"Basketball players got CTE as well" - Jon Jones baffled by NBA star claiming he could beat him in an MMA fight
UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones has responded to NBA star James Johnson's recent comments involving him. Johnson made an appearance on The OGs podcast, where he discussed various things like his family and his basketball career.
At one point during the conversation, the 37-year-old was asked whether he would be able to compete with the likes of Jones inside the octagon if he was given enough time to train. Johnson replied in the affirmative, saying he would only need to work on his ground skills:
"I truly truly believe that... I've been doing this my whole life. Like, real training would really be for that groundwork. As far as standing up in a fight, I feel like I got an advantage."
Check out James Johnson's comments below (57:10):
SportsCenter uploaded a snippet of Johnson's comments to their Instagram account, which caught the attention of 'Bones'.
The UFC champion took to the comments section to share his reaction to the basketball player's statement. Jones jokingly claimed that the Indiana Pacers player's comments might be a result of him suffering from CTE:
"I didn't realise until now, basketball players got CTE as well, this man sounds crazy."
Check out a screenshot of Jon Jones' comment below:
When will Jon Jones return to the octagon?
Jon Jones has been out of action for nearly two years. The UFC heavyweight champion's last outing took place in March 2023 when he faced Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. 'Bones' made light work of his opponent that night and submitted him via guillotine choke in the opening round.
Now, the 37-year-old is set to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The clash will headline the card, which will take place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
A lightweight banger in the form of Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler will serve as the co-main event of UFC 309.