Nothing is set in stone at this point in time, but Brandon Gibson
is treating the UFC 309
fight camp like it’s going to be Jon Jones’
last dance.
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Jones will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe
Miocic in the UFC 309 headliner on Nov. 16 at Madison Square
Garden in New York. “Bones” has indicated on more than one occasion
that this could be his final mixed martial arts bout. Gibson, who
is one of Jones’ longtime coaches in Albuquerque, New Mexico, isn’t
taking anything for granted.
“I think physically, mentally, he could go in there and have five
or six more great performances,” Gibson told MMAFighting.com. “There’s nothing left for Jon
to prove. I think he really wants this fight with Stipe. I think
this fight will help solidify Jon’s status as that great
heavyweight champion but it’s not something we talk about every
night at the gym. We’re definitely all eyes on Nov. 16. But each
time I go to a practice, I’m approaching it as this is my last
camp. I’m giving it my all.
“If we get one more after this, if we get two more, that would be a
great blessing. I’m also ready to see Jon hang it up. Put the belt
up. I’d prefer them to walk away obviously earlier than later. Out
of all the fighters, Jon deserves to walk away any time he wants.
I’m always going to support those guys.”
Jones returned from a three-year hiatus at UFC 285, where he
captured the vacant heavyweight crown with a first-round submission
of Ciryl
Gane. A torn pectoral knocked him out of the initial booking
against Miocic at UFC 295 last year, but Jones has insisted on
being rescheduled against an opponent who holds the record for most
heavyweight title defenses in promotion history. That desire has
been met with criticism from some in the MMA community who would
prefer that Jones face interim heavyweight champion Tom
Aspinall.
“There’s always going to be a next No. 1 contender,” Gibson said.
“There’s never going to be a perfect time to walk out. Somebody
will always say ‘but you didn’t fight that guy.’ To me, it doesn’t
matter.
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“Ten years from now we’ll have all the generational talks. How
would [Muhammad] Ali have done against [Mike] Tyson? How would a
Tyson done against Tyson Fury?
There’s always going to be those types of discussions that will
come down the road, too. There’s always a lot of what ifs in this
game but what I do know is Nov. 16 we’ll be standing across the
cage, across the Octagon from Stipe and his great team. That’s what
we’re focused on.”
Even if the 37-year-old Jones is on his way out, that doesn’t mean
his skills have diminished. Gibson has impressed as ever with the
former light heavyweight champion during his current camp.
“He is getting stronger, faster, more skilled at heavyweight,”
Gibson said. “Early on, to make that jump from light heavyweight,
to get up to heavyweight was putting on a lot of size, a lot of
mass. Now his body has gotten very accustomed to that size. You saw
his recent photo how lean he’s getting for heavyweight and then
we’ve just assembled this super team of training partners and
coaches.
“Jon’s the greatest student in the game as well so he’s always
learning. I think he’s already the most dangerous heavyweight there
is and now you add in this plethora of new tools, oh it’s just
terrifying. He would be a nightmare to coach against because
there’s no path to victory against Jon Jones.”
While it’s also possible that Jones elects to continue competing
following UFC 309, for now Gibson is taking the heavyweight champ
at his word — and that means “Bones” could say farewell to MMA in
his home state later this month.
“Whenever Jon’s ready, I’m right there with him,” Gibson said. “I’m
approaching this one like it’s our last go, it’s our last rodeo.”