SALT LAKE CITY – It may have been hard for him, but Chael Sonnen gave his former rival Jon Jones a big compliment.
Sonnen coached Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite side Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in 2013, and the pair fought at UFC 159. Jones finished Sonnen by first-round TKO to retain his light heavyweight title.
Jones returned from a layoff in excess of three years to quickly submit Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and capture the vacant heavyweight belt. He’s scheduled to make his first title defense against Stipe Miocic in the UFC 295 headliner on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.
