To describe what makes his star pupil special, coach Greg Jackson points to the examples set by the greats.
Watching Jon Jones in action, it’s easy to point to his superior physical gifts, creative striking, and strong wrestling as the main reasons for his success. But Jackson believes that the light heavyweight champion’s intelligence is also a major factor and he compares the mindset of Jones to that of three combat sports legends, starting with Sugar Ray Robinson.
A multiple-time world boxing champion who competed in 200 pro bouts, Robinson was successful in a number of rematches throughout his career much like Jones was in his most recent fight, a third-round TKO of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 that was more definitive than their first encounter five years ago that Jones won by unanimous decision after five back-and-forth rounds.