Rickson Gracie is an MMA legend and he recently shared some insight into how he would fight one of the legends of the modern era of the sport, Jon Jones. The two men are from completely different generations of the sport, with the prime of Rickson’s career coming in the 1980s and 1990s. Jones on the other hand wasn’t even a teenager by the time that Rickson had his final fight, and he didn’t even make his professional MMA debut until 2008. Both men have had incredible success in their respective careers though, with Rickson retiring at 11-0 and Jones currently owning a 27-1 (1) record.
When Rickson Gracie did a recent interview, the topic of conversation turned to Jon Jones and he already had a plan in mind of how he might be able to beat him:
“If I were to fight Jon Jones, I would never do it under the current UFC rules. With the time limits and cage environment, it would be too much of an advantage for the bigger, younger fighter. My strategy would be to try to survive the initial onslaught and wait for Jones to tire himself out with his aggressive spinning attacks.”
Rickson spent years training with and fighting against some of the best grapplers and strikers in the world at the time, and he honed his skills to the absolute maximum at the time. From sparring rounds with Mark Schultz to a pair of legendary fights with Rei Zulu, Rickson was known for testing himself against anybody he could during his career. It’s not surprising to hear that Rickson has thought about the idea of facing Jones really, even if it’s an idea that’s never going to come to fruition. Rickson was clear that he wouldn’t just need the perfect tactics though, he’d also need the perfect ruleset:
“I’ve faced many great wrestlers and strikers in my career, and my Jiu-Jitsu has always been the great equalizer. If I could weather the storm and drag Jones into a prolonged battle, I think my chances of winning would increase significantly. Jones is a phenomenal athlete, no doubt. He’s much bigger and younger than me now. So I would need the fight to be on my terms, no time limits, no cage, in order to have a real shot at beating him.”
The full interview with Rickson Gracie where he breaks down how he would fight Jon Jones was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of Undaunted Life:
