Daniel Cormier opens the door to a Jon Jones matchup under this specific ruleset

Daniel Cormier recently revealed that he would consider returning to action against Jon Jones. Their rivalry included two title fights and years of tension that never fully cooled.

Cormier made it clear that he would return to action against Jones in a wrestling contest. While Jones fits that criteria, another former UFC contender did not.

He quickly dismissed the idea of facing Yoel Romero due to his physical threat despite his age. In a recent conversation with Josh Thomson, Cormier said:

"I’d wrestle the right guy. I’d wrestle Jon Jones... [But] No... I’m not wrestling Yoel Romero, bro. I wouldn’t wrestle Yoel. He’s still good, man! He’s like insanely good. I’m not wrestling with him. I’d wrestle like a Jon Jones or somebody.”

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Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (24:00):

Cormier's comments surfaced at a time when Real American Freestyle continues to gain traction with crossover stars. The promotion has leaned into nostalgia and credibility by pairing established MMA names with elite wrestlers.

Fighters like Michael Chandler have already competed, while Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold are set for a headline attraction. Real American Freestyle launched in late 2025 with a UFC-style presentation and a working relationship that allows contracted fighters to compete.

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Daniel Cormier predicts upcoming RAF matchups

Daniel Cormier also weighed in on upcoming RAF matchups during his conversation with Josh Thomson. He predicted that Luke Rockhold would face a long night against Colby Covington, largely due to how traditional MMA habits get punished under pure wrestling scoring.

On the other side, Cormier views Bo Nickal as the favorite against Yoel Romero. He said:

"Luke's going to get beat, bro... He's going to get beat bad, bro. Get beat 10-0. I love Luke to death, but he's going to get beat. He can't wrestle Colby Covington. A lot of the things that made Luke have good wrestling in MMA scores points in wrestling. Every time he tries to chest wrap, if he doesn't get him through right away, they'll be scoring four points for Colby.”

Speaking about Yoel Romero's contest with Bo Nickal, he added:

"I don't think that Yoel's going to beat him because Bo just wrestled and he's young. But boy, Yoel Romero is going to make it hard for him, especially after what I saw the other day. Yoel Romero's wrestling like he still wrestles international. He's good, man. He was always a freak. Now he's like unbelievable.”

Edited by Abhishek Nambiar