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via Imago

via Imago

A GOAT is training with a GOAT to face another GOAT. This sentence perfectly sums up the situation that is currently going on between Jon Jones, Gordon Ryan, and Stipe Miocic.

A former light heavyweight, ‘Bones’ had been teasing a move to the heavyweight division ever since his first championship reign in the early 2010s. But after much delay, the fighter finally made the much-awaited move at UFC 285, capturing UFC heavyweight gold in the process. Now, just months later, the fighter is all set to face the alleged greatest of the division at UFC 295. As a part of his preparation for arguably the biggest fight of his career, Jones rolled with Gordon Ryan in a training session. And it looks like ‘The Iron Dragon’ is impressed by him.

Following a recent training session, Gordon Ryan is all praise for Jon Jones

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In his recent appearance at the ‘Morning Kombat’ podcast, grappling legend Gordon Ryan opened up on his experience of training with Jon Jones. According to Ryan, the MMA GOAT has a remarkable ability to learn new moves. Further, the grappler also praised Jones’ ability to alter his pace and make adjustments to his game plan on the fly.

Talking about Jones, Ryan said: “The two things that impressed me to a very shocking degree with him were number one, his ability to learn moves … another thing that was really impressive was he has an incredible ability to intuitively change pace and change game plans through the course of a round.” This statement comes as a shocker, as previously Jon Jones claimed that he got ‘humbled’ during the training session.

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Earlier, another heavyweight legend, Cain Velasquez, had nodded to Jon Jones’ ability. In the former champion’s opinion, Jones would enter as a favorite, going up against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. But at the same time, Velasquez believes that there is always room for an upset in any matchup in MMA. And given his accolades in the sport, Miocic is perfectly capable of pulling off that upset.

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A return to Madison Square Garden for UFC, a chance for Jones to cement legacy

Known as the ‘Mecca of fighting,’ Madison Square Garden truly lives up to its nickname in the combat sports community. Being the venue of choice for big fights in boxing, the stadium has hosted some of the biggest matches in the history of sports. This includes Ali vs. Frazier I, Louis vs. Marciano, and Tyson vs. Holyfield II. Just like boxing, MSG has also witnessed some of the biggest events in the history of the UFC.

However, in over three decades of its existence, the MMA promotion has gone to the New York-based venue on only five occasions. The last of these five events being UFC 281. Considered by many as the greatest athlete to ever embrace the sport of MMA, Jon Jones has never fought at MSG. Thus, his upcoming fight will be an opportunity for ‘Bones’ to add another accolade to his already decorated career.

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Do you think Jones can get the job done in his maiden outing at MSG? Or will Miocic cement his legacy as the greatest heavyweight in the UFC? Let us know in the comments.

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