Prime vs. prime, UFC Champ Jon Jones says a fight with Daniel Cormier wouldn’t even be close.

The two-division UFC champions are considered among the best fighters to ever grace the Octagon, arguably none greater than Jon Jones who went on to defeat every opponent he’s come across aside from a disqualification result against Matt Hamill.

28-1 (1 NC) in his pro career, only a handful of fighters have pushed Jones to his limits, such as Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier, the two men ‘Bones’ entertained a rematch with.

Cormier lost to Jones twice, by decision at UFC 182 and by TKO at UFC 214 in 2017, which was ultimately overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabol.

Putting up a much better fight in their rematch, Cormier never had the chance to fight Jones again and later moved to heavyweight where he became a two-weight world champion with a first-round KO of then champ Stipe Miocic the following year.

Years after Cormier’s retirement, the heavyweight crown now belongs to Jones, who likes his chances in a fantasy fight.

Jon Jones says he’d beat ‘peak’ Daniel Cormier worse than he did at light heavyweight

Similar to his light heavyweight career, Daniel Cormier had only lost to one man in the heavyweight division, that being Stipe Miocic in his final two fights at 40 and 41.

Cormier was at one point 15-0 as a heavyweight, capturing his second title at the age of 39.

In an interview with Geoffrey Woo, Jones was asked how a trilogy fight would’ve gone down between him and Cormier in their primes.

“Peak ‘Bones’ vs. peak DC at heavyweight?” Jones said.

“I believe I beat Daniel Cormier at heavyweight worse than I beat him at light heavyweight,” Jones claimed.

“I feel like my speed has transferred over in a way that his hasn’t. I think I beat him up pretty worse at heavyweight.

“I kick harder. I punch harder as a heavyweight, but I kick a lot harder. They’ve seen what my kicks did to him [in] the first fight,” Jones added.

Jon Jones is currently 2-0 in the heavyweight division with finishes of Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic.

Jon Jones called Daniel Cormier his ‘biggest rival’ and ‘motivator’

Whether you saw it as a knockout or a no-contest, Jones put his heated rivalry with Cormier to rest in their rematch at UFC 214.

Cormier and Jones were all tied up on the judges’ scorecards in the third round with Jones closing the show with a head kick and follow-up ground and pound.

More than 7 years after, Jones vs. Cormier is still considered one of, if not the greatest rivalry in UFC history, for their back-and-forth between fights.

While Cormier wasn’t exactly Jones’ toughest fight, the UFC Heavyweight Champion still commended DC as his ‘biggest rival’ in his post-fight interview.

“I wanna take this time to thank Daniel Cormier for being my biggest rival and motivator,” Jones said at UFC 214.

“Daniel Cormier, he has absolutely no reason to hang his head. He has been a model champion, a model husband, a model father, a teammate, a leader.

“I aspire to be a lot more like that man because he’s an amazing human being.

“Unfortunately, we are opponents, but outside of that, he is a true champion for the rest of his life,” Jones said of Cormier.

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior Tyler Dunn was named the Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year as announced by the league office on Thursday. Dunn is joined by seniors Brady Karp and Ben Magovern with Academic All-Patriot League selections.

Dunn is the first Bison to be named Scholar Athlete of the Year since Tyler Wincig in 2019. Karp received an Academic All-PL selection for the second consecutive year, and this is Magovern’s first Academic All-PL honor.

Dunn, a four-year starter at first base, was named First Team All-Patriot League on Wednesday. On top of an incredible year, he carried an impressive 3.57 GPA.

He slashed .325/.492/.503, leading the team in all categories. He was second on the team with 41 hits and 10 doubles. He hit three home runs and had 30 RBIs.

Dunn drew a league-leading 41 walks to tie Bucknell’s single-season record. His .503 on-base percentage led the league and his .985 OPS ranked third. Among Division I programs, Dunn’s 41 walks ranked 45th, his 1.08 walks per game ranked sixth, and his on-base percentage ranked 39th.

Dunn was excellent at first base, sporting a .993 fielding percentage with only two errors. He finished his career with an impressive .992 fielding percentage.

Dunn finished his career with his name plastered on Bucknell’s career records. He ranks seventh in games played (178), seventh in games started (169), seventh in at-bats (626), 15th in hits (173), 13th in RBIs (112), second in walks (100), sixth in hit-by-pitches (25), 15th in doubles (33), and fourth in sacrifice flies (10).

Karp produced a strong season after missing a chunk of games early in the season with an injury. Karp hit .202 in in 31 games and produced a .405 on-base percentage. Karp mostly hit out of the nine-spot in the order, until moving to the lead off spot in Bucknell’s final two series.

Karp smashed four home runs on the year, including a home run in each of Bucknell’s final two games at Lafayette. Karp was great over the final few weeks of the season, racking up 12 hits and 12 RBIs in his last 12 games. Karp drew 17 walks, 13 hit-by-pitches, and only struck out 17 times.

Karp has maintained a 4.00 GPA during his career at Bucknell and was an Academic All-Patriot League last season. Karp is already a three-time member of the PL Academic Honor Roll.

