7 Incredibly Heated UFC Press Conferences
2. UFC 214 Pre-Fight Press Conference
Often noted as combat sport's rebranded Ali-Frazier rivalry, it seems like there will forever be no love lost between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Their history and shared, genuine animosity came to a head at the UFC 214 pre-fight presser, in preparation for their highly-anticipated rematch. Cormier, who looked weary from his presumed weight cut, began by accusing Jones of taking steroids for a majority of his career. The cutting remarks were only exemplified, with Jones saying that Cormier looked like a crackhead with a suit on.
Using his sharp wit, Cormier lashed back by saying that although he may look like the aforementioned crackhead with a suit on, he's never been a crackhead like the Light Heavyweight kingpin. Jones' past use of substances was bound to be capitalized on by Cormier.
Jones also snarkily questioned Cormier's reasoning for addressing his loss in their first fight, noting Cormier's veteran combat experience. It all came to a head when Jones confronted Cormier on his towel-gate fiasco, where Cormier physically pressed down on a towel during weigh-ins, in order to make weight for his UFC 210 bout with Anthony Johnson. Cormier made it explicitly clear that Jones wasn't in any position to judge anyone for anything, and even threatened to walk over to smack Jones if he continued.
The eventual bout was initially won by Jones, before being overturned to a no contest, due to Jones testing positive for traces of the anabolic steroid known as Turinabol. Despite their rivalry having been cooled down at the moment, it's clear that both rivals won't be seeking peace with each other for the foreseeable future.