As Jon Jones prepares to make his second title defense at UFC 140, perhaps no opponent poses a greater threat stylistically than Lyoto Machida.
And Jones’ head trainer Greg Jackson is well aware of what Jones’ challenger is capable of.
Jackson made an appearance on Sherdog Radio to break down the upcoming title bout and praised Machida’s skills and abilities, expecting the Brazilian to be the champion’s toughest test to date.
“He’s also a very creative fighter. He’s very quick on the in and out. He’s going to try to get past Jon’s length, I’m sure, with his jumping in and jumping out style and moving side to side,” Jackson said.
Jackson shares some history with “The Dragon,” as Machida defeated former Team Jackson pupil Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title at UFC 98 in 2009. Machida’s title reign was short-lived however, and has gone 2-2 in his past four bouts.
Coincidentally, it was Evans who was originally expected to face Jones, but a hand injury prevented him from competing against Jones, granting the Brazilian to step in and compete for a title shot once again.
While there are some who disagree the decision, Jackson is surely not taking the former UFC light heavyweight champion lightly and fully expects to see an in-form, competitive opponent in Machida come December 10.
“I fully expect us to fight the best Machida that has ever fought, and hopefully we’ll be able to get around that and those problems.”
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