Australian MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski has taken the help of grappling coach Craig Jones for his upcoming fight against Islam Makhachev, find out more about his brief bio, personal achievements, and more
Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski is set to face Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 284.
Who is Craig Jones grappling coach of Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 284, his career and record
Alexander Volkanovski does not appreciate the smugness of Islam Makhachev going into #UFC284.👀 pic.twitter.com/IP2bHvOqSi
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 9, 2023
Damn, Alexander Volkanovski training at high intensity only to be lightly shoulder tapped by Craig Jones and have to fend off a takedown 👀👀👀 #UFC284 coming soon pic.twitter.com/YloRMeggdM
— MMA UNDERGROUND (@theUG) February 3, 2023
Islam accepted Volkanovski’s fight challenge following his recent win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev will battle each other for the lightweight title and the #1 P4P ranking. Ahead of the fight, Islam Makhachev is the favored fighter, due to his recent win where he thrashed Oliveria. Moreover, Makachev has excellent wrestling and grappling skills, which prompted Volkanovski to work with Craig Jones.
Craig Jones brief bio
Craig Jones is a famous and well-respected grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor and coach. The Australian native is the most recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors starting from the legendary Carlos Gracie. Jones is also currently the head of B Team Jiu Jitsu, which operates out of Austin, Texas.
Personal achievements
Throughout his career, Craig Jones has beaten fighters likes Chael Sonnen, Gilbert Burns, and Donald Cerrone in grappling matches.
Given below is a long list of his personal achievements throughout his fighting career:
- IBJJF world No-Gi BJJ champion (purple belt)
- Polaris Pro Grappling Middleweight 205 lbs Champion (2018)
- Polaris Pro Light-Heavyweight 185 lbs Champion (2018/2019)
- Submission Underground Absolute Champion (2019)
- 2nd place at the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship (2019/2022)
- 3rd Place at EBI 11 Invitational (2017)
- 3rd place at Kasai 2 185 lbs Grand Prix (2018)
- 3rd place at Kasai 5 205 lbs Grand Prix (2019)
Alexander Volkanovski’s training under Craig Jones
Looking at Craig Jones’ skills and achievements, it is no wonder that Volkanovski sought his help for training. Following their training, Jones has revealed that Volkanovski has made great progress with his grappling and ground skills. Alexander “The Great” was already a fairly decent wrestler to start with and he has even bigger in size now.
Fans saw Craig praising Volkanovski in one of his recent videos:
Now his techniques, much better and a bit bigger. Like, he’s bit bigger in size. Now super tough for me to submit him. I really have to use all my strength against him.”
Jones strongly believes that Volkanovski’s ground grappling skills are now at a much higher level. Moreover, along with his new diet and bulked-up frame, Volk now has immense power, coupled with speed and technical ability. Jones is confident that Volkanovski should be able to get the better of Islam with his grappling skills.
As for Islam, he previously revealed that wants to showcase his striking abilities a bit more. Both the two fighters seem to have what it takes to bring in a very interesting match to watch.