"Not the world's best wrestler" - Jon Jones gets compared to Georges St-Pierre by Gordon Ryan after viral training session
Jon Jones' repertoire of skills as a mixed martial artist is second to none, and jiu-jitsu extraordinaire Gordon Ryan agrees. During the media event for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5, 'The King' compared 'Bones' to the legendary two-weight world champion Georges St-Pierre.
Ryan has recently been a regular presence in the UFC heavyweight's training camp, helping him work on his ground game. During the media interaction, he likened the reigning champion's abilities to that of former welterweight and middleweight champion St-Pierre, saying:
"With Jon [Jones], he is very similar to GSP [Georges St-Pierre], in the sense that he is not the world's best wrestler, he is not the best jiu-jitsu guy, [and] he is not the best striker, but his ability to put it all together is on a different level."
Catch Gordon Ryan's comments below:
The highly credentialed grappler also believes that Jon Jones' ability to dynamically adapt his game plan according to how the fight progresses is unparalleled.
Although Jones made a triumphant return to the octagon at UFC 285 in March, capturing the heavyweight title with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane, his first title defense fell through in November.
A training injury he incurred while preparing for his originally planned UFC 295 headliner against Stipe Miocic has forced him to take a hiatus from the sport. Similarly, although Gordon Ryan was slated to compete at the recently concluded UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5, he had to withdraw due to a rib injury.
When Jon Jones acknowledged Gordon Ryan's superiority
Jon Jones is no slouch when it comes to grappling. Even so, it looks like the MMA legend is no match for grappling phenom Gordon Ryan when it comes to pure jiu-jitsu.
In one of his social media posts in October, 'Bones' explained how emotionally shattered he was after being decisively outmatched by Ryan in training:
"My boy, Gordon Ryan served me up a large hot piece of humble pie tonight. It was exactly what I was looking for, at the same time, my emotions are all messed up. Going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.. expect singing videos at 2 AM. 😩"
Gordon Ryan is one of the greatest grapplers of all time. According to FloGrappling, the 28-year-old holds a pro-grappling record of 93-5-3.
He also boasts an endless list of laurels, including the 2022 ADCC Open Weight Superfight World and WNO Heavyweight Champion titles and three ADCC World Tournament first-place finishes.