Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently addressed the ongoing discussions surrounding a potential wrestling or grappling match with longtime rival Jon Jones…

Claiming Jones has repeatedly declined despite significant financial incentives.

Cormier revealed that efforts are still being made behind the scenes to organize a match:

They are trying to make a wrestling match come together. He won’t do it. He will not wrestle.
The amount of money that has been offered to us to do the wrestling matches, seven figures to wrestle. You tell me to wrestle for that, I’m in all day to do a wrestling match.

Cormier believes Jones is avoiding a pure wrestling contest because of the outcome he expects:

I know I’m going to beat him 10-0, but he also knows I’m going to beat him 10-0. That’s why he will not wrestle me.
When I was on the Olympic team two times, I didn’t just forget how to wrestle.

According to Cormier, negotiations later shifted toward various grappling formats, leading to disagreements over the rules:

Then the stipulations start. It’s 10 minutes. Okay. Let’s do 8 minutes. Then it’s me going, I want to wrestle.
If we’re going to do anything, let’s wrestle. You’re a wrestler. I’m a wrestler. You said you could beat me. You can take me out. Let’s do that.

No, let’s grapple. 10 minutes. Let’s make that 8 minutes. Okay. Let’s do submission only. No, no, no.
Let’s do a match where we do points. Let’s make sure that after the 8 minutes are done, we know who won…

Cormier said he ultimately rejected the idea of a submission-only match:

Only if it’s submissions only. No scores. Why? Scores would make it look too much like a wrestling match. That’s why I said no, not going to do it.

While acknowledging that submitting Jones would be difficult, Cormier remains confident in his ability to control the action:

I probably won’t submit him. I probably will not submit Jon Jones. I don’t believe I can.
But I do know that if I get him on the ground and I have to ride him and control him, I can do that.

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