Exclusive | Volkan Oezdemir defends Jon Jones’ legacy

In the wake of Jon Jones’ latest failed drug test, which was administered in the buildup to his UFC 214 title fight with Daniel Cormier, many fans have questioned the legitimacy of his legacy, suggesting that perhaps his greatness can be the attributed to PED abuse. In the opinion of top light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, however, these claims are not exactly fair. On the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio “No Time” shared his belief that, while Jones’ could well have been helped by PEDs, his talent remains unquestionable.

“It’s hard to answer to this, because the way Jones fights, it’s just amazing,” Oezdemir said. “He’s doing stuff nobody does. He just has a really high IQ when it comes to fighting. He’s doing stuff with perfect timing, crazy, spinning back elbows… you know. You cannot take anything off Jon Jones, because he so much talent. So, I don’t think it’s really tarnished his legacy. When you watch his fights, he doesn’t win because [of the banned substances]. Of course, it probably helped, but he doesn’t win because he’s so strong and so big. It’s all about the intelligence that he has, and also the IQ, fight IQ. He’s just an amazing athlete.” 

Since joining the UFC in late 2016, Volkan Oezdemir has picked up wins over top-1o foes in Ovince Saint Preux, Misha Cirkunov, and most recently, Jimi Manuwa, who he knocked out in the first round of a fight at UFC 214.

Jones, meanwhile, is currently undergoing his due process in the wake of his failed UFC 214 drug test. While he is facing a lengthy suspension, UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky has suggested he could receive a much softer punishment if his team can prove that his positive test stemmed from taking a tainted supplement by accident.

What do you think of these comments from Volkan Oezdemir?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/9/2017.