Craig Jones reveals how Makhachev and Khabib cornered him over jiu-jitsu claims after UFC 322

Craig Jones found himself outnumbered at UFC 322 last November when Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov turned the jiu-jitsu versus combat sambo debate back on him — moments after Makhachev had dominated Jack Della Maddalena for five rounds to claim the welterweight title.

Jones, widely regarded as one of the finest jiu-jitsu practitioners of his generation, had been a key part of Della Maddalena’s preparation and has long made a point of ribbing combat sambo, claiming his grappling system holds the answer to elite wrestlers such as Makhachev and Nurmagomedov. The result at UFC 322 gave the Dagestani camp plenty of ammunition.

“Islam was screaming at me. The fight was still going on,” Jones said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s like, ‘Where is your jiu-jitsu now?’ I was thinking in my head, ‘You didn’t get a submission, bro. Mission accomplished on my behalf.’ Afterwards, Islam came up, and he was nice about it.”

Nurmagomedov then joined the exchange and began methodically listing fighters who had worked with Jones before losing to Makhachev — citing Della Maddalena, Dan Hooker, and Alexander Volkanovski. Jones, however, was quick to dispute at least one entry on that list.

“Khabib came over, and he was just counting names out,” Jones recalled. “He was just like, ‘Volkanovski twice. Dan Hooker. Now, Jack. You need to say something good about Sambo.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn’t coach Dan Hooker. That’s 3, my friend.’” Hooker was submitted by Makhachev, a result Jones is keen not to have attributed to his corner.

Despite the good-natured ribbing, Jones suggested the rivalry may eventually give way to collaboration. He revealed that Volkanovski had been trying to arrange a training session between Jones and the Dagestani contingent, and that the idea still has legs.

“I think one day we’re gonna link up and train together,” Jones said. “Alex was trying to make that happen.” He also offered a candid assessment of the two Dagestani figures: “I feel like Islam has a better sense of humor than Khabib. I didn’t know how that was going to go.”