“I bet you that I could take you down.” That’s what Jon Jones told Daniel Cormier backstage at UFC 121 in 2010 when they ran into each other. And with that exchange, one of the most historic rivalries in MMA history was born. Although their feud wouldn’t reach the Octagon for another five years, the animosity between them was evident from the beginning.

DC officially lost to Jones once in their two professional MMA matchups. Their first meeting at UFC 182 in 2015 ended in a unanimous decision victory for Jones. Their second bout at UFC 214 in 2017 initially resulted in a knockout win for Jones, but the fight was later overturned to a no-contest. Recently, though, the two crossed paths once again during an appearance on the latest season of the reality TV show ‘ALF Reality.’ Sly digs and sharp barbs followed. It seems, more than a decade later, their rivalry is still very much alive and continues to shape how both men are viewed in the larger MMA landscape. In a recent interview with Megan Olivi for UFC, Daniel Cormier opened up on how being permanently tied to Jones still affects him.

Daniel Cormier reflects on the heavyweight gamble that changed everything

When asked whether he feels frustrated that his name is still linked to his longtime rival, he admitted: “Yeah, it’s a little frustrating because we have our own careers. I had a career that was so great, with him and outside of him, doesn’t need to always be just running side by side. But it is what it is, right? That’s my journey.”

Olivi then asked DC why he chose to move back down to light heavyweight for the Jon Jones fight. Cormier revealed that he felt he could win the fight and thereby the title. “But I thought it was a good matchup,” the 46-year-old said. “I thought I could go beat him. And also, I was undefeated at heavyweight. Nobody had beaten me before. So I was like, ‘Let me go and get what I feel was always supposed to be mine.'”

But why move down in weight to fight someone like Jon Jones? Well, he had but one reason. “The reason I went down, Cain Velasquez was right there next to me,” he explained. “When it was my time to try to become the king of the world at heavyweight, in the division he was still in, nobody was happier because of our brotherhood and our friendship.” Since he could not fight his friend and training partner, he made the risky decision to move back down and fight another young, undefeated champ, a move that would forever be inked in MMA history.

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With one official loss and one no-contest against Jones, a trilogy bout could have definitively settled their rivalry. But alas, it never came. However, the tension between them continues to this day, so much so that Cormier has made it clear he has no intention of reconciling fully.

Daniel Cormier draws the line with Jon Jones: cordial, never friends

Daniel Cormier isn’t looking to reignite his feud with Jon Jones. But he has no desire to be his friend either. Last month, the pair competed against each other again. This time, as opposing coaches on the ALF reality television show in Thailand. When it was over, little had changed.

Following the show, Jones called Cormier “an a–hle” and a “d–khead,” claiming he had tried to reconcile with the former Olympian but was unsuccessful. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, DC disputed that version of events, explaining that while he no longer carries the same anger and has tried to be cordial with Jones, he simply has no interest in forming a friendship.

“I don’t harbor the emotion of the past that I did with him. I really don’t,” he explained. “But we spoke negatively about each other’s families; we had a nasty, nasty thing. He cheated, constantly. I don’t have to let him off the hook and be his friend. That would be me just going, ‘Everything you did is good.’ It’s not. It wasn’t good. So yeah, I can be cordial, I can work alongside you, I can do my thing, but I don’t have to be your friend. I’m a man. It is what it is. I’m not going to be friends with you.”

Given their history and the deeply personal nature of their exchanges, Cormier appears content with keeping things strictly professional. And for now, that seems to be as good as it can get between the two.