One of the signature things about combat sports is the fighters always hug genuinely at the end. By contrast, when the final bell rang at UFC 182, light heavyweight Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier swung at each, and, inadvertently, referee Herb Dean.

Immediately post fight Jones was in a fury.

“if you bought a Break Bones shirt, take it back,” he said. “You wasted your money,” “I’m sorry to be classless like this. I do not like Daniel Cormier and that’s why I’m being this way.”

At the post-fight press conference, Jones was initially respectful.

I thought he had a very good performance out there tonight, absolutely, said Jones as transcribed by MMA Junkie. My lip’s swollen, my eye’s fat. It was a five-round fight; it was entertaining. He had some great flurries in there. As an athlete, how can you not respect an athlete like that?

“Our goal was to go out there and have faith in our wrestling and take him down, and earn respect from the wrestling community. As far as beating him at his own style, I watched him fight so much, I actually absorbed who he is. I absorbed grinding. I watched him hold Frank Mir against the cage, and I was like, ‘I see what you’re doing there.’ I watch my opponents so much I start to subconsciously inherit their talent and their gifts.

However, Jones’ comments soon took a dip back into bitterness.

I know if he would have won, he would have been up here, talking all types of trash, said Jones. So I don’t feel sorry for him. This is combat.

Then on FOX Sports 1, he ratcheted it up.

Whenever someone faced up to him and is a man, he breaks, said Jones. He says he’s the king of the grind – he’s not.

I hope he’s somewhere crying right now – I’m sure he is. I hope he earns his way back so I can whoop him.

For his part, Cormier was gracious in defeat.

I said something before this fight, that I was looking for the man to push me and put me into a war, and he did that, said Cormier. By the end of the first round, we both were bleeding, and that’s what a championship should be. And you know what, he got better, and he won the fight.

I’ve had to rebuild myself a number of times, like people can’t even imagine. And this is no different. This is not going to ruin me, one way or the other. I’m going to stand across the cage from that man again, and I’ll believe just as I did tonight, that I’ll take the fight to him.

Most fans don’t believe that a man who turns 36 in March is going to get another shot at the man who turns 28 in July. In folkstyle, Cormier was stopped from reaching #1 by the 179-0 Cael Sanderson. In the Olympics, Cormier was the favorite for gold but his kidneys stopped. And now Cormier was beated by Jon Jones.

That said, Daniel Cormier has tremendous achievements in folkstyle, freestyle, and mixed martial arts; he is an object not of pity but of great respect. But Jon Jones is the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts. Forget all the talk about his personality. It doesn’t matter. Jon Jones isn’t paid to be your friend or your role model. In those regards he is a self-described work in progress. Jon Jones is paid to fight, and he does it better than anyone on Earth.