Jon Jones was full of praise for Alexander Volkanovski this week after having the opportunity to speak with him during an interview.
Volkanovski went head-to-head with Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 284 last month. The bout has been dubbed a Fight of the Year contender as both men went to war in a highly entertaining back-and-forth contest.
Although he came up short on the judges’ scorecards, ‘The Great’s’ performance was recognized as a stunning display, as he demonstrated an elite-level takedown defense against Islam Makhachev throughout. The Australian’s performance was deemed so impressive that he retained his No.1 spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings despite the defeat.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia this week, Jon Jones appeared on the show, which also featured Alexander Volkanovski. Before answering one of Volkanovski’s questions, Jones praised the Australian’s performance at UFC 284:
“First Alex, you’re a freakin’ bada** dude. Islam being on your back, you’re talking sh*t the whole time, you’re punching behind yourself dude. You kept your composure, you didn’t freak out. Most people would have panicked. You’re in some serious shape dude, very impressive.”
Check out Jones’ praise of Volkanovski here:
Daniel Cormier breaks down Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
Jon Jones is set to make his UFC return this weekend as he faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285. The bout marks the end of Jones’ three-year hiatus, as he last appeared in 2020 when he defended the 205-pound title against Dominick Reyes.
In a recent episode of the DC & RC Show, Daniel Cormier weighed in on his former rival’s chances against the high-flying Ciryl Gane. According to ‘DC’, Jon Jones will have to be at his best against ‘Bon Gamin’ as he believes the Frenchman has the advantage in size and punching power:
“I’ll tell you this right now, Jones did not punch very hard… He kneed hard, he kicked hard, he elbowed hard. He did a lot of things very well but in terms of punching ability, he didn’t have like jarring power.”
Cormier continued:
“Now, gaining 30 pounds, maybe he gets a little bit of a heavier puncher but he’ll never match Ciryl Gane in terms of punching power. He’s gonna need his skills in order to do this. Here’s the issue – Ciryl Gane possesses a lot of those same skills. He can stand on the outside and fight… and he does possess jarring power when he does land.”
Catch Cormier’s full fight breakdown here:
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