Fellow Greg Jackson trainer at Jackson’s Submission Fighting, Mike Winkeljohn gave an interview to MMAFighting.com saying essentially what we’re all thinking… Rashad Evans is being a f*cking baby. He’s too old and experienced to get his feelings hurt by the younger Jon Jones. He voluntarily walked away from Jackson’s gym. Now get off your ass, Greg and go train Jones to defend his title like any f*cking coach would do for their fighter. Okay, well maybe that’s just what I’m thinking. And maybe he didn’t put it quite in those words, but he did say this:
I wasn’t discouraged, and hey, I like the guy [Rashad Evans]. But Jon Jones has wanted to work with me and his stand-up has come a long way. He’s looking tremendous. But in my mind, if I was fired by Rashad, I don’t think I should take myself out of another job just because I used to work with the guy that fired me.
It looks like in this big mess of teammates feuding and firing longtime coaches and “brotherhood” members, that Winkeljohn is keeping a clear and rational head… which is what we’re used to seeing from Greg Jackson. Thus, Winkeljohn is confident, Jackson will come around to training Jones.
Greg, I think, will step out of it. That’s his philosophy, and bless his heart. But the sides were chosen a ways back. I feel bad saying that, but I don’t want to look like a bad guy and I don’t want [the Greg Jackson team] to look like a bad guy. Rashad lost to Machida, and he basically left. I know he left me, so that’s how I feel. Choosing sides? I don’t know if that’s the term for it, but he made that choice. I didn’t make that choice.
Hopefully a date for this fight is set soon enough and everyone can focus on getting into their chosen training camps to settle all this b*llshit, where it can properly be feuded out… in the Octagon.