Cormier: Jon Jones turned down seven-figure offer for wrestling trilogy

Daniel Cormier has publicly revealed that Jon Jones turned down a seven-figure offer to face him in a wrestling trilogy match, a disclosure that adds a fresh chapter to one of combat sports' most storied rivalries.

Cormier, 47, retired from MMA with a professional record of 22-3-0 and built much of his pre-UFC career as an elite wrestler and Olympic alternate. The former two-division UFC champion — known as "DC" — stands five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach and was known for relentless pressure, averaging 4.25 significant strikes per minute and 1.83 takedowns per 15 minutes during his fighting career.

Jones, 38, holds a 28-1-0 professional record and is widely regarded as one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history. Standing six-foot-four with an extraordinary 84-inch reach, "Bones" has posted a striking accuracy of 58 percent and averaged 4.38 significant strikes per minute across his career. He is also a credentialed wrestler, averaging 1.89 takedowns per 15 minutes over his MMA tenure.

According to Cormier, the proposed wrestling match would have been a single six-minute contest — a brief but potentially lucrative crossover event. The rejection of a seven-figure sum for just six minutes of competition makes Jones's decision particularly notable, whatever his reasoning may have been.

Why it matters

• The two already share a deeply personal rivalry, with their MMA history making any crossover match a significant commercial draw
• Jones's refusal of a substantial guaranteed payday raises questions about his appetite for exhibition competition outside the octagon
• A wrestling format would have stripped away the striking and submission variables that defined their MMA meetings, creating a purer test of their grappling credentials
• The revelation keeps public attention on a rivalry that has never fully been resolved in the eyes of fans