According to a Jan. 31 report from NBC Sports, New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones is set to train over the offseason with UFC champ Jon Jones.
Chandler and Jon are brothers, so the pairing makes plenty of sense.
“That definitely helps you,” Chandler Jones said on Comcast SportsNet New England. “[Jon] has a boxing coach, a muay Thai coach and a jiu jitsu coach. That helps a lot when you’re tugging, playing in the trenches. My biggest thing is I try to get my hands inside before blockers touch me so if I work on my hand speed, that’ll be a great aspect to add to my game.”
Jon Jones is gearing up to defend his light heavyweight title at the UFC 159 card slated for Apr. 27 in Newark, New Jersey, while Chandler Jones faces a long offseason since the New England Patriots were knocked from the NFL playoffs.
“I would say Chandler is the best athlete, because of his combine numbers and now he’s making noise at the highest level of his sport,” Jon said. “I’ll give him the edge in sheer athletic ability. ... [Arthur] has more of a fighter’s spirit. He’s picking up pretty well with MMA training.”
Chandler Jones won't be the first NFL star to train in mixed martial arts. NFL standouts Tim Tebow, Clay Matthews, Jared Allen, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie have each endured extensive MMA workouts during their offseasons in the past.
That said, it's not very odd that Chandler Jones will be training in the sport.
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