Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud

Colby Covington has drawn Daniel Cormier into the ongoing conflict with Jon Jones. Gable Steveson, Jones' protege, suffered a significant defeat to Sean Shafar at UFC 331 in September, which led Covington to attribute the loss to Jones' "bad energy." In response, Jones criticized Covington, his former college roommate, for failing to reach the same level of success he has achieved in the UFC.

Covington retaliated by bringing up domestic abuse allegations against Jones, questioning the validity of his professional accomplishments. He then recommended that Steveson train with Daniel Cormier, Jones' long-time rival. Covington accused Jones of being a "narcissistic abusive sociopath" and argued that his achievements inside the octagon do not justify his behavior outside of it.

Covington expressed sympathy for Steveson's predicament and advised him to leave Jones and train with a "real man" like Cormier, given that he allegedly cannot withstand punches from heavyweights as well as Jones' wife does. The rivalry between Jones and Cormier has persisted since their retirement from fighting, with Jones defeating Cormier in their first UFC match, but the knockout victory being overturned to a no contest following a failed drug test. Cormier has since stated that he has no interest in reconciling with Jones.