As the debate continues to wage on regarding Jon Jones‘ competition, there is no question that he is the best fighter in the 205-pound division.
Fresh off of his victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135, few would wonder who could actually challenge the champion and end his title reign.
While discussing Jones’ recent win on the MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo, trainer Mike Winklejohn spoke of the light heavyweight champion’s progression thus far in his career.
“The game plan was definitely break Quinton down: Let’s break his legs down, let’s break his body down, let’s slow him down and stay away from his big bombs and then anything you want to do,” Winklejohn said. “Jon just comes from a wrestling background so all this is new, so he’s still trying to figure out all the striking out and doing really well with it.”
Jones’ recent success inside the UFC is something very few fighters can accomplish in that short amount of time. With dominant victories over such fighters as Ryan Bader and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones has solidified himself as one of the premier fighters in mixed martial arts today. Not to mention, he just turned 24 years old. Combined with athleticism, intelligence and an unprecedented 84.5 inch reach, it’s quite easy to imagine just how much Jones is capable of accomplishing in his career.
Most recently, fans have requested to see Jones square off against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. And while the thought of seeing both fighters face off seems intriguing, stylistically, Winklejohn doesn’t believe the Brazilian would fare well.
“With his stand-up I think Jon brings many more strikes to the table than Anderson has, a lot more variety,” he said. “I think, you know, Anderson would use his length and pick his shot against people. With Jon coming in at so many different angles from a long range, I definitely don’t think that’s a good fight for Anderson.”
While speculation continues to grow regarding Jones’ next opponent, Winklejohn said they’re taking it one day at a time, hoping to establish a legacy in the light heavyweight division.
“I think we’re here to stay in the Light Heavyweight division for a while and build a legend, something that hasn’t been done in a little bit of a while,” he said.
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