Kamaru Usman disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s prediction of how a wrestling match against Jon Jones would go.
With Cormier and Jones have just wrapped up coaching the third season of ALF Global’s “Alf Reality” series opposite side each other, Cormier likes the idea of settling things by wrestling Jones under the Real Freestyle Wrestling banner.
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Cormier, who competed in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, says he would beat Jones 10-0 if they wrestled. However, Usman says don’t be fooled by their difference in wrestling accolades.
“It’s not that simple,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “I don’t think because Jon Jones never went to Division-I and had the accolades and all of that, people sleep on just how talented Jon Jones is. I believe Jon Jones could have been a multiple-time Division-I champion. I believe that. Jon Jones was that good at wrestling. I’ve watched Jon Jones decide, ‘I’m going to wrestle,’ and when he decided to wrestle, he made people look bad.
“This man is just a freak athletic talent, and the whole family. Jon and Arthur both are New York state champions. I know that’s not saying a lot because that’s high school, and DC definitely has the international accolades. But listen, they fought. Yes, I understand that’s just fighting, that’s MMA, but when it came down to that wrestling exchange, Jon is no slouch. This ain’t going to be just that easy.”
Jones and Cormier fought twice in UFC light heavyweight title fights. Cormier suffered his first-career loss to Jones by unanimous decision at UFC 182 then lost their rematch by knockout at UFC 214 – a result that was later overturned to a no contest after Jones failed a post-fight drug test. Jones was credited with three takedowns landed in their first fight.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kamaru Usman warns Daniel Cormier of difficulty wrestling Jon Jones
