Coach Greg Jackson believes Jon Jones would have beaten Daniel Cormier at UFC 197

A lot went into the return of former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 197.

The prestigious 205-pound king had to rebuild his life outside of the cage, reshape a body that can withstand more powerful foe, and accept a change in opponent just three weeks out. Not to mention the fill-in himself, Ovince Saint Preux, who stepped up to challenge the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Having won by unanimous decision, Jones’ victory at UFC 197 should be the only thing that matters. But considering who he is and what he’s been through, the performance was held under a bright microscope.

However, Jones’ head coach, Greg Jackson, still believes that Jones could have beaten anyone at UFC 197, and that includes Daniel Cormier.

“For me, we’d done so much work for Daniel, I think he still would have won that night,” said Jackson in a recent interview on Sherdog Radio Network’s “The Neutral Corner” show with Yves Edwards. “If you push him hard, that almost wakes him up.”

Unfortunately, the mixed martial arts (MMA) wizard wasn’t completely satisfied across the board, giving life to all of the post-UFC 197 analysis.

“The night of [UFC 197] I was a little, I wouldn’t say disappointed, but I think we should have opened up more,” added Jackson. “I’m very hard on myself because I feel it’s my responsibility to prepare the fighter the right way. Sometimes people might misinterpret what I feel on the fighter, but it’s actually on myself. I needed to be a little bit more creative on how I prepared him for that.”

At the end of the day, Jones defeated a very tough opponent. He may not have been able to put away a one-armed OSP, but he escaped the fight with his hand raised and minor damage to nurse.

Jones will attempt to win back his Light Heavyweight title in a championship rematch with Cormier at the illustrious UFC 200 on July 9.

A lot went into the return of former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 197.

The prestigious 205-pound king had to rebuild his life outside of the cage, reshape a body that can withstand more powerful foe, and accept a change in opponent just three weeks out. Not to mention the fill-in himself, Ovince Saint Preux, who stepped up to challenge the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Having won by unanimous decision, Jones’ victory at UFC 197 should be the only thing that matters. But considering who he is and what he’s been through, the performance was held under a bright microscope.

However, Jones’ head coach, Greg Jackson, still believes that Jones could have beaten anyone at UFC 197, and that includes Daniel Cormier.

“For me, we’d done so much work for Daniel, I think he still would have won that night,” said Jackson in a recent interview on Sherdog Radio Network’s “The Neutral Corner” show with Yves Edwards. “If you push him hard, that almost wakes him up.”

Unfortunately, the mixed martial arts (MMA) wizard wasn’t completely satisfied across the board, giving life to all of the post-UFC 197 analysis.

“The night of [UFC 197] I was a little, I wouldn’t say disappointed, but I think we should have opened up more,” added Jackson. “I’m very hard on myself because I feel it’s my responsibility to prepare the fighter the right way. Sometimes people might misinterpret what I feel on the fighter, but it’s actually on myself. I needed to be a little bit more creative on how I prepared him for that.”

At the end of the day, Jones defeated a very tough opponent. He may not have been able to put away a one-armed OSP, but he escaped the fight with his hand raised and minor damage to nurse.

Jones will attempt to win back his Light Heavyweight title in a championship rematch with Cormier at the illustrious UFC 200 on July 9.