Daniel Cormier stirred the pot during his appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast! When host Shannon Sharpe asked him about his MMA Mount Rushmore, the former two-division champion didn’t hesitate to name three legends of the sport—Khabib Nurmagomedov, GSP, and Demetrious Johnson. But when it came to the fourth spot, ‘DC’ admitted he didn’t want to put himself there, which left two obvious candidates: Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. Both, however, were ruled out for their PED history.

Naturally, that didn’t sit well with Jon Jones. The reigning heavyweight champ took to X and fired back at his longtime rival: “A lifetime of loss, victories, and sacrifice, and this guy wants to write it all off as ste–ids. Honestly, it’s insulting.” He went on to add that the whole conversation actually made him laugh. Cormier, never one to shy away from a response, addressed Jones’ comments. He accused ‘Bones’ of latching onto negativity, but at the same time admitted he prefers this version of Jones—confident, not the “whiny” one who demands to be called the forever champ. 

Daniel Cormier tells Jon Jon to stop “whining” 

At the Good Guy/Bad Guy episode, ‘DC’ said, “He’s the one I couldn’t beat. So I give him credit. But the guy is so… like, he’s just weird. He’s such a weird guy that even if I talk about him—because it was 20 minutes ago, polishing him up, telling him all the great things about what he does in the octagon—it’s the negative stuff that he latches onto. Because that’s what he wants to do.” 

Cormier’s choice to mention Mount Rushmore owed partly to the symbolic weight of the lineup; he explained that ste–ids represent a fundamental betrayal in combat sports—“Ste–ids in fighting is much different than anything else … you just can’t have that tied to your name”—a line that reflects the ethical depth of his exclusion.

But there’s more to the modern Jones than what you hear here: Beyond social media, Jon Jones has quietly re-entered the UFC’s official drug-testing pool, aiming to qualify for a high-profile July 4, 2026, “White House card” event. UFC CEO Dana White has publicly called Jones’s chances “a billion-to-one,” yet the door remains ajar.

And that’s not all—Jones went back on X once again to let everyone know that he should be called the “Forever Champ.” Why? According to ‘Bones,’ never actually losing his belt makes him feel like the true champion of the world. Surprisingly, his bitter rival didn’t hate the idea. Cormier admitted that he actually likes this version of Jones more than the constantly complaining one. 

While talking to Chael Sonnen, he added, “Now Chael, this Jon Jones I like! I don’t like the whiny little b–ch who says, ‘Okay, call me forever the champ because I went through three decades of fighters.’” And to be fair, it’s hard to deny. Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history and went on to dominate nearly every contender he faced. However, the controversies were always attached.

But of course, that opens up the big question: would Jon Jones have been just as dominant without PEDs? That’s exactly what Cormier and Chael Sonnen decided to dig into. So, let’s break it down. 

Chael Sonnen believes that ‘Bones’ could’ve been a champion without ste–ids

Jon Jones’ career screams glory inside the cage! But it also gets overshadowed by two major factors: his controversial life outside the octagon and his history of PED usage. And nobody felt that sting more than Daniel Cormier, whose rematch against ‘Bones’ was overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for ste–ids. Still, Chael Sonnen believes Jones never actually needed them.

According to him, ‘Bones’ had all the tools to dominate and win fights without ever touching PEDs. The Bad Guy stated during an ESPN show: “He doesn’t deny the hit-and-runs, he doesn’t deny the cocaine allegations. But that’s the one that bothers him—the picogram and the couple of failed tests. And I’ll share with you, that’s a very common thing with athletes. I believe he could be right. I do believe that Jon could have been the champion of the world without ste–ids. But somewhere within him, at some point, he doubted that.”

When it comes to pure fighting ability, Jon Jones’ skill set and fight IQ have always been viewed as the gold standard for others to chase. There’s no doubt he might be one of the greatest fighters ever to step inside the octagon. However, whether the arguable GOAT would’ve been just as dominant without PEDs? That’s something we’ll never truly know.

But Chael Sonnen, ever the provocateur, argues the ste–id accusations don’t tell the full story. Sonnen believes Jones had all the tools to dominate without PEDs. “He doesn’t deny the hit-and-runs, he doesn’t deny the co—ne allegations. But that’s the one that bothers him, the picogram and the couple of failed tests. … I do believe that Jon could have been the champion of the world without ste–ids. But somewhere within him, at some point, he doubted that.”

That said, what do you think—would Jon Jones have ruled the UFC without performance-enhancing substances? Let us know in the comments below!