Jon Jones says he’s ‘feeling like a whole new animal’ on the ground

Jon Jones is once again the UFC light heavyweight champion, having claimed the vacant title with a third-round TKO of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in late December.

Having reclaimed the title, Jones has been hard at work sharpening his tools so that he’ll be able to keep it. And from the sounds of it, his diligence is paying off.

Speaking on Instagram late on Thursday night, the light heavyweight champ discussed his grappling training at Gracie Barra Albuquerque and credited multi-time BJJ champion Roberto Alencar and renowned MMA coach Greg Jackson with helping him elevate his ground game to a whole new level.

See what he had to say below:

“My brothers over at @graciebarraabq were awesome today! I feel like my ground game is by far the best it’s ever been. Thank you so much @tussagb You have 1000% taking my ground game to the next level. Shout out to @gregjacksonmma for all the time he’s invested in me on the ground. Together we were able to accomplish having the most submissions ever scored in UFC light heavyweight history and now I’m feeling like a whole new animal, it’s all very exciting. I’m really enjoying the way these two amazing coaches have been able to collaborate. Surrounded by the best. #SquadUp” – Jon Jones on Instagram.

As Jon Jones mentions in this post, he already holds the records for most submission in UFC light heavyweight history, having subbed stars like Ryan Bader, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Vitor Belfort. Needless to say, the prospect of his ground game getting even more dangerous is a scary thought for his future opponents — starting with Anthony Smith, who he battles at UFC 235 on March 2.

Do you think we’ll see more submission victories out of Jon Jones going forward?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 2/15/2019.