Coach: Jones is developing one punch KO power
Brandon Gibson: “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 fight.”
Jon Jones is currently on a provisional suspension for whatever went wrong most recently. However, he is still training. Jones’ striking coach Brandon Gibson appeared recently on The MMA Hour and said his fighter is developing one-strike knockout power.
I think there’s still a lot of growth possible, said Gibson, as transcribed by Dan Hiergesell for MMA Mania. 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 fight [vs . Daniel Cormier]. 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 OSP fight. There was a long layoff to the DC 2 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.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for metabolites from the steroid Turinabol in a test administered on July 28, 2017 immediately after UFC 214 weigh-ins. This was not a random test; given Jones’ unfortunate history with anti-doping tests, it was guaranteed.
It is widely known that the Turinabol metabolite M3 that Jones tested for can be detected for 45 to 60 days, or more. Jones passed tests for Turinabol and its metabolites on July 6 and July 7. So Turinabol entered Jones’ system between July 8 and July 28. However, given the window for Turinabol metabolites, you wouldn’t take the PED knowing you were going to be tested at the end of the month. This is Jones second infraction, with a theoretical four-year suspension; at 30 it could be the end of his career. So the test failure doesn’t make sense.
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended Jones for a year, and fined over $200,000. He next faces a suspension from USADA. USADA has yet to make a final determination.