Magovern had an excellent senior campaign after missing all of 2024 due to injury. Magovern was Bucknell’s No. 2 starter all season, producing a 5.13 ERA that ranked eighth in the PL.

The left-hander tossed 52.2 innings over 11 starts for the Bison. In six of his 11 starts, he has allowed two earned runs or less.

Magovern posted a 3.10 ERA over his final five appearances, giving quality starts in four of those games. He finished the season with a career-high 40 strikeouts and a 4-3 record.

Magovern had an impressive 3.77 GPA and is already three-time member of the PL Academic Honor Roll.

Bucknell holds the co-league-lead with Holy Cross and Lafayette with three selections on the Academic All-PL teams. Bucknell has three selections for the second consecutive year, and have had multiple selections in each of the previous four seasons.

Bucknell finished the season with an 18-27 record, finishing in fifth in the Patriot League with a 10-15 record.

2025 Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Tyler Dunn, Bucknell, Sr., IF
 
Academic All-Patriot League Baseball Team
Tyler Dunn, Bucknell, Sr., 1B
Ethan Ellis, Army West Point, Sr., OF
Thomas Schreck, Army West Point, Sr., SS
Brady Karp, Bucknell, Sr., SS
Ben Magovern, Bucknell, Sr., LHP
Danny Macchiarola, Holy Cross, Sr., RHP
Jimmy King, Holy Cross Sr., SS
Gianni Royer, Holy Cross, So., CF
Easton Brenner, Lafayette, Sr., OF
Ethan Swidler, Lafayette, Jr., C
Michael Zarrillo, Lafayette, Sr., IF
Owen Walewander, Lehigh, Jr., C
Landon Kruer, Navy, Sr., RHP
 

Name

Sport

Major

Meredith Adams

Women’s Track & Field

Exercise Science, Pre-Health Professions Certificate

Abby Allen

Soccer (former)

Applied Movement Science, Social Studies track

Ellie Andrews

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Human Dimensions of Organizations, minor in Educational Psychology

Abby Arens

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Strategic Communication, Graduate Certificate

Pierre-Yves Bailly

Men’s Tennis

Economics (BA), minor in Business

Reece Beauchamp*

Football

Corporate Communication

Dorian Black

Football (former)

Health Behavior & Health Education (MS)

Connor Boenig

Men’s Track & Field

Advertising, minor in Professional Sales and Business Development

Manuel Borowski*

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Jackson Braddock

Men’s Track & Field

Textiles & Apparel

Michael Cantu

Baseball (former)

Sport Management, minor in Business

Tiffany Cao

Women’s Golf

Management Information Systems, minor in Finance

Katie Cimusz

Softball

Finance

Preston Clark*

Men’s Basketball

Management

Ava Collinge

Women’s Swimming & Diving (former)

Human Ecology (BSA), Pre-Health Professions Certificate

Grace Cooper

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Strategic Communication, Graduate Certificate

Riley Courtney

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Human Ecology (BSA), minor in Spanish

Kenondra Davis

Women’s Track & Field

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Hailey Easterly

Rowing

Sport Communication, Graduate Certificate

Amity Ebarb

Women’s Track & Field

Social Work

Jack Garey

Men’s Track & Field

Finance, minor in Wealth Management

Anna Garrison

Rowing

Mechanical Engineering

Edwin Gomez

Men’s Track & Field (former)

Applied Learning & Development, Social Studies track

Jaylon Guilbeau**

Football

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Channing Hanley

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Advertising, minor in Business

Luke Harrison

Baseball

Sport Management, minor in Business

Hailey Hernandez

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Exercise Science, minor in Health Communication

Chrystal Herpin

Women’s Track & Field

African & African Diaspora Studies,

minors in Educational Psychology and Philosophy of Law

Luke Hobson

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Advertising, minor in Business

Sue Holderness

Rowing

Management, minor in Marketing

Shay Holle

Women’s Basketball

Strategic Communication (MA)

Olivia Howell

Women’s Track & Field (former)

Strategic Communication (MA)

Daniel Howells

Men’s Track & Field

Strategic Communication, Graduate Certificate

Jackson Huckabay

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Management

Cole Hutson

Football

Management

Jessica Jamieson

Rowing

Neuroscience (BSA), minor in Business

Savvy Jerome*

Rowing

Government, minor in Business

Eva Jess

Women’s Track & Field

Nutrition (BSA), Food and Society Certificate

Jayson Kent

Men’s Basketball

Communication & Leadership, Graduate Certificate

Nigusom Knight

Men’s Track & Field

African & African Diaspora Studies,

minor in Social & Behavioral Sciences                   

Taryn Kooyers

Rowing

Marketing

Marshall Landwehr

Football

Marketing

Allyson Little

Women’s Track & Field

Biology (BSA), Pre-Health Professions Certificate

Cole Lourd

Football

Communication & Leadership

Shanya Luna

Women’s Track & Field

Sport Management (MEd)

Ashton Maloney

Softball

Management, minor in Kinesiology

Kelly McCloskey*

Beach Volleyball (former)

