Jon Jones trained with Jean-Charles Skarbowsky to prepare for his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The Frenchman looked back on his meeting with the American.
To be the best, you have to call on the best. Jon Jones, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, will make his big return to the octagon on November 16, during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Facing him, Stipe Miocic, the former champion of heavyweights who won the belt twice and defended it four times, the record in this division in the UFC. In order to best prepare for this important clash, Jon Jones worked with Frenchman Jean-Charles Skarbowsky, muay-thai legend.
The meeting between Skarbowsky and Jon Jones
In a recent interview on the YouTube channel The JourneyJean-Charles Skarbowsky discussed his training with Jon Jones. First, he explained his meeting with the American:
“I knew him by name but I had not seen his fights. Maybe I had seen a highlight of his knockouts. So I saw it on Facebook with a friend of mine. A coach, in America. (…) I told him that I would like to come and show him (Jon Jones) some techniques if he is interested. I do it at my own expense, I don’t ask for anything, for fun. And then obviously it gives me a lot of publicity… He calls me back and he tells me that he (Jon Jones) has already heard of you because he’s a fan of Georges St-Pierre so he must have seen me in The Ultimate Fighter. And the next day I see that he is injured. It was in 2023. So it was postponed. Later I saw that he was feeling better, I called back and went there. »
The first sparring
“He welcomed me with a big smile, he almost hugged me. (…) We do sparring in Thai, only with the legs. Normally, as the legs, I have to have the upper hand. He is 1 meter 93 and 110 kg, if he enters English it will be problematic for me. But as far as technique goes with the legs, I can get by. After 15 minutes he was all sweaty, I didn’t have a taste. And I calmly ask him if he wants us to add the punches. He told me “No no”. I saw that he was scared, which made me laugh. »
“And that first day he asked me three times to stay with him for 3 and a half months for the camp. I tell him thank you three times and the fourth he asks me if it’s yes or no. I tell him that I can’t stay that long, I have two rooms in Paris, I have my son. On the other hand, I can do two-week periods. When he met me he canceled all his classes for the week to just be with me. »
“A huge gift”
“He told me “tomorrow I’ll kick your ass”. Implying that he hadn’t done it the first day. So I feel super respected. (…) People asked what I could teach Jon Jones. I’ve been doing muay thai for 37 years, he’s 37. Obviously I have things to teach him. I taught him several techniques that he really enjoyed. I cannot disclose them if his opponent finds out… These are fights with millions of dollars at stake, these are the lives of several people at stake. (…) I was there to show him techniques . In total I stayed a little over a month. From the second day he put my photo on his Instagram which is seen all over the world. A gift like that is priceless. It was a huge gift. »
Jon Jones won the belt by submitting Ciryl Gane on March 5, 2023, at UFC 285. The American was scheduled to face Stipe Miocic on November 11 at UFC 295. However, he withdrew due to a tear of the pectoral. He has undergone two operations, and is now ready to do his come-back. Furthermore, this could be the last fight of Jon Jones’ career.
What do you think of the Jones / Skarbowsky duo?
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