SUMMARY
- Jon Jones is a highly accomplished wrestler.
- His wrestling inside the Octagon has left proper wrestlers scared of fighting of him.
Yes, in the UFC currently, Islam Makhachev is one of the best wrestlers in the fight game. But, Jon Jones in his prime was a different beast. His abilities in wrestling were proven quality and wrestlers in the UFC were scared to get in the Octagon with him.
NCAA Division I All-American out of University of Oregon (1998), Chael Sonnen once said he was afraid of Jones. During the FLAGRANT podcast with Andrew Schulz, Sonnen was asked if he was afraid of fighting someone during his UFC career. Sonnen explained how he believed he would never enter the Octagon with Jones but he moved up to light heavyweight and got a title bout against Bones.
At UFC 159, in April 2013, Sonnen faced Jones for the LHW title. Jones defeated Sonnen via first-round TKO. However, that does not tell Jones’ complete wrestling story.
Jon Jones was a stand-out wrestler from his high school days. He was a state champion when in high school. He went on to win the NJCAA wrestling national championship at Iowa Central Community College.
According to one Redditor who wrestled Jones during his NJCAA triumph, Jones could have gone on to win a NCAA Division I title if he pursued wrestling. The Redditor was so impressed, they even thought Jones could have won an Olympic medal. Well, he did dismantle an Olympic wrestler in his UFC career.
Jon Jones was the first fighter to take down Daniel Cormier inside the Octagon
Daniel Cormier was one of the most accomplished wrestlers to fight in the UFC. He was an NCAA Division I runner-up who went on to wrestle in the Olympics. In 2004, Cormier came fourth in the Summer Olympics, and in 2008, he captained the US team.
“I bet you that I could take you down,” Jones said to Cormier, according to Bleacher Report, when they met for the first time. Jones did not mean any malice but these words led to the fighters meeting each other inside the Octagon at UFC 182. Jones was defending his LHW title against Cormier in the main event of the PPV.
Jon Jones was true to his words. He landed three of five takedown attempts, meanwhile, Cormier succeeded once out of his eight attempts, via FightMetric. Jones was unbelievably efficient in his wrestling against an Olympic wrestler.
Jon Jones has landed 2 takedowns every 15 minutes in his UFC career. He boasts a phenomenal 95% takedown defense. Jones has incorporated wrestling along with his extraordinary power and striking to become one of the best MMA fighters in the world.
Makhachev is an extraordinary wrestler as well, much like many other Dagestani MMA fighters. He has modeled his fighting on UFC Legend Khabib Nurmagomedov who is also his coach. However, Makhachev has not been tested against the levels Jon Jones has been tested against.
