Luke Rockhold says ‘fake’ Jon Jones comes across as acting

Luke Rockhold doesn’t believe Jon Jones is genuine when it comes to addressing the media and fans.

Rockhold and Jones will be featured on the UFC 239 card this Saturday night (July 6). Rockhold will collide with Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut. Jones headlines the event, putting his 205-pound gold on the line against Thiago Santos. It’ll be the second defense in his current reign.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto spoke to Rockhold ahead of UFC 239. The former UFC middleweight champion made it clear that he feels Jones isn’t staying true to himself:

“I don’t think much about Jon that’s already been [said]. It’s pretty out there. Everybody knows what Jon is. I think he’s fake. I think Jon, he just comes across as he’s acting. Just be real about it. I know who Jon is. He just can’t be that Jon.”

Luke Rockhold hasn’t been shy in expressing his confidence in being able to dethrone “Bones.” He feels he won’t be overwhelmed by anything Jones presents.

“Jon’s tough, he’s tactical. I wouldn’t be here if [he didn’t think he could beat Jones]. I like to fight. He’s not one of those like over intimidating guys. What is he gonna do? Where is he gonna take me? He’s gonna take me to the ground and put me where? He’s got his pick and pop shots on the feet. I’m gonna bring the power to him on the feet. Trust me I’m a different guy at light heavyweight. And on the ground, bottom, top, wherever I go I’m gonna succeed and I’m gonna dominate. There’s nobody that can f*ck with me on the ground. Nobody.”

Luke Rockhold has not fought since early 2018, when he came up short against Yoel Romero. In his next most recent fight, he scored a stoppage win over former World Series of Fighting champion David Branch.

What do you think of Luke Rockhold’s comments on Jon Jones?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/4/2019.