Craig Jones had a memorable night alongside Alexander Volkanovski, who successfully defended his title against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.
Leading up to the event, Jones was observed working on ground and pound techniques with Volkanovski, indicating a well-thought-out game plan.
Volkanovski executed his strategy flawlessly, dismantling Rodriguez with a series of well-executed takedowns. By neutralizing Rodriguez’s powerful leg kicks, Volkanovski forced him into a defensive position against the ground and pound attack.
At one point, it seemed like Volkanovski might even attempt an arm triangle submission, taking inspiration from Makhachev’s playbook.
After a dominant performance, Volkanovski was declared the winner by TKO and wasted no time in calling out Makhachev and Topuria, setting the stage for potential future matchups.
Craig Jones has been a vital part of Volkanovski’s training camp for a significant period of time, providing guidance and expertise. His influence on the champion’s grappling skills and ground game cannot be overlooked.
He’s been helping train Volkanovski ever since his match with Brian Ortega, who is a highly unusual grappler.
Jones even coached on TUF along with Volkanovski and got to showcase his humor. Apparently, USADA is testing all of the competitors and Jones showed up with a lot of pot, jokingly wanting the contestants to get a contact high.
UFC team quickly put the kibbosh on the whole thing and the joke never made the cut.
This wasn’t the only time Jones got the best of UFC production staff. Jones showed up to his recent UFC FPI event wearing his latest merch drop, and inspiring fans to ‘keep jiu-jitsu gay’.
UFC staff was quick to nix the wardrobe choice due to the fact that Bud Light is currently going through massive backlash so it’s possibly not the best time to be inclusive so openly.
Despite the setback, Jones insists the merch line is a quick hit.
