NBA James Johnson recently doubled down on a statement he made last year claiming he could beat UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a fight.
‘Bones’ is days away from his long-awaited return to the Octagon on Saturday, November 16. Headlining the promotion’s annual pit stop in Madison Square Garden, Jones will put his gold up for grabs against perhaps the greatest heavyweight the sport has ever seen—Stipe Miocic.
Last year, Johnson—who has played for 11 NBA teams since being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2009—boldly stated that he could defeat Jon Jones with a year of training.
“I would need a year,” he said on the NBA Rookie Life podcast. “My standup game is great but what we all know with Jones is he’s a collegiate wrestler, really good on the ground and that’s not my forte. I can get on the ground. To his level? I’m not there yet I’d definitely need a year to work on counters and defenses against it so that we can stay on our feet.”
James Johnson Says He’d Have an ‘Advantage’ Over Jon Jones in Striking
Johnson echoed a similar sentiment during an appearance on the OGs Podcast last month, adding that he’d have an advantage against ‘Bones’ in the stand-up game because he competed in kickboxing.
“I truly, truly believe that [I can beat Jones]. I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Johnson said. “Like, real training would really be for that groundwork. As far as standing up in a fight, I feel like I got an advantage.”
NBA player James Johnson really said he could beat Jon Jones in an MMA fight 😅 pic.twitter.com/DI0PQkiEaY
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) November 5, 2024
Jones didn’t respond to Johnson’s ridiculous statement the first time, but fight fans were plenty vocal and thoroughly dragged Johnson on social media. However, this time, Jones felt compelled to comment on 6’7″ baller’s remark.
“I didn’t realize until now that basketball players got CTE as well, this man sounds crazy,” Jones wrote on Instagram.
