Dana White: Jon Jones said, 'I'm going to f-ck you up so bad'

LAS VEGAS – UFC President Dana White had the best seat in the house for today’s Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier exchange. So when he spoke briefly with reporters after today’s Ultimate Media Day, the only questioned that mattered was, “What did they say?”

“Jon said, ‘I’m going to f-ck you up so bad,'” White told MMAjunkie. “And he said, ‘You’re delusional if you think you’re going to win this f-cking fight.’ And then it was on.”

Jones (20-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and Cormier (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) today each spoke with the media for an hour in advance of their Saturday fight, which headlines UFC 182 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Afterward, they were brought on stage for a traditional photo opportunity.

White knew to expect fireworks. After all, in August the two got into an infamous brawl in advance of a planned UFC 178 meeting that was ultimately delayed due to a Jones knee injury. So the UFC boss was on the ready when they came together today. After halting the initial clash, White then made a bizarre decision: He left the two bitter rivals on stage by themselves.

At that point, Jones turned to Cormier to lace a few more taunts, and White realized his mistake.

“When I walked away, I said, ‘That was stupid; that was really stupid,'” White joked. “Then when I went back, Cormier was saying, ‘Touch me. F-cking touch me. Just touch me once.'”

Ultimately, the fighters were separated with no issue, and the exchange only served to elevate the anticipation for the fight. Of course, as White reminded everyone, today’s exchange might pale in comparison to what we’ll see at Friday’s official weigh-in ceremony.

“Friday is the big day,” White said. “The weigh-in and the stare-off on Friday – today was nothing compared to what’s going to happen on Friday.”

For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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