Jon Jones credited by accomplished wrestler and former WWE star for putting a "major spark" in potential transition to MMA: "Lit a fire under me"
Jon Jones isn't just considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, he's also one of the most influential athletes ever. His mere presence can light a fire under those around him to strive for greatness. This is, perhaps, the finest achievement of the legendary 'Bones' - to inspire more legends to reach the level of greatness that he has.
One such budding legend is Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler and former WWE star Gable Steveson. Jones had the 24-year-old wrestler, alongside other grappling legends like No-Gi BJJ GOAT Gordon Ryan, as part of his fight camp for UFC 309.
The unity of all-time greats paid off well for Jon Jones, who handily defeated Stipe Miocic last weekend. But it seems Steveson also benefited from working with Jones, as the UFC heavyweight champ apparently inspired the freestyle wrestler to try his hand at MMA.
Steveson told Ariel Helwani on the Ariel Helwani Show:
"I dipped and dabbed in MMA for a while now, and after being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA. Not sure of the promotion yet, but Jon definitely lit a fire under me and was like, 'Hey, I think you should go back to wrestling. I think you should try MMA. We got a great team here in Albuquerque if you wanna join us.'"
Check out Gable Steveson's comments here:
Jon Jones on Gable Steveson's possible transition into MMA: "He's gonna be scary"
As mentioned by Helwani, Jon Jones praised Gable Steveson at the UFC 309 post-fight presser, seeing him as a strong prospect in the sport. When one of the reporters asked Jones on whether we'll see the revered Olympian lace up the 4oz gloves, Jones said:
"Gable [Steveson] has everything that it takes. One of his first days at practice, one of my teammates got injured sparring with me and Gable's like, 'I'll go in' [laughs]. I'm like, 'Gable, you might wanna learn how to block and defend yourself first. It could be a lot more difficult than what it seems.'"
He continued:
"But that me, at that moment, know that he is very game. I kneed him in the face at one of his very first practices, he ate it and he looked like a little kid who developed a new toy. He's gonna be scary. He's gonna be very scary when he decides to do MMA. He knows how to make men appear very weak."
Perhaps after Jon Jones finally hangs up his gloves and relinquishes the heavyweight belt, he'll groom Steveson to be his successor.
Check out Jones' comments here (14:34):