Mike Winkeljohn, the coach of Jon Jones, believes his pupil would finish Francis Ngannou if they end up fighting.
After Ngannou beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the new heavyweight champion, it appeared the new champ would face Jones next. It would be an intriguing fight but for Winkeljohn, he is confident Jones would win and do so by stoppage.
Coach Mike Winkeljohn predicts Jon Jones finishes Francis Ngannou:
“After some ground and pound, will have tapping Francis out late in the fight”
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“I expect Jon Jones to just take the plate and hit a home run. There’s no doubt about it,” Winkeljohn said to Submission Radio. “You know what? It’s about Jon imposing his will and fighting where he wants, and where he doesn’t want to, he won’t be there in the fight. So, it’s all about Jon Jones’ mentality and how smart he is. He’s got the experience on Francis, there’s no doubt about that, and Jon’s a big guy now. People would be surprised.
“He’s been hammering the weights, lifting. His power doubles, he can launch people over his head like crazy. He’s just so strong everywhere, and he hasn’t lost any speed,” Winkeljohn added. “I think people are going have a great new look at the better Jon Jones in the future. Oh gosh, Jon finishes him late in the fight. I think Jon, after some ground-and-pound, will end up tapping Francis out late in the fight.”
As of right now, Jon Jones and the UFC are still in talks to move up and face Ngannou. The former light heavyweight champ has made it clear he needs to be paid what he is worth in for the fight.
If the UFC and Jones do come to an agreement, he vs. Ngannou would be one of the biggest fights of all-time. It would do massive business and would be an interesting test to see if Jones can take a Ngannou punch.