By FCF Staff

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have been feuding for some time now, but their rivalry exploded into a brawl on Monday, nearly two months before they’re booked to fight at UFC 178.

Jones and Cormier attended a pre-fight, press conference today in Las Vegas, and as the two faced off on stage, things quickly spun out of control. After the two touched heads, Cormier pushed Jones away, which prompted the light-heavyweight champ to rush the challenger.

The two fighters fell off the stage, and in the proceeding action, both men appeared to be throwing punches.

In response to the ugly incident, the UFC released the following statement:

“This is certainly not a proud moment for the UFC organization,” said Kirk Hendrick, the UFC’s Chief Legal Officer. “We expect more from our athletes, especially these two gentlemen, who are very well-trained and highly educated professionals.  Their actions were clearly a violation of the UFC’s code of conduct.”

The UFC has also confirmed that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has requested footage of the incident, so that they can investigate.

“We are going to reserve our right to penalize both fighters after the commission has made a decision,” furthered Hendricks. “We expect more from our athletes and we are prepared to levy sanctions to reinforce the appropriate behavior.”

Jones and Cormier are scheduled to fight September 27th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.