Jon Jones responds to Daniel Cormier leaving him out of his MMA Mount Rushmore

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Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have had another run-in, adding to their long history of back-and-forths.

While Cormier has been out of the Octagon for a while now, he’s remained close to the sport through his role as a commentator and analyst.

READ MORE: Stars like Jon Jones can’t ‘hold UFC hostage’ with new broadcast deal, says co-founder

So when he appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast recently, it was only natural that MMA came up in conversation.

Cormier raised eyebrows when he left Jon Jones off his personal MMA Mount Rushmore

Jones is often mentioned among the sport’s all-time greats, boasting a 28-1 (1NC) record. His only defeat came in 2009, a disqualification loss to Matt Hammill for illegal elbows during a fight he was otherwise dominating.

He also has two wins over Daniel Cormier, although one was changed to a no-contest after Jones failed a drug test.

And it was that history of failed drug tests that Cormier pointed to when leaving Jones out of his top four fighters ever.

“Demetrious Johnson. Georges St-Pierre. Khabib. Khabib was undefeated,” Cormier said when asked to name his MMA Mount Rushmore.

“Fourth? God, that is where it gets tough. I would never put myself up there, right? But I’m right in that 4-7 range of [fighters].

“Anderson [Silva] had the steroids, so I can’t put Anderson. I would like to put Anderson. If I’m saying all those guys are included, then obviously Jon [Jones] and Anderson are on that Mount Rushmore. I refuse to do that. Not in fighting.”

A clip of those comments quickly made the rounds online, prompting Jones to respond on social media.

Jon Jones eager to step back into the octagon

After briefly stepping away from the sport, Jon Jones has made it clear that he’s looking to fight again.

Now 38, he has set his sights on headlining the UFC event scheduled for July 2026 at the White House.

Dana White thinks there’s little chance of that happening. Jones is currently in Dana White’s bad books after initially agreeing to face Tom Aspinall and then retiring before walking back that decision just a few weeks later.

Jones responded to White’s comments about his chances of fighting at President Donald Trump’s residence by posting on social media:

“Despite the odds, I’m still training and optimistic about the possibility of being part of the White House event,” he wrote on social media. “At the end of the day, Dana is the boss and it’s his call whether I compete that night or not.

“I do know Dana was really excited about the fight, and the door hasn’t been completely closed. That’s all a guy like me really needs. It sounds like another awesome goal to be inspired by.”

“Sometimes in life, we’re not going to reach everything we set out to do and that’s okay. But I like my chances… after all, one in a billion is exactly what it took to end up as Jon ‘Bones’ Jones in the first place.”