Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier reignited their rivalry on an Ultimate Fighter style reality show in Thailand, where a heated dispute over a proposed wrestling match spilled over onto the mats.
While serving as opposing coaches on the show, Jones challenged Cormier to wrestle. Cormier shut it down immediately, saying, "No, I’m not grappling you," and when pressed, responded, "Money. More money."
Instead of accepting the challenge himself, Cormier offered up one of his smaller Russian fighters to face Jones. The gamble paid off for the former Olympian’s squad, as Cormier’s fighter took down Jon Jones by lifting him and dropping him on the canvas.
Throughout the exchange, Cormier kept up a steady stream of commentary from the sidelines. At one point he declared, "This guy’s in love with me," and added, "He wants to touch me. He wants to touch me, he’s in love with me." Cormier also shouted, "I’m killing him in wrestling," and, "Look at his stance!" as the session played out, while another voice was heard saying, "Daniel Cormier, little crybaby bitch."
The clash came against the backdrop of a longstanding rivalry between the two. Jones has stated he would probably never wrestle Cormier due to arthritis and possible future hip replacement surgery. In their UFC careers, Jon Jones defeated Daniel Cormier twice, with one win later overturned to a no-contest, while Cormier’s own credentials include being an All-American in college and making two Olympic teams in freestyle wrestling.
