Jon Jones has weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev’s first professional defeat, offering detailed advice after the rising contender’s title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May.
Chimaev dropped a middleweight title fight to Strickland, marking the first loss of his career after entering the bout with a 15-0 MMA record and a 9-0 mark in the UFC. In the fight, Chimaev was described as fatigued and on his back by Round 2, a position he had rarely been forced into during his previous ground-dominant performances.
"Big fan of Khamzat," Jones said, before admitting the result caught him off guard. "It was hard to see him lose. It really was. I was really surprised by that fight. But Khamzat, like I said, family, team, people that believe in you. It's easy to get up and get back on your horse with a team like his so, he'll be OK."
Jones pinpointed the momentum shift once Chimaev was taken down. "I think when he got taken down, I think that was the main shift," he said. "When he was down, and he was on his back, I feel like that was the main shift. He's not used to being in that position. He's usually the dominant one, and I think being down and being on his back, somewhere in his mind took him out of the fight."
The former longtime champion suggested Chimaev adjust both his training focus and mentality, emphasizing endurance changes and building a stronger jiu-jitsu game from his back to respond to the setback.
