Issue 080
October 2011
You don’t get to be the youngest UFC champion ever without having some stellar skills. Dominate your gym, no matter your age, with our guide to 205lb king Jon Jones’ unconventional approach
SCISSOR KNEE
The scissor knee begins as a jump knee from the back leg. Falling deliberately short, the attacker switches knees in mid-air, connecting with the lead leg.
In the Gym
Distance and amplitude are the two keys to a good scissor knee, so work to increase your vertical and horizontal jumps. Keep track of your personal bests.
Have your pad man gradually take the pad higher and step further away until you’re covering distance and jumping high like Jon ‘Bones.’
In Action
‘Bones’ Jones caught Andre Gusmao with a beautiful scissor knee at UFC 87.
GUILLOTINE FROM TOP
Jones has pulled off three submission wins in his young 14-fight pro career. All three have been by guillotine choke.
In the Gym
Experiment with the different finishes for the chokes, stringing together sequences as your sparring partner resists. Creativity and originality are the hallmarks of Jones’ winning style, so try and try again with different variations.
In Action
After Jones put Ryan Bader in the unfamiliar territory of being trapped on his back at UFC 126 he attempted a series of chokes. First the D’arce, then elbow-over guillotine, then finally tightened the winning choke up with a less conventional finger grip.
KNEE TAP TO SPINNING ATTACK
Jones uses the threat of the takedown brilliantly to misdirect his opponents, allowing him to pull off his spectacular spinning elbows, back-fists and kicks.
In the Gym
Practice faking a takedown with a knee tap on your pad man, then start to spin. Keep your eye on the target for as long as possible before whipping your head around. If you realize your elbow will fall short, simply extend the arm and throw it as a back-fist. If the head is still too far away, use your kick. If you want to guarantee the elbow, bring yourself close enough and actually pick the leg, releasing it as you spin.
In Action
Jones has pulled off his turning side-kicks, back-fists and elbows in many bouts, but his fight against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 in 2009 stands out among his many incredible performances for the volume of unorthodox spinning attacks he pulled off.
GRECO-ROMAN THROWS
Being taller than most of his opponents, when Jones ties up he often finds himself utilizing the overhook.
In the Gym
With sufficient skill, all the throws that can be executed from an underhook can be executed from the overhook, providing you first achieve a dominant head position (head on the same side as the overhook). Begin clinch sparring with an overhook, and instead of pummeling in for an underhook look for the back-step, foot-sweep and even back-arch throws. If you mistime these whizzer throws (even Jon Jones does sometimes), so escape like Bones does, wasting no time in getting off your back, to your knees and back on your feet.
A crash mat is a necessity for repeatedly drilling high-speed, high-amplitude throws.
In Action
Jones used the whizzer to great effect against Stephan Bonnar, repeatedly tossing him from the clinch with a variety of reaps, sweeps and tosses.
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