Jackson Wink MMA head coach Mike Winkeljohn said Thursday that Jon “Bones” Jones fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 despite suffering an arm injury in training.
During an interview with Submission Radio (h/t FloCombat.com), Winkeljohn said the injury occurred two days before the fight: “I’ll share with you [that] a couple nights before the fight, yeah, he couldn’t lift his arm —he had hurt it wrestling. He wrestled a little too hard with his partner, maybe a lack of warm-ups, I’m not sure, but it was kind of scary.”
Despite the ailment, Jones knocked Cormier out in the third round to regain the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Winkeljohn added that Jones never considered backing out of the fight: “He basically didn’t say anything other than that he’s fighting. He didn’t say anything about it. Let me put it that way. No matter how much it hurt, if it was tingling, if it felt weak, Jon didn’t say anything. He just went and fought. That’s why Jon Jones is the champion. He has that mindset.”
The bout was Jones’ first in more than a year due to suspension, but he didn’t miss a beat in improving his career record to 23-1.
After the win, Jones called out current WWE Universal champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for a future fight.
While Lesnar is currently suspended after testing positive for a banned substance last year, he and Jones could potentially put on the highest-grossing fight in UFC history due to their respective drawing power.
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