NBA Vet James Johnson: I'll Beat UFC Champ Jon Jones With 1 Year of Training
NBA power forward James Johnson believes he could beat consensus greatest of all time fighter Jon "Bones" Jones with just a year of training.
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Johnson spoke with former NBA player turned sports journalist Ryan Hollins on his 'NBA Rookie Life' podcast on August 30, where he got bold on the idea of fighting Jones after retiring from the NBA:
"I rock with [Jon] Jones," Johnson clarified. "...I would need a year [to go up against Jones]. 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."
Johnson is confident he could beat Jones, with one key element:
"I think I could beat him, for real," Johnson continued. "But like I said with a year of training defense --- I just need ground defense.
"...He started learning how to use your hands and your feet - what? - after college? Like, I've been punching and kicking since I was five, six years-old. ...[It's] the opposite for him because he's been wrestling for that long. Learning all his wrestling moves... As long as I can keep him from going on the floor... I win."
Johnson's disregard for Jones' achievements is emblematic of a broader trend where non-fighter athletes and influencers indiscriminately think they could defeat professional fighters.
The trend was mainly driven by influencer and bodybuilder Bradley Martyn, who famously claimed he could defeat professional boxer Devin Haney, as well as Nate Diaz and Demetrious Johnson, the latter in a grappling match.
If the 6'8, 36-year-old Johnson wants to try his hands at beating Jones, he'll first have to fight professionally in MMA. Despite being a black belt in karate and allegedly being undefeated in kickboxing (20-0) and MMA (7-0), Johnson's bouts aren't documented anywhere outside of his interviews.
It's safe to say that Johnson's bold statements are largely unsubstantiated and should be taken with a grain of salt.
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