Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud

Colby Covington has inserted himself into a bitter feud between Jon Jones and the fighter who trained under him, dragging Daniel Cormier into the dispute with pointed personal attacks.

The controversy began when Gable Steveson, Jones' protégé, suffered a knockout loss to Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington blamed Jones' "bad energy" for the upset defeat. Jones responded by reminding Covington of their shared past as college roommates and emphasizing the vast gulf between his own accomplishments and Covington's achievements in the UFC.

Covington escalated the exchange by raising domestic abuse allegations against Jones, arguing that his fighting accomplishments do not excuse misconduct outside the cage. In a caustic social media post, Covington questioned whether Jones' success gave him the right to "abuse women." He then suggested that Steveson would be better served training with Daniel Cormier, Jones' longtime rival, rather than continuing under Jones' guidance.

Jones and Cormier's animosity runs deep. Jones defeated Cormier in their first meeting, and his knockout victory in their rematch was overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance. Despite years passing since both fighters retired, Cormier has made clear he has no desire to reconcile with Jones. Covington's intervention adds another layer of acrimony to an already fractured relationship in the heavyweight sphere.