Daniel Cormier says a long-discussed showdown with Jon Jones nearly came back to life in the form of a short wrestling match — but claims Jones walked away from seven-figure money.
Cormier revealed that an unnamed organization approached both men with a lucrative proposal for a six-minute bout, years after their heated UFC rivalry and overturned rematch result. According to Cormier, the offer was significant, but Jones declined.
“The thing with Jon Jones: it wouldn’t be RAF, because they can’t afford to pay it,” Cormier said. “But there’s an organization that offered us both seven figures for a six-minute match. He will not do it. I’m telling you, he will not do it. I’m not lying. I went through the negotiations, and I said, ‘If he wrestles me, I’ll do it. But it’s going to be 10-0. I’m going to tech him.’ But unfortunately, he knows it’s going to be 10-0, so he won’t do it.”
Cormier added that he then tried to pivot to a grappling match.
“So then I said, ‘How about we do a grappling match?’” Cormier said. “He said no, only submissions. I said, ‘Why don’t we do points, right, where we win? I don’t want to be tied at the end.’ ‘No points, only submissions.’ So he won’t do it. He won’t compete with me in anything he thinks there’s a chance that he’d lose in. So, give up on the Jon Jones thing. He’s not going to do it.”
Cormier also said Real American Freestyle officials had shown interest in booking a wrestling match between the two, as their rivalry continues to generate opportunities years after their UFC clashes.
