In one of the most dramatic pre-fight press conferences in UFC history, light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier came to blows Monday afternoon.
Skeptics naturally will denounce the throw-down as a stunt to sell tickets — and it surely succeeded in selling thousands upon thousands of pay-per-view buys — but there is definitely something real to the animosity between Jones and Cormier.
The stage was set for a casual but professional affair, with fighters from the upcoming UFC 178 card there to take pictures and get the word out for the blockbuster card.
After Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier squared off for the cameras, Jones and Cormier brought a very different and nervous energy. What happened next was basically round one of their title fight in September.
As Jones and Cormier came face to face, Cormier pushed Jones, which is routine in the fight game when guys are trying to hype a fight. Rampage vs. Wanderlei III at UFC 92 comes to mind.
Jones clenched his fists and let a haymaker fly over (severely under-sized) UFC officials, who tried their hardest — maybe — to break up the fracas. But it was too late.
Jones and Cormier tussled and inevitably fell on the floor, with the champion reversing Cormier into top position. Jones rained down several ground-and-pound shots, with enough force to rattle the crowd, which was cheering as the pandemonium ensued.
Finally, the two fighters were separated, and Cormier was quickly ushered away from the cameras – not before throwing his shoe at Jones, who had taken the stage again to bask in the madness.