When Jon Jones stepped into the Octagon against Chael Sonnen two years ago at UFC 159, it took him less than a round to finish the Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling trialist with vicious ground and pound. Given his experience against the champion, Sonnen believes that, just like in the Mike Tyson era, the measuring stick for the skill set of Jones’ opponents is how long they can survive in a fight with the pound-for-pound kingpin.
“It’s very unlikely that anybody is going to do too well with Jon Jones right now,” Sonnen said. “The longer you stay out there with him is turning into a success. It’s like the Mike Tyson days. If you could just get to Round 2 and 3 – and boy, if you make it to 5 – it’s such a victory, morally. Jon Jones is the baddest dude walking the planet, and that’s just the reality.”
According to that perception, Jon Jones may have faced his toughest competition in his last three fights that all went the distance. But with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson he now has a challenger ahead of him that will try and make their encounter a quick affair as well. The hard-hitting wrestler literally punched his ticket to a title shot at UFC on FOX 14, where he mauled the “Mauler” Alexander Gustafsson, and could now pose a serious threat to the champion’s chin.
However, Jones has other business to take care of right now. He raised more than a few eyebrows, when he tested positive for cocaine metabolites at the beginning of the year. Naturally, Sonnen also had an opinion regarding that incident:
“I wish he would stop doing that,” Sonnen said. “I know the guy personally. He’s a cool guy. He’s funny. He’s nice to people. He’s generous. But he’s a party animal. As soon as the sun goes down, he’s headed out.”
(Transcription taken from MMAJunkie.com)