Jon Jones' performance against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197 opened the floodgates for criticism following his dejected post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
The pound-for-pound #1 couldn't quite find his rhythm in the fight, but that didn't stop 'Bones' from cruising to a unanimous decision win over Saint Preux to seize the interim light heavyweight championship. The win sets up a rematch with Daniel Cormier, who Jones dominated last year, at the mega UFC 200 pay-per-view on July 9.
Head striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, who has refined and honed Jones' craft alongside Greg Jackson at Jackson-Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, believes his star student will have an easier time against 'DC' due to a specialized gameplan.
"We've already got the game plan put together - now it's almost easier in some ways, because we continue working it," Winkeljohn told MMAjunkie Radio. "We've been training for it for a while, so I think it's going to be an easier fight for Jon."
The kind of nuances that Winkeljohn thrives on were thrown out of the window when OSP stepped in as a late replacement for an injured Cormier at UFC 197. That's why Jackson-Wink were reluctant to accept the fight, and that's why Jones struggled against a #6 ranked opponent he was expected to dominate.
Winkeljohn will be using Jones' first fight against Cormier as the blueprint heading into the rematch, but says there are 'different things' to look out for when the two eventually collide this Summer.
"It's different things," Winkeljohn said. "Overall game plan, we know we can win here, and you get more detailed on the tactics as you get closer and closer to it, and you find out that works, that doesn't work. So you start fine-tuning. But almost immediately, you put together an overall strategy, and you start fine-tuning the closer you get."
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II will headline UFC 200 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9.
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