Jon Jones has always had a chip on his shoulder when it comes to fighting wrestlers. With Daniel Cormier, it’s a boulder, maybe two, resting on the frame of the former UFC light heavyweight champ.
In Jones’ mind, beating a decorated wrestler - whether it was Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Bader, Rashad Evans or Chael Sonnen - always meant something more. It was an invisible notch on his belt, a way of saying to the world “that could have been me.”
Winning on the NCAA Division I or international level on the mat is the only thing in athletics Jones didn’t accomplish, as family obligations forced him from college and into the world of pro mixed martial arts nearly a decade ago.