LAS VEGAS – Jon Jones emerged from the doorway of a small video production studio in the shadow of the Palms Casino with his manager, Malki Kawa, as well as an unidentified woman and a security guard so massive he'd make most NFL offensive tackles look like high school freshmen.

Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion and the man widely acknowledged as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, had his head buried in his cell phone.

He walked slowly, not looking up from his phone. Seconds later, Daniel Cormier, the UFC light heavyweight champion, walked through the same door, only a few feet away from Jones.

The two are, of course, long-time bitter rivals, and will fight April 23 in the main event of UFC 197 at the MGM Grand in a rematch of a 2015 bout that Jones won going away.

Jones retained his title with that one-sided victory over Cormier, but was stripped of it by the UFC four months later when he was involved in a hit-and-run auto accident in Albuquerque, N.M., that caused a pregnant woman to suffer minor injuries.

It was the latest in a string of incidents – Jones had tested positive for cocaine prior to the 2015 bout with Cormier – and he paid for it with his title.

View photos Dana White separates Daniel Cormier (L) and Jon Jones at a UFC press conference. Getty) More

Cormier went on to win the suddenly vacant belt by submitting Anthony Johnson, and then defended it successfully by besting Alexander Gustafsson.

When Cormier left the studio, he made a wise crack to Jones, though it wasn’t clear what he said.

Jones responded by saying, “Be professional, Daniel.” They exchanged taunts and the tension was high, with security guards trying to keep them away from getting to each another. It seemed for at least a moment that UFC 197 was about to be contested early.

An hour later, the two found themselves near each other on the dais at a UFC news conference at the MGM that was designed to formally announce the company’s bouts between March and June.

Jones was, perhaps surprisingly to many, the clear favorite from the several thousand fans who showed up at the MGM to watch it.

He was asked the first question, and showed humility while expressing regret for his issues.

“Everyone’s life, we are all on different journeys,” Jones said. “Some people mature faster than others. Sometimes it takes people a little more, a few more mistakes, to realize what they have and what they’re messing up.

“For me, this last situation really brought me to my knees. I lost respect nationwide. I lost my endorsements. I lost my job. I lost so much. For me, this was rock bottom. Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to kind of be alone and work on my character outside of being an athlete. Today, I stand here five months sober, feeling amazing. Feeling amazing, feel rejuvenated and I’m excited to get back in here.”

It was a remarkable confessional in a very public place, and the crowd roared as he spoke of his newly found sobriety. It was a memorable moment, but the tenor quickly switched.

The raw emotion between Jones and Cormier soon bubbled over.

When Cormier was asked what he felt about being around Jones, the crowd booed as he answered. Clearly, he was shocked and didn’t expect that reaction.

“Guys, that makes a lot of sense,” Cormier said as the crowd booed. “It really does make a lot of sense. Boo me. Yes, that makes a lot of sense.”

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