WATCH: Alexander Volkanovski’s BJJ coach hilariously chokes out Russian UFC welterweight

Craig Jones' dominant display in grappling match at Pit Submission Series has a unique ending.

WATCH: Alexander Volkanovski’s BJJ coach hilariously chokes out Russian UFC welterweight

Alexander Volkanovski's BJJ coach Craig Jones submits Rinat Fakhretdinov (Image via: X, Instagram)

Alexander Volkanovski was the pound-for-pound best not long ago. Volkanovski had one of the best all-around skills in the sport. One of the most impressive performances of Volkanovski came against Brian Ortega at UFC 266. Ortega had Volkanovski in a mounted guillotine and a triangle choke in the fight. Volkanovski escaped both, thanks to training with Craig Jones.

Volkanovski’s BJJ coach is Craig Jones, one of the best no-gi BJJ grapplers in the world. Jones recently had a grappling match with Rinat Fakhretdinov at the Pit Submission Series of Karate Combat. Jones had Fakhretdinov in a triangle choke on his back in the grappling matchup. It appeared that Fakhretdinov was out as the referee broke the choke. However, Fakhretdinov might have woken up as the choke loosened.

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Nonetheless, the referee put the grapplers back in the same position and instructed them to continue. Jones immediately transitioned to a mounted triangle choke. This time, the Russian fighter went to sleep. He only woke up a couple of seconds later. Interestingly, Rinat had fun with Jones after he woke up as he proceeded to grapple again.

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Nevertheless, Jones moved to 2-0 in the series with the victory. Jones has always criticized the BJJ skills of Russian fighters with a Combat Sambo background. He got the chance to prove it yet again as Fakhretdinov is a Master of Sports in Combat Sambo.

Alexander Volkanovski gets expert advise from Craig Jones at UFC 266

At UFC 266, Alexander Volkanovski defended the featherweight title against Brian Ortega. The scorecards read 49-46, 50-45, and 50-44. However, that does not reveal the full story. Ortega had Volkanovski in two tight submissions. Even though Ortega is the best BJJ grappler in the division, Volkanovski did not panic.

Alexander Volkanovski and Craig Jones
Alexander Volkanovski and Craig Jones (Source: Craig Jones Instagram)

Alexander Volkanovski had Joe Lopez, Eugene Bareman, Frank Hickman, and Craig Jones in his corner. When Ortega had Volkanovski in chokes, the men in the corner provided expert advice to the Aussie. Jones was the most vocal of them all. Volkanovski escaped from multiple submission attempts from Ortega and proceeded to batter his opponent. After the win, Volkanovski spoke of the training he got from Jones as an important factor in his victory.

When Alexander