UFC Hall of Famer, former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has made a statement regarding a possible wrestling match with Jon Jones.
Medianews.az, citing İdman.Biz, reports that the American former fighter stated that Jon Jones did not agree to fight him.
According to Cormier, a seven-figure fee was offered to the parties for this match:
"Jon wanted the match to allow painful and submission moves. I said: 'No, I won’t go for that. We should have a match where points are counted and the winner is decided after eight minutes.' Therefore, I did not agree.
I will always defeat Jones by a score of 10:0. I know it, and Jones knows it too. Don’t provoke me into this wrestling match. At 47, I will beat him 10:0. That’s the problem: I know I will defeat him 10:0, and he knows that as well. Therefore, he will not agree to this match with me."
Cormier did not hide that the large fee offer interested him:
"The amount offered to us for this match is seven figures. For a wrestling match! If you offer me such a fee for wrestling, I am ready for it all day long."
It should be noted that Jones and Cormier are considered one of the most principled rivals in UFC history. They first faced each other in 2015 at UFC 182. In that fight, Jones won by unanimous decision of the judges. In the 2017 rematch at UFC 214, although Jones knocked Cormier out, the result was annulled because Jones tested positive in a doping test, and the fight was considered as never having taken place.