2016 at UFC 197. And we had a lightning round of meat. Jones cut Cormier's crotch at a press conference and then went on MMA Hour to call Cormier a coward.

Cormier took to Twitter to prove that Jones was a coward, calling him a drug addict, telling him not to associate with various horses, and many other things. Jones really had a great response. He then gave Cormier advice on how to avoid toxic shock syndrome. And then, because I guess we were all fine and deserved extra service, Cormier hurt his foot. That delayed the fight until July, and although it gave the possibility of more flames, Jones actually offered his support to Cormier. Although he still hadn't learned how to tweet at someone. They have been gaping for a long time, and they fought once officially, more times unofficially, maybe they finally turned a corner.

And maybe we can all get back to normal. Yeah! He defends himself. Three days before UFC 200, Jones was pulled from the fight due to doping violations. Several prohibited substances were found in sample A of his. And Dana White had the fun task of telling Cormier. At this point, with everything both fighters had been through, Cormier took the news hard. The UFC filmed the backstage interaction when DC offered to sign a waiver and do whatever he could to make this fight happen. -After the news broke, Jones stated that he never took an illegal substance and apologized to Cormier for the cancellation of the fight.

Cormier described the fight as "snake-bitten" and left his feelings aside when he called Jones one of the most talented people he had ever seen. Once the B sample also tested positive, Jones received a one-year suspension. Even though USADA by this time had discovered that the failed results were due to contaminated

pills

used to treat erectile dysfunction. Cialis so contaminated, suspension. Marijuana, suspension. Just stick with the cocaine, kids. Fast forward six months and Cormier took his turn to add fuel to this meat. At weigh-ins prior to his rematch with "Rumble" Johnson, he missed weight by just over a pound.

When given a second chance three minutes later, he made weight. He also grabbed the privacy towel. But I'm sure that after the respect shown between Jones and Cormier, something so harmless wasn't even, well, Jones called it "one of the dirtiest things he's ever seen in sports." The meat is back. DC took to Twitter to deny that the towel had helped him gain weight, and Jones chimed in to share his dreams. Cormier responded with a really good joke that even Jones had to respect, before adding one of his own. After Cormier once again handled Johnson, the UFC arranged a new rematch, just over a year after the previous failed attempt.

And as promotion of the event increased, the boys returned to form. The next time they met, they almost recreated the Las Vegas fight, which fortunately, fellow wrestler Michael Cheisa recorded backstage. Once the press conference began, Jones, who was still suspended from throwing any real punches, dropped this word bomb. - I beat you after a weekend of cocaine. - This was a theme of the event. - You look like a crack addict in a suit. - I might look like a crack addict in a suit, but I've never been a crack addict like you. (laughing) (panting) So you can say I look like one, but I never have been! - And, understandably, Cormier had doubts about the rematch. - Is this guy going to screw this up again by doing steroids, snorting cocaine, or attacking prostitutes?

He-he expanded on this while speaking with Ariel Helwani after the press conference. -He tested positive for those two things, his brother tested positive for the same two things, at exactly the same time. There are every reason to believe that he had been cheating. -And while he gave rise to trash talk, there was some fear behind why Cormier brought this up. He didn't want Jones to fail a test or do anything to lose the card. Despite having the belt, Cormier, in the eyes of many, needed this fight as much or more than Jones. He still faced the uphill battle of proving his worth.

And people had no qualms about reminding him. -When you look at DC, is he a legitimate champion? Is that the real belt that's there? - Monster, no! He never beat me, he never beat me, so the belt he has there is an imaginary belt. I made a mistake outside the octagon, they took it away from me, but they never beat me. To be a champion you have to beat the champion. He can fight all the other light heavyweights he wants, he can beat all the light heavyweights. Until he beats me, that belt over there is shit. - As for Jones, he also onlyI wanted to get the belt back and move on.

From everything he said, he didn't seem to have any problems with DC other than who he had to beat. And on July 29 he did just that. Jones stopped Cormier in the third round, and with a second win, I felt like everyone could finally get over this. Joe Rogan interviewed DC in the Octagon immediately after the loss and tearfully ended the rivalry. -If he wins both fights, there is no rivalry so I don't know. -Jones talked about how difficult it was to see Cormier like this after everything he had been through and praised the work he had done for the sport.

Cormier congratulated Jones on the win on Instagram, and while no one was shying away from a third fight, even Jones said DC didn't need one to be proud of the career he's had. And that's the end of the problem. Definitely nothing more ha... Why are you still filming? - Just read the script! - Less than two weeks after the rematch, Jones was flagged for a possible doping violation based on a pre-fight test sample. Once both samples tested positive for an anabolic steroid, he was again suspended and the belt returned to Cormier as the result was changed to no contest.

DC offered their support and encouraged everyone to do the same instead of attacking Jones. When the cycle repeated itself once again, Cormier's attitude finally seemed to change. Whether because he was approaching 40 or because he was tired of sweating over what he couldn't change, he talked about how he didn't need to justify what he had done. He was happy and confident with everything. And although the idea of ​​a third fight against Jones was clearly on his mind, he stopped seeing it as a necessity. The situation had changed and Jones now needed revenge more. He wanted to show that he could beat Cormier without asterisks.

He sought out Cormier on Twitter, or took every opportunity he had to criticize him in interviews, but since Jones was suspended, Cormier has had the luxury of not worrying about it. That also meant he could talk openly about how highly he thought of Jones. Speaking of his struggles, he is more like a father than a troll. Which, when it concerns a grown man you're not related to, might be one of the best troll jobs you can pull off, but it's hard to know the intentions of these two. Cormier added a second belt to his collection, doing something Jones had never done.

And while filming UFC Tonight on Fox Sports, he talked about how that essentially allowed him to look in the rearview mirror at a fighter still waiting to be reinstated. - I'm the double UFC champion, right? I have bosses behind me, and I talk about this guy because I have to, I've already been through it. -He also went out of his way to talk about how USADA didn't have to worry about him failing a pre-fight test of his. - When it comes to USADA, they can't come to my house at 6 a.m. anymore. I mean, what's the point?

They have been to my house 15 times, enough, USADA, don't come to my house anymore, it's not necessary. You don't have to come, I'm not going to fail a test, I'm not going to make any mistakes, I'm not going to have to sit there and say "I'm serious this time, guys!" - That excited Jones, who fortunately has an outlet for this kind of thing. Jones' suspension ended in part thanks to good behavior in helping USADA find other culprits, and Cormier, who is totally over Jones at this point, had some congratulatory comments. DC relinquished his light heavyweight title before the UFC could take it from him.

And a couple of days after it became vacant, Jones would regain the belt. He celebrated by immediately calling Cormier, shaming him for giving up what he had just won. -What guy just gives up his belt because someone else came home? Dad's House, DC. - This caused a scandal in DC because, of course, it did. It's endless. We could analyze every tweet storm they've thrown at each other, or every interview question answered for no reason other than a new insult, but it's a cycle doomed to repeat itself. A lot of things had to be overlooked or left out of this story because it's a routine that neither of them seem to want to completely stray away from.

And these are two of the best fighters of a generation of great fighters. But thanks to self-sabotage and happy trigger fingers, this is what we're talking about. To me, this whole thing feels like they were two guys who had such different paths that they couldn't relate to each other and therefore couldn't see their own similarities. But considering they will be linked forever, they have a little time to fix things or muddy them even more. If you like meats determined by the punches, I think you'll enjoy the story of Red Wings and Avalanche meats. Or watch this other video that might be more suitable for you.

Subscribe to SB Nation, see you soon.