Daniel Cormier has been trying to get Jon Jones into a specific kind of chaos. He wants it on the mats, under Real American Freestyle rules, where ego cannot hide behind elbows, leg kicks, or MMA shortcuts. For a while, the picture seemed straightforward: ‘DC’ calling out ‘Bones,’ Jones ignoring, and fans dismissing the concept as a fantasy matchup that would never leave the internet.

But that fantasy is starting to get crowded because once Jon Jones’ name enters the RAF space, it turns into a target. Wrestlers, Olympians, and specialists hear the challenge and begin to imagine what it would be like to share the mat with one of the most legendary combat athletes to ever live. Well, that is exactly what happened as a new challenger emerged, meaning Daniel Cormier is no longer the only one standing in line.

Stephen Buchanan enters the Jon Jones sweepstakes after RAF statement win

At RAF 5, Stephen Buchanan made the kind of debut that demands attention. Buchanan not only won but also completely dominated Yoel Romero with a 10-0 technical fall with no scares or momentum swings. ‘Soldier of God’ spent the majority of the match defending, while Buchanan took advantage of every opportunity.

The performance mattered beyond the score. And Buchanan proved that he is not treating the RAF as a side mission. He’s thinking long-term, publicly discussing a push for the 2028 Olympics. Even with the late opponent change—Romero stepped in after Pat Downey missed weight elsewhere—Stephen Buchanan seemed prepared for anything and handled Romero with ease.

Then he took the microphone and made things more exciting. Buchanan talked about his switch from folkstyle to freestyle and mentioned names like Wyatt Hendrickson and Gable Steveson, but he kept his strongest statement for last: “Let’s get Jon Jones. Jon Jones, I’d love to share the mats with you.”

That line changes the picture. Daniel Cormier has campaigned for this clash as if it were destined for him. He made a deal: “Real American Freestyle is going to see me and Jon Jones at some point, and I’m going to kick his a– like you would never believe.” The story revolved around revenge, history, and unfinished business. Stephen Buchanan’s entry doesn’t erase that story; it adds competition to it.

The narrative shifts in his favor all the more if you recall what Cormier said a while back about Romero. The former UFC double champion named the Cuban as the one opponent he would not want to wrestle. Despite Romero’s age, Cormier said, the ex-UFC middleweight was still too good.

Jon Jones has yet to respond. And that silence is precisely what fuels the race. Every call-out becomes part of the pressure campaign. And if fans really want ‘Bones’ on the mats, it may not be Daniel Cormier’s rivalry that draws him there first. Instead, it could be the growing chorus of elite wrestlers daring him to test himself in their world. The RAF, for its part, is open to hosting such clashes.

RAF co-founder reacts to Daniel Cormier calling out Jon Jones

That openness from the RAF is what keeps this idea alive. Jones’ silence just shifted the focus to the real question: who can host something like this and make it seem legitimate? And RAF has quietly become the logical solution, especially since Daniel Cormier continues to frame a wrestling clash as the most realistic way to conclude the third chapter.

Chad Bronstein, RAF co-founder, did not confirm anything, but he also did not rule out the possibility. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Bronstein highlighted that the connections are already in place. He said, “Ben Askren pretty close to Daniel, and so is Izzy Martinez, and then Izzy obviously trained Jon Jones for quite some time.”

The message was clear: the right individuals are close to both men, and the matchup doesn’t need to be built from scratch. The RAF CEO then left it hanging in the most deliberate way possible. “So far on RAF, you’ve seen that all matches can happen. So, I’ll leave it at that—that anything’s possible.”

It seemed like a tease, but it was also a sign of confidence: RAF feels it can pull off contests that the UFC will never be able to. And if Jon Jones decides to take up DC’s challenge, the promotion already looks ready to be the stage.