Michael Jai White shares why he wanted Jon Jones as sparring partner, talks predicting his greatness
Michael Jai White recently revealed why he always wanted Jon Jones as his sparring partner. The Hollywood star and martial artist also recalled predicting the UFC heavyweight champion's greatness after the first time watching him fight.
Jon Jones returned to the octagon for his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane in a title fight at UFC 285. While many expected 'Bones' to win, the former light heavyweight champion surpassed all expectations to win the title via submission in just 2:04 minutes.
For many combat sports fans, Jon Jones cemented his status as the greatest MMA fighter ever by becoming the heavyweight champion.
In a recent interview with VladTV on Youtube, Michael Jai White explained why he wanted Jones as his sparring partner and how he'd known 'Bones' would be unstoppable as a fighter.
Testifying for Jones' grappling prowess, White praised the 35-year-old's exceptional fight IQ and calmness in the cage. He stated:
"I tried grappling with that dude, it's like trying to uproot a tree. You know how calm he is in the ring? From the first time I saw him... I was like, "nobody's beating that guy." He would see the openings... Jon would see things from different angles and move with a natural ability. That's why I wanted to train and spar against him more than anybody."
Watch the full video below:
Daniel Cormier on Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight date
After his dominant display against the No.1-ranked heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, Jon Jones wasted no time calling out former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Jon Jones talks Stipe Miocic.
#UFC285 https://t.co/tdZd98GcRY
While the fight was initially expected to headline the UFC 290 at the International Fight Week in July, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons and was replaced with a title unification bout between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim champion Yair Rodriguez.
Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on the delay in officially announcing the fight and suggested that financial disagreements could have caused the holdup. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'DC' claimed Miocic has contract issues with the promotion and said:
"I heard that it’s always been an issue on the Miocic side in terms of the financial side of the equation in order to what he’s going to get paid to go into the fight with Jones. Stipe is about to be 41 years old. So this may be, if he can’t get the job done, his final payday of that sort."
Watch the full video below: