Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is currently awaiting the USADA hearing for his latest drug test. In the meantime, Jackson-Wink striking coach Brandon Gibson has now come forward with his thoughts on how Jon Jones has been improving his skills in the meantime.
Jon Jones made his big octagon return back in 2017 at UFC 214. Jones was coming back from a year-long suspension for a failed drug test.
Jones knocked out longtime rival Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title. However, Jones was later stripped of the belt for having failed yet another drug test.
Jones has since quietly been training as he awaits his next USADA hearing. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Brandon Gibson has come forward to reveal that he believes Jones’ knockout power is only improving in the meantime.
“I think there’s still a lot of growth possible. Jon’s in his 30s now, I think he’s really starting to develop the one-strike knockout power, we saw that in the last (Daniel Cormier) fight. Before that, Jon was like a break ‘em down, break ‘em down, break ‘em down, finish, where guys were never just out cold, unconscious. I think now Jon’s really developing a lot of power for 205 and he’s gonna really start putting guys to sleep.”
“He’s had long periods of breaks. There was a long layoff before the first DC fight. There was a long layoff to the [Ovince Saint Preux] fight. There was a long layoff to the DC two match. But I also think that this is a game where guys are paying too high of a price in training camps and sparring leading up to fights, so Jon’s layoff definitely has some benefits. But the lack of competition could also be a hindrance at times, so it’s gonna be a balance, but we never have a problem getting Jon Jones fired up.
“He’s a special champion, he has a very special mindset, and he’ll get in there and I believe reclaim everything that he ever had and more. I told him the other day that I think greatness and his legacy continue to await us. We’re not there yet.”
