Kamaru Usman believes Daniel Cormier needs to pump the brakes.
Cormier recently reignited his long-running rivalry with Jon Jones when the two linked up as opposing coaches on ALF Global’s Alf Reality TV series. Although Jones had suggested the show could serve as an opportunity to let bygones be bygones and perhaps even build a friendship, it emerged this week that their mutual dislike remains as strong as ever.
Cormier spoke at length this week about the possibility of facing Jones in either a boxing match or a wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle banner. “DC,” who twice represented the United States in wrestling at the Olympics, claimed he would defeat Jones 10-0 if they competed under that ruleset.
Former UFC welterweight champion Usman disagrees.
"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 One 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 One 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.”
Jones beat Cormier twice in UFC light heavyweight title fights in 2015 and 2017, although the second win was overturned to a no contest after Jones failed a drug test. During the first bout, “Bones” scored three takedowns on Cormier, which leads Usman to believe that he has the ability to cause problems for his old rival, even under wrestling rules.
"This man is just a freak athletic talent, and the whole family,2 usman said of Jones. “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."
