Is Jon Jones bringing a hidden ace to the Octagon in his upcoming bout with Stipe Miocic? The looming clash at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden has fans buzzing with questions about the ‘secret weapons’ Jones might unveil. Originally set for UFC 295 last year, the fight was delayed after Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon.

For his potential MMA swan song at UFC 309, Jon Jones is going above and beyond to ensure that he covers all possible gaps in his skillset, against the highly dangerous Stipe Miocic. While Jones’ expressed that he would try and employ the 12-to-6 elbows against Miocic, the heavyweight champion is honing other important skills of the game that could severely offset Stipe Miocic, especially in striking where the Croatian-American is the most dangerous.

One prominent name in Jon Jones’ UFC 309 camp is Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson. Not wanting to leave any holes in his grappling and ground game, Jones also enlisted a fellow GOAT from the BJJ world – Gordon Ryan. The 7-time ADCC Submission wrestling world champion is known as ‘The King’ of No-Gi grappling with 157 wins in 169 matches. This has led the fans to wonder, has Ryan taken on the duties of being ‘Bones’ BJJ coach for UFC 309? Could this partnership be the key to overcoming a fighter as tenacious as former two-time heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic?

Jon Jones and Gordon Ryan’s training history began in 2023 

Gordon Ryan and Jon Jones first linked up in 2023 during the undisputed heavyweight champion’s training camp for UFC 295. Jones has been training at Jackson Wink MMA Academy out of Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2009 under the watchful eyes of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. The fight gym was once home to former welterweight champion GSP and former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.

For UFC 295, Jones brought in Gordon Ryan to sharpen his already impressive skills to an even keener edge. In a post shared on Instagram, ‘The King’ Ryan revealed, “This week, I had the luxury of training with @jonnybones, the absolute best in his field, and the baddest MMA fighter on the planet. I threw some complicated sequences at him, and he learned as fast as anyone. By day 3, he was exponentially better at drilling than he was on day one.”

After their time training ahead of UFC 295, Jones stated in a post on Instagram, “I’m not sure if I can ever repay Gordon Ryan for the lessons I learned, the notes I was able to take. I do believe his generosity with his knowledge is rare. I’m forever grateful.” And greatness does indeed acknowledge when it sees its reflection as Gordon Ryan has also openly praised Jon Jones’ adaptability, noting it as a quality that made him resemble another MMA great!

However, with the UFC 295 bout being rescheduled for a year later due to Jones’ pectoral tendon injury, both the MMA fighter and No-Gi grappling GOAT have spent extensive time training together. Another fighter Gordon Ryan has spent a lot of time training with Georges St-Pierre, as a result of the former welterweight champion’s coach Firas Zahabi being a black belt under Ryan’s coach John Danaher.

Gordon Ryan thinks Jones and GSP bear a striking resemblance in their skills

What makes Jon Jones such a formidable force in the Octagon? To Gordon Ryan, it’s not about being the best striker, the sharpest grappler, or even the toughest wrestler. Instead, it’s Jones’ ability to blend these skills seamlessly that sets him apart. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Ryan had stated, “With Jon, he’s very similar to GSP – to Georges, in the sense that he’s not the world’s best wrestler, he’s not the best jiu-jitsu guy, he’s not the best striker – but his ability to put it all together is just on a different level, even just grappling.”

For Ryan, training with Jones wasn’t about imposing his grappling techniques. It was about testing Jones’ adaptability—how well he could read his opponent and switch strategies in real time. He further explained, “His ability to intuitively change his game plan from the start of the roll to the end of the roll or from round to round is incredibly impressive.”

This highlights the fact that Jones has a fighter’s spirit and a student’s mind, a combination that probably is the reason behind his incredible dominance inside the Octagon. Now, as UFC 309 looms – with Gordon Ryan, a grappling mastermind by his side, Jon Jones isn’t just adding tools to his belt—he’s sharpening them to a razor’s edge. 

With a training camp stacked with champions like Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson and heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker, Jones has forged a ‘dream team’ to prepare him for Stipe Miocic. Will this blend of grappling genius, wrestling strength, and striking finesse give Jon Jones the edge he needs to cement his legacy as the undisputed heavyweight champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!