Javier Mendez doesn't think Jon Jones is to blame for Gable Steveson's UFC 331 loss.
Steveson (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was knocked out in just 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) this past Saturday in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Colby Covington urged Steveson to cut ties with Jones, who he sees as a bad influence on him. Mendez, who coached Daniel Cormier in two title fights against Jones, heavily disagrees with Covington.
"It's bad advice to leave Jon Jones," Mendez told Mr Gamble. "Bad advice. Jon Jones is a master. He's a genius. The guy just got caught. Give us a break here. Everybody can get caught. It was only 12 seconds. If I was Gable, I would have made sure that guy knew, 'We're taking your ass down.'
I would have made him uncomfortable with the standup and potentially made him hesitate to throw, but he gave him comfort to land that shot."
Steveson didn't appear to handle the loss well after he stormed out of the octagon before the outcome was read. Jones later took the heat off Steveson and claimed it was his idea.
"It can be a problem for anybody, especially a high-profile individual who was expecting to run through everybody," Mendez said. "He's going to go through a lot of demons. As a coach, you need to keep building him up. He'll tear himself down, you build him back up. He tears himself down a little bit, you build him up more. At some point he'll believe in himself again. It takes a super, super strong-willed individual to get back on track without any hiccups. And based on the fact he left without acknowledging the winner, it says he was in trauma. He's going to face a lot of demons."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Coach: 'Bad advice' for Gable Steveson to leave Jon Jones after UFC 331
