Jon Jones Says Daniel Cormier is “Probably A Little Better” At Wrestling But MMA Isn’t Wrestling

On the surface it may seem like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has virtually wiped out the top contenders at 205lbs, but there are a few challengers still waiting in the wings.

Beyond his April 2013 fight against Chael Sonnen, the reigning and defending light heavyweight king still has a potential fight against Dan Henderson looming, and maybe the most intriguing fight of all – a showdown with Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier.

Cormier has mentioned on more than a couple of occasions that he would like to get a shot against Jones at some point in the future, and revealed that the two even chatted about it earlier this year.

For his part, Jones has since played off Cormier’s challenges to coach against him on the Ultimate Fighter and said he was “relatively unknown”.

On Tuesday, Jones was again asked about Cormier but this time it related to his wrestling skills. Cormier is a former Olympian and NCAA champion wrestler, but Jones didn’t seem to their skill sets were all that far apart nowadays.

Where Jones knows he’s better however is at fighting, and that’s where he’d beat Cormier if they ever come face to face in the cage.

“Cormier’s probably a little bit better than me (at wrestling), but it’s not a wrestling match at all. When you talk about knees and submissions and punching and kicking him in the face, and upkicks, it’s just not a wrestling match,” Jones said.

Jones has no problem saying that Cormier’s collegiate and amateur wrestling career was more impressive than his, but he wouldn’t be the first fighter he’s faced with more awards in that category.

“When it comes to credentials he definitely had a better wrestling career than me, but half the guys I fought have had better wrestling careers,” Jones stated.

The only credentials Jones is worried about when facing Cormier is his standing as the best 205lb fighter on the planet.