Craig Jones breaks down why Islam Makhachev has such dominant grappling
Craig Jones is one of the world's most innovative submission grapplers right now. Over the past five years, he has worked with several high-level MMA fighters. Most famously, he has been Alexander Volkanovski's grappling coach since 2021.
He was part of Volkanovski's training camp and corner team for both of the former champion's fights with Islam Makhachev. Ahead of the Dagestani's upcoming clash with Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, Jones explained what makes his grappling so lethal.
Makhachev has been referred to as "Khabib 2.0" many times in the past due to his close bond with training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov. The lightweight champion is said to have grappling skills that rival those of 'The Eagle' while boasting more complete striking.
Ahead of his latest title defense against 'The Diamond', Jones highlighted the strengths of the Dagestani's grappling during an appearance on Morning Kombat, saying this:
"The leg ride's amazing. He puts himself in positions where you can't put the base of your feet on the ground. If you can't put the base of your feet on the ground you can't hip-escape, you can't do those traditional jiu-jitsu style movements. What we were working on with [Volkanovski] is just never letting him get to a position where he was flat."
Watch Craig Jones break down Islam Makhachev's grappling below (35:00):
Craig Jones wants Alexander Volkanovski to take on Brian Ortega in grappling
Craig Jones has called for Alexander Volkanovski to face Brian Ortega in a submission grappling match as 'The Great' recovers from consecutive knockout defeats.
Volkanovski suffered a KO loss against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 before returning less than four months later to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, where he suffered another KO.
While recovering, his Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, Jones, has suggested he face Ortega in a grappling match. 'T-City' is known for his BJJ skillset, but the Australian has spoken highly of Volkanovski's grappling skills and believes it would be competitive.
Jones recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he said this:
"I want to get [Volkanovski] a grappling match. I said to him, 'If we're going to take some time away 'cause of the concussions, let's get you a grappling match.' My thought was, how cool would it be to see him and Ortega have a grappling match. I would just love to see it in that setting, 'cause Ortega obviously struggled to submit him in MMA, let's see what happens in a grappling match."
Watch Craig Jones' interview below (32:00):