Jon Jones would like to see Khamzat Chimaev put himself in more uncomfortable situations in training.
Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was edged out by Sean Strickland in their middleweight title fight at UFC 328 in May. Not only did Chimaev suffer his first-career defeat, but he was gassed out and on his back by Round 2, which is a picture many never expected to see.
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While he managed to catch a second wind throughout the fight, it wasn’t enough.
“Big fan of Khamzat,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “It was hard to see him lose. It really was. I was really surprised by that fight. But Khamzat, like I said, family, team, people that believe in you. It’s easy to get up and get back on your horse with a team like his so, he’ll be OK.”
Chimaev started out by dominating Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) on the ground in Round 1, something he’s been basically able to do against all opposition. However, when he was on his back, he provided little to no offense which former UFC dual-champion Jones says needs to change.
“I think when he got taken down, I think that was the main shift,” Jones said. “When he was down, and he was on his back, I feel like that was the main shift. He’s not used to being in that position. He’s usually the dominant one, and I think being down and being on his back, somewhere in his mind took him out of the fight. If I was Khamzat, I would work on my weaknesses. That’s something I personally do before every fight. I watch a fight and say, ‘How can this person beat me? Where is he strong and where am I perceived to be weak?’ And I just focus on those things. I would say maybe switching up your endurance routine, maybe do something a little different, and spend more time on your back.
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“That way in the future, you’re just so comfortable being there. Maybe throw up some submissions and things like that. Khamzat is a great kicker, great boxer, great wrestler, especially when he puts you in that body lock, but we don’t really see him on his back very often. So I would go back to the drawing board, I would learn to be comfortable on my back, develop a strong jiu-jitsu game on my back, and mainly focus on the mindset. I’d imagine losing could change a fighter’s mind, their confidence, the way they see themselves. Focus on your mindset. Losses happen and sometimes the best version of people comes out after a loss. So let that be his situation. Let the best come from this. Learn from it.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Jones breaks down what went wrong in Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC title loss
