Coach Mike Winkeljohn: Jones would be motivated to beat up on Chael Sonnen in Toronto

Jon Jones‘ striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, is the latest to weigh-in on Jones’ decision to turn down a UFC 151 bout with Chael Sonnen after Dan Henderson was injured and withdrawn from the fight. Winkeljohn spoke with our good friends at Bloodyelbow.com and offered his defense of the champ.

Coach Winkeljohn said: “Enough’s enough. I can’t sit back on the sidelines any longer. All I can say to everybody, don’t put this on Jon. There are others to blame. This UFC 151 problem should have been resolved weeks ago. Chael Sonnen is a smart guy with cardio for days. He has relentless takedowns and is a much different fighter than Dan Henderson.”
 
Winkeljohn suspects that Sonnen knew weeks in advance of Hendo’s injury and was trying to manipulate his way into a title fight against the Light Heavyweight champion: “How long has Chael been attacking Jon in the media and why? Hmm. He’s a man known for moneymaking schemes and cheating by bending the rules. And he’s done this in various arenas. I think Chael played almost everyone like a fiddle. But I believe like a coward he tried to train and strike Jon when Jon wasn’t looking. But hey, Jon is a warrior, and he, actually we, saw it coming. All I can say to Chael is nice try.”
 
When asked if Jones’ camp want to see Jones vs. Sonnen some day, just not a week’s notice, Winkeljohn said: “Oh yeah. There’s nothing more that we want than that. Jon vs Sonnen. With no surprise attacks like Pearl Harbor. That’s a fight I want to see. Jon will win the war, and I think the UFC should capitalize on it. To my knowledge he was not offered (to fight Sonnen in Toronto). I’m not his manager. I do not know about that. I’m not sure why, or if there was some kind of contractual agreement elsewhere. But I know that Jon would be super-motivated to beat up on Chael in Toronto.”