It appears Jon Jones won't be stepping onto the mat for a freestyle wrestling match against Daniel Cormier at RAF.
For months, there has been talk of a potential clash between the long-time rivals, with Cormier vowing to dominate the former two-division UFC champion if Jones ever crossed over into his world, where he is a two-time Olympian. However, it turns out Jones is battling career-long injuries that will plague him for years, which is why he isn't rushing to seize the opportunity to wrestle his old foe.
“I have severe arthritis, and most people don't know that,” Jones said in a video posted on social media. “My left hip is covered in arthritis. I actually qualify for a hip replacement already. During my last training camp, I was going to bed with so much pain.”
Jones' last appearance was in 2024, when he defeated Stipe Miocic to successfully defend his UFC heavyweight title. He subsequently relinquished the belt upon deciding to retire, having lost interest in a title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Jones quickly reversed his decision and announced plans to fight again—hoping to compete at the UFC's White House event in June. UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly stated he doesn't want to book Jones for that card, fearing he might not show up, and the event's significance is too great to risk. As of now, the UFC has not announced any matches for the White House, so Jones is still in the running. But as for wrestling, Jones says he has more important things in his life to worry about than reigniting his feud with Cormier.
“I have a three-year-old boy,” Jones said. “I want to use what I have left in my hips to play with him.”
“The UFC knows the extent of my arthritis,” Jones said. “They also know that if I were to risk it all one last time and endure that level of pain, the reward would have to be something special and more than just a hefty paycheck. For me, that was and still is the White House.”
“Whether that fight happens or not, my career is one of the greatest and nothing short of legendary. I left a big part of myself in that Octagon, and I'm grateful for every bit of it. And make no mistake, I'll still kick 99 percent of your asses. I'm still benching big weights. I'm still training. I'm still outperforming most of you... just maybe after a proper warm-up and a good stretch.”