The long-standing animosity between former collegiate roommates and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) standouts Colby Covington and Jon Jones has taken a deeply personal turn, expanding to engulf Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson and former dual-division champion Daniel Cormier. What began as a ringside post-mortem over an unexpected athletic setback has quickly escalated into a vicious war of words across social media, dredging up historical rivalries and serious personal allegations from outside the athletic arena.
The latest chapter in this multi-layered feud stems from the events of UFC 331, which took place in September in Los Angeles. During the event, heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson—widely recognized for his elite amateur wrestling credentials and his alignment as a protégé to Jon Jones—suffered a shocking and decisive knockout defeat at the hands of Sean Sharaf in a major upset that reverberated throughout the combat sports community.
In the immediate aftermath of the bout, Colby "Chaos" Covington weighed in on the stunning result with characteristic provocativeness. Covington publicly laid the blame for Steveson’s devastating loss squarely at the feet of Jon Jones, attributing the heavyweight’s performance to the "bad energy" surrounding Jones and his training camp.
It did not take long for Jon Jones, widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of the sport, to fire back at his former college roommate. Jones dismissed Covington’s critique entirely, pointing to the vast chasm between their respective professional achievements. The undisputed heavyweight figure argued that Covington has not accomplished even a fraction of what he has achieved inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon, framing Covington’s commentary as little more than attention-seeking behavior from a competitor unable to reach the same heights of championship dominance.
Colby Covington Tells Gable Steveson to Leave Jon Jones for Daniel Cormier
Rather than letting the back-and-forth subside, Covington escalated the confrontation by pivoting sharply away from athletic credentials and bringing up historical domestic abuse allegations against Jones. Covington argued that professional achievements and championship belts inside the cage do not excuse or mitigate alleged misconduct committed outside of professional competition.
In a particularly stinging directive, the former interim welterweight champion publicly advised Gable Steveson to sever ties with Jones entirely. Covington suggested that if the young heavyweight truly wishes to salvage and advance his burgeoning mixed martial arts career, he should pack his bags and seek guidance from Daniel Cormier, Jones’s most famous and enduring professional rival.
Taking to the social media platform X, Covington pulled no punches in addressing the heavyweight champion directly.
"The things I say only bother you because they’re true," Covington wrote on X. "You’re a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your achievements inside the Octagon don’t make you a better person outside of it. Those same achievements definitely don’t give you the right to abuse women either, Jon. At the end of the day, I feel for Gable being in this situation… It’s too bad he can’t take punches from heavyweights as well as your wife does. If Gable really cares about advancing in his career, he should leave you and go train with a real man like Daniel Cormier."
The inclusion of Daniel Cormier immediately thrust another major figure into the crossfire, recalling one of the most hostile and deeply personal rivalries in mixed martial arts history. The animosity between Jones and Cormier has famously persisted long after their active competitive encounters inside the cage concluded.
Their rivalry defined an entire era of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. In their initial championship encounter, Jon Jones secured a definitive victory over Cormier via unanimous decision, retaining his title and handing Cormier the first loss of his professional career. Years later, the two met again in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 214. On that night, Jones appeared to seal his legacy with a stunning third-round knockout. However, the result was subsequently overturned to a "no contest" after athletic commission tests revealed that Jones had tested positive for a banned substance.
Even years after hanging up their gloves and transitioning into commentary, broadcasting, and coaching roles, "Bones" and "DC" have maintained their frosty relationship. Cormier has repeatedly stated in interviews and media appearances that he harbors no desire to bury the hatchet or pursue any form of reconciliation with Jones, citing the accumulation of insults, controversies, and professional grievances that transpired over the course of their decade-long feud.
By injecting Cormier’s name into his tirade against Jones and offering it as a safe haven for Gable Steveson, Covington has effectively bridged two of the most contentious rivalries in the modern history of the sport. As the social media exchanges continue to draw widespread attention from fans, pundits, and athletes alike, neither Jones nor Steveson has yet issued a public response to Covington’s latest provocative statements.
