Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 3 nearly came to life during an episode of the ALF reality show aired recently, but the impromptu challenge was shut down by a two-word response that spoke volumes about their decade-long feud. The third season of ALF, a Russian MMA reality show in the vein of The Ultimate Fighter, featured the two rivals coaching opposing teams. Shot in January in Thailand, episodes are released regularly on YouTube, and the latest dropped a moment that encapsulates everything fans know about their relationship.
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During a team grappling contest between their teams, Jon Jones directly challenged Cormier to step onto the mat himself.
“30 seconds in my guard, 30 seconds in your guard,” Jones proposed. “Me and you.”
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DC immediately declined, though not quietly.
Daniel Cormier turns it down, Jon Jones fires back
“No, I’m not grappling,” Cormier replied. “More money. More money. More money.
“Hey, he’s in love with me. He wants to touch me. This guy’s in love with me. He wants to touch me.”
However, DC turning down the challenge did not sit well with Jon Jones. Later, in a behind-the-scenes interview, the former UFC heavyweight champion expressed his frustration with Cormier’s avoidance.
“So Daniel Cormier, being a little crybaby b–ch, ends up saying, ‘Oh, we need to make this right,'” Jones said.
With the direct challenge rebuffed, Jones instead faced one of Cormier’s trainees. The former champion dominated for stretches, but the trainee managed a takedown at one point. Jones recovered and regained position. Then the argument started again. DC began calling for “freestyle wrestling” rules, which Jones says cost him the match on a technicality.
Things got heated between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier during their grappling competition 😳
Jon Jones wanted to wrestle with Daniel Cormier but DC refused
🗣️ DC: “I’m not grappling. He’s in love with me, he wants to touch me. Don’t touch me.”
(via ALF Global) pic.twitter.com/YSFIgWbmO5
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 9, 2026
During the behind-the-scenes interview, Jon Jones explained his side of the argument.
“Again, I win. He shoots in on my leg. I do a move that’s called the Williams roll, where you roll the fighter and you always end up on top,” Jones clarified. “But because I end up on top, now they change the rules again, saying, ‘Oh, it’s freestyle. It’s freestyle rules.’
“So, even though I ended on top for two points, they say that I lost by four points because I had to go across my back to end up on top.”
The current friction is entirely consistent with a rivalry that has produced some of the most memorable moments in UFC history. At their first meeting at UFC 182, Jones won a dominant decision. They met again at UFC 214, where Jones knocked Cormier out, only for the result to be overturned months later after Jones tested positive for a banned substance. The title was stripped, the rivalry became even more poisonous, and Cormier has occasionally referenced the PED history in public since.
On the ALF set, too, DC reprised that theme directly, warning his fighters about Jones’ influence.
The rivalry that hasn’t cooled
“Do you want to be a part of a guy like this? Dirty, cheat like this. Jump two guys with one,” DC said. “It’s bullsh-t. They jumped me.”
Here, DC was referencing the altercation between the two at the UFC 178 media day press conference, where a staredown escalated into a brawl involving teammates.
During the face-off, Cormier shoved Jon Jones, and in response, ‘Bones’ punched Cormier. Both fighters tumbled off the stage, as UFC’s official footage shows. The San Jose native added that Jones’ teammate also joined the altercation, though Jones supported his actions.
Hearing this, Jones’ response was characteristically unbothered.
“Listen, boys, if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,” he said.
Jones has faced multiple PED controversies throughout his career, and they have followed him into retirement and back. Whether that defines his legacy more than his in-cage record, which includes victories over virtually every significant light heavyweight of his era, remains one of the sport’s most contested debates. The ALF show has given both men a new forum for an argument that, judging by the latest episode, shows no sign of being resolved.
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Edited by
Gokul Pillai