Human Dimensions of Organizations, minor in Business

Olivia McMurray

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Management Information Systems, minor in Marketing

Thatcher Milton

Football

Mechanical Engineering

Joley Mitchell

Softball

Strategic Communication (MA)

Mac Morgan

Softball

Sport Management, Education track

Elijah Mosley

Men’s Track & Field

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda

Women’s Basketball

Psychology (BA), Spanish for Medical Professionals Certificate

Ze’Rik Onyema

Men’s Basketball

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Vivian Ovrootsky*

Women’s Tennis

Sport Management, minor in Communication Studies

Bohyun Park

Women’s Golf

Communication & Leadership

Maddison Parmelly

Beach Volleyball

Strategic Communication (MA)

Logan Patete

Men’s Track & Field

Applied Movement Science, minor in Communication Studies

Kyra Pretre

Women’s Track & Field

Strategic Communication, Graduate Certificate

Nathan Quarterman

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Management, minor in Business Analytics

Vanessa Quiroga

Softball

Sport Management, minor in Entrepreneurship

Rodger Rivera

Men’s Track & Field

Design focused on Health (MA)

Christian Rizzi*

Football

Sport Management, Education track

Phoebe Robinson*

Rowing

Physical Culture & Sports, Education track

Sadie Runeman

Women’s Swimming & Diving (former)

Sociology, minor in Philosophy

EJ Rush

Men’s Track & Field

Communication & Leadership, Graduate Certificate

Mia Scott

Softball

Applied Learning & Development, minor in Educational Psychology

Kadin Shedrick

Men’s Basketball

Strategic Communication (MA)

Sophia Simpson

Softball

Communication & Leadership

Emma Sticklen

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Sport Communication, Graduate Certificate

Elizabeth Stockman*

Women’s Track & Field

Nutritional Sciences (MS)

Erica Sullivan

Women’s Swimming & Diving (former)

Radio-Television-Film, Creative Writing Certificate

Michael Taaffe**

Football

Sport Management, Education track

Mette Taber

Rowing (former)

Global Policy Studies (MA)

Harriet Wallace

Rowing

Asian Cultures and Languages, minor in History

Solomon Washington

Men’s Track & Field

Supply Chain Management

Seth Werchan

Baseball (former)

Energy and Earth Resources (MA)

Ace Whitehead*

Baseball

Human Dimensions of Organizations,

minor in Communication Studies

Kylie Wickley

Beach Volleyball

Physical Culture & Sports, Social Studies track

Nadja Yaroschuk

Rowing

Biology (BS),

minor in Evolutionary & Functional Anatomy Anthropology

Jeffrey Zatorski

Men’s Golf (former)

Human Dimensions of Organizations, minor in Business

Sabina Zeynalova

Women’s Tennis

Psychology (BA), minor in Communication Studies

Do you think you’ve got some super-human skills with a ping pong racket? You may have dominated the lunchtime matches at work, or the weekend tournaments with your buddies, but you would have no chance against MIT’s robotic table tennis champ that can chop like a Ginsu knife fresh off the sharpening stone. This robotic player uses computer vision to analyze and respond to your best shots with a crushing return.

This high-speed table tennis bot is a combination of lightweight, high-power mechanics and advanced control algorithms, designed to mimic and rival human athleticism at the ping pong table. Fixed at one end of a regulation-sized table is a five-degree-of-freedom robotic arm wielding a standard paddle. This robotic arm reacts to incoming shots in milliseconds, analyzing trajectory and spin with the help of high-speed cameras and a custom predictive control system.

Three computers power the system — one processes visual inputs from a camera, another predicts the ball’s trajectory, and the third calculates the optimal paddle swing. All communicate via high-speed networking protocols to deliver a lightning-fast reaction time of just 7.5 to 16 milliseconds from ball detection to paddle strike.

This new robot arm, weighing just 3 kg, is capable of acceleration between 180 and 300 m/s², thanks to torque-dense actuators and a minimal inertia design. This allows precise control of paddle position and angle, crucial for high-speed, spin-sensitive play. A motion capture system with six cameras tracks the ball, which is wrapped in retro-reflective tape, with sub-millimeter accuracy at 120 frames per second.

The system was put to the test with 150 consecutive shots, and it returned balls with an average success rate of nearly 88% across three swing types: the topspin-heavy loop, the aggressive flat drive, and the defensive backspin chop. The robot executes these moves with an average strike speed of 11 meters per second — fast enough to go toe-to-toe with intermediate human players. More recent tweaks have pushed that speed to an impressive 19 m/s, creeping into elite human territory.

While it currently returns balls only within a limited area of the table, the team plans to mount the robot on a wheeled platform or gantry system to extend its reach. Eventually, the bot could serve as an elite-level training partner, capable of simulating real-game conditions with human-like unpredictability.

And beyond table tennis, the underlying technology may contribute to future search-and-rescue robots, which need to perform fast, precise movements in unpredictable environments. For now, though, this robotic ace is serving notice to human competitors: the age of machine-powered ping pong dominance has arrived.