Jon Jones’ striking coach Brandon Gibson likes the influx of new light heavyweight challengers.
Jones is coming off a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title defense against a fresh contender in Anthony Smith. “Bones” dictated the pace throughout the fight and earned a unanimous decision victory. Smith couldn’t score 10 points in a single round on any of the judges’ scorecards.
Jones’ Coach Smells “Fresh Blood” At 205 Pounds
Gibson appeared on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour.” When asked about UFC president Dana White’s desire to book Jones vs. Thiago Santos next, Gibson appeared to be on board:
“That’s what Dana was alluding to at the press conference. He’s been looking great. He’s a powerful, very powerful 205-pounder. I’m sure that’s something that intrigues a lot of fans and I like that there’s some fresh blood in the light heavyweight division. When Jon started it was kind of like the older reign of some of the Pride legends. The Shoguns, the Rampage Jacksons, the Vitors, there were so many of these legends for us to chase after. And now Jon’s the legend and these young guys are coming up like Johnny Walker, like Thiago Santos, so it’s cool to be in this position now.”
Jones’ next title defense isn’t set in stone. Corey Anderson is now freed up as a bout with Alexander Gustafsson has now gone to Anthony Smith. It appears Santos and Anderson are in the running for a title opportunity. MMA News will keep you posted when more details regarding Jones’ next challenger become available.
Do you think anyone has a shot at beating Jon Jones anytime soon?
