Fight week is upon us and fans cannot wait for the event in store for them on Saturday, March 4. The highlight of the show is the showdown between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. However, the former could be coming into the fight with an injury.
According to former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, Jones has been spending a bit too much time in the pool. Based on the footage from UFC’s Embedded vlog, Sonnen believes that Jones is nursing an injury. Supposedly, the pool workouts are to help him recover.
Watched the 2 embedded's that are out. His bones and joints are weak, both episodes he is in the pool. Pool workouts are for injured and low impact. He is in recovery mode.
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) February 28, 2023
Taking to Twitter, Sonnen writes, “Watched the 2 embedded’s that are out. His bones and joints are weak, both episodes he is in the pool. Pool workouts are for injured and low impact. He is in recovery mode.” As per his observations, Uncle Chael is sure that Jones is not 100% fit coming into the fight with Gane at UFC 285.
Notably, other than Chael, there has been no other mention of Jones being injured. Moreover, Jonny Bones has had a history of working out in a pool throughout his career. Thus, it is possible that Sonnen is likely drawing the wrong conclusions from the footage. For the most part, fans see nothing wrong or alarming about Jones choosing to spend more time in the pool.
Fans react to Chael’s injury claims about Jon Jones
With Sonnen making such a bold claim, it was likely to draw a lot of attention. Specifically, whenever Sonnen speaks about Jones, he always has a lot to say. For those unaware, it is clear by now that Sonnen and Jones are not the best of friends. Facing each other at UFC 159, Jones edged out Chael Sonnen, beating him via technical knockout in the first round.
As such, let’s take a look at what the fans had to say about Chael’s recent analysis.
You could be recovering from a hard weeks’ training too #justsayin
— Alan Fenandes (@alanthebull) March 1, 2023
He’s always trained in the pool.
— Tom (@TclarkIV) February 28, 2023
You’ve never wanted Jones at heavyweight, now you’re trying to speak negatives into existence pic.twitter.com/eMst7tJVTu
— ModeratelyBlue (@Himothy38) March 1, 2023
He looks ungodly slow in the padwork and his body looked more like light heavyweight Jon when he’s not in training. Just slightly puffier. I don’t see the transformation that took 3 years. I’d favor Gane either way, but Jon’s not making much of a case for himself.
— eric. (@espressobreath) February 28, 2023
Dc was doing the same thing towards the end of his career & he performed great.
— Rene Raul Garza (@ReneRaulGarza1) March 1, 2023
Most see this as a hating comment for some reason but after how highly you spoke of Jon on Ariel’s show last night, this is a genuine analysis from a fighter who knows more on the sport than most. And the person who’s fought Jones that speaks the highest of him.
— Vuk Bobic (@VukBobic1) March 1, 2023
His bones been weak since you busted his toe. That's why he can't run, hence being in the pool
— AJD (@TheSarcasticGee) February 28, 2023
You are WRONG Chael! @JonnyBones is training in water of considerable depth at high elevation of which Albuquerque is one of the highest elevations of any major city in the United States. I no longer live in ABQ but training at altitude is a cheat code!
— Levi Fetty (@lfetty1) March 1, 2023
Pool workouts are also to prevent overuse injuries caused by high-impact workouts like running. Which would be smart if you've gained 30lbs. Don't read too much into it.
— Jason Cribbs (@cribbs1369) March 1, 2023
There is a crazy heat transfer when working out in water that you can’t get if you exercise out of water , not to mention the low impact on the body
— BakedPaul (@BakedPaul) March 1, 2023
Thus, many fans have their own explanations for why Jones is spending time training in the water. From preventing overuse to recovering from training and more, there are plenty of reasons why Jones could be training in water. In the event that Jones is injured and unable to make the fight, the #3 ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich will step in as backup for the main event.
Recently, Sonnen also accused Jones of using PEDs during their fight. Surprisingly, Sonnen was very open about his own PED use and implied that he could tell that Jones was ‘one of their own’. Hence, he was surprised by the sheer strength of Jones despite being on steroids himself. However, Jones who has had his fair share of troubles with PEDs, revealed that his achievements cannot be blemished, owing to the new USADA rules.
With that said, it is only a matter of time before we find out if Jones is truly injured or following his usual routine. Ahead of UFC 285, fans are pumped and ready to see Jon make his heavyweight debut and possibly become a champ in two divisions. Will he accomplish the feat? Only time will tell.
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