From Mike Winkeljohn’s viewpoint, it’s Francis Ngannou who wishes to be alarmed of Jon Jones.
Jones’ longtime coach spoke to Submission Radio and broke down why he feels “Bones” has a factual likelihood of defeating Ngannou, who won the UFC heavyweight championship this past Saturday at UFC 260 with a improbable knockout of Stipe Miocic.
“I request Jon Jones to gorgeous seize the plate and hit a home depart,” Winkeljohn talked about. “There’s no doubt about it. You know what, it’s about Jon imposing his will and combating where he wishes. And where he doesn’t desire to, he won’t be there in the fight. So, it’s all about Jon Jones’ mentality and the arrangement in which beautiful he is. He’s received the skills on Francis, there’s no doubt about that.
“And Jon’s a super man now, of us would be bowled over. He’s been hammering the weights, lifting. His vitality doubles, he can initiate of us over his head love crazy. He’s gorgeous so solid all over the place. And he hasn’t lost any depart. I mediate of us are gonna devour a mountainous fresh glimpse on the higher Jon Jones in the future.”
Jones has been sharing his progress as he moves up from the 205-pound division to the UFC’s heaviest weight class, providing updates on both his physical adjustments moreover to how he’s transferring as he packs on muscle.
Ideally, Winkeljohn would love to glimpse Jones hovering spherical the 250-pound observe should always level-headed the day attain that he squares off with Ngannou. That may maybe well level-headed be lighter than the heavyweight champion, who weighed in at 263 kilos (two kilos beneath the restrict) for his rematch with Miocic. Despite the proven truth that Jones is closer to 240, Winkeljohn thinks Jones would maybe be bodily ready for the topic.
“He’s rising into his physique, there’s no doubt about that,” Winkeljohn talked about of Jones, who turns 34 in July. “I mean, I genuinely mediate love Daniel Cormier, he turned into at 205, then he turned into at heavyweight. I mediate he turned into a higher fighter at heavyweight than he turned into at 205. I mediate in some ways he turned into faster at heavyweight, on fable of the dearth of weight lower, and because he carried the load honest wisely.
“Jon’s received a mountainous physique, and he is rising older, so he’s beginning to raise that weight simpler. And his lower turned into by no near appealing at 205, however he is attending to be a a lot bigger man. So, slowly striking that muscle on and level-headed working those depart drills, working those depart kind of issues, who is aware of, that you simply may maybe glimpse a faster Jon Jones than ever sooner than.”
Given Ngannou’s fearsome knockout vitality, it shouldn’t be a shock that Winkeljohn turned into requested if Jones’ wrestling may maybe be the principle to defusing Ngannou. Although Jones’ newest outings devour considered him decide on the standup game more than the grappling game, he is level-headed anticipated to devour a wrestling earnings over Ngannou, even with Ngannou showing predominant improvements in that house.
“I mediate Jon’s received the earnings there,” Winkeljohn talked about. “Francis can explode out of anything else, then any other time it’s additionally the conditioning facet. Of us don’t realize that Jon’s cardio has in any respect times been higher than his opponents, and that’s what he brings to the table. And likewise that you simply may maybe well breeze so repeatedly, and at that point in time, now your cardio starts taking up. And the strongest man in the enviornment is extremely, very aged if they don’t devour any cardio.”
Winkeljohn is so confident that Jones can pressure Ngannou to play his game that he believes Jones can wear Ngannou down and change into the first fighter to enact “The Predator.”
“Oh gosh, Jon finishes him slow in the fight,” Winkeljohn talked about when prompted for a prediction. “I mediate Jon, after some floor-and-pound, will devour [Francis tapping] out slow in the fight.”
Ogle Winkeljohn’s interview with Submission Radio beneath:
