Daniel Cormier has now revealed that Jon Jones won’t ever agree to a trilogy bout with him, especially if it’s in the wrestling format. During a recent conversation, DC claimed that despite there being a seven-figure offer on the table for a wrestling match between the two, Jon Jones turned it down due to a bizarre reason.  

“I swear to God, it wouldn’t be RAF because they can’t afford to pay it,” Daniel Cormier said in a Q&A session. “But there is an organization that offered us both seven figures for a six-minute match. He will not do it. I’m telling you guys, he will not do it. I’m not lying. I went through the negotiations, and I said, if he wrestles me, I would do it. I said, but it’s going to be 10-0. I’m gonna tech him. I said, unfortunately, he knows it’s gonna be 10-0, so he won’t do it.  

“So I said, ‘How about we do a grappling match?’ He said, ‘No, only submissions.’ I said, ‘Then why don’t we do points? Right? Where we win…’ [He said] ‘I don’t wanna be tied at the end. No points, only submission.’ So, he won’t do it. He won’t compete with me in anything he thinks there’s a chance he would lose. So, give up on the Jon Jones thing. He’s not gonna do it.”

While Daniel Cormier didn’t reveal the exact figure, considering the ALF Global reportedly offered Jon Jones $1 million and DC $800,000 for a wrestling match in Russia, the seven-figure claim appears genuine.

For years, the rivalry between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones deserved a much-needed trilogy, since their last fight at UFC 214 in 2017 had its result overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for a turinabol metabolite. While Jones won the bout and the one before, their rivalry officially stood at 1-0 when they both retired from the UFC. However, that opportunity resurfaced after they competed as opposing coaches on the ALF reality show. Cormier’s team won the reality show and the $5,000 bet against his arch-nemesis, which led them to agree to a trilogy bout, but in a wrestling format since both are decorated wrestlers. To make it happen, DC, just last month, claimed the promotion offered them an astronomical seven-figure deal. But the finer details not being to his liking probably prompted Jon Jones to turn it down.

Daniel Cormier’s admission that Jon Jones won’t take the wrestling match against him isn’t new. Last month, the Louisiana native reiterated the same on his YouTube channel, warning that, on the mat, he would defeat Jones via a 10-0 technical fall. In fact, Cormier also pointed out that Jones never seemed thrilled about the idea of a wrestling showdown between the two.

Following the ALF Global reality show, DC’s relentless push to secure the wrestling match against Jon Jones even led him to raise the stakes, proposing a bet of “50 grand apiece.” Yet, ‘Bones’ shut down the matchup by writing on his Instagram Story, “You’ve had your chance, DC.” Even then, the push behind the rematch didn’t die down.

Early last month, ALF Global’s Alfredo Auditore claimed on his Instagram Story that a Jones vs. Cormier wrestling match could happen under their Professional Wrestling League (PWL) banner and that they had positive negotiations with both retired UFC stars, though he didn’t confirm anything. 

Later, the RAF’s head of talent relations, Lance Palmer, also told MMA Fighting that he was highly interested in hosting the bout under their promotion, something Daniel Cormier had initially wanted as well. However, Palmer revealed that there are currently too many complexities surrounding the matchup and also brought up Jones’ severe arthritis.

Now, although the Cormier vs. Jones trilogy on the mat appears increasingly unlikely, one of RAF’s founders has already predicted the outcome of the matchup, and the Louisiana native won’t be very happy with it.

RAF chief believes Jon Jones would beat Daniel Cormier again in a wrestling match

Confident in his abilities, Daniel Cormier does not doubt that he would finally beat Jon Jones in a wrestling match. But RAF chief Izzy Martinez believes ‘DC’ never being able to defeat Jones before would play a major factor if they ever collide on the mat again.

“Daniel Cormier hasn’t beat Jon,” Martinez told MMA Junkie Radio. “I don’t think he can beat Jon at anything, but he needs to beat him at something, and the next best thing that he’s ever able to do is wrestle. So that’s always been the s–t talk. ‘Oh, you could beat me in a fight, but I’d beat your a– in wrestling.’

“Even when I was telling Hulk Hogan, it would be a hell of a dream because Daniel Cormier would actually think he’s going to come out here and kill Jon, and Jon will shock him again, and the wrestling world will go crazy.”

Well, Cormier is a two-time U.S. Olympic wrestler, and that pedigree would definitely matter in a wrestling match. But one thing that could work in Jones’ favor is the age factor. The Louisiana native is 47 years old now, while Jones is only 38. So, the competition might not be as easy as Cormier believes it to be. It might be why he thinks Jones is ducking him now.

That said, if Jones vs. Cormier ever happens in the future, it’s expected to become one of the most-watched wrestling bouts ever because of the immense star power both legends bring and their storied UFC rivalry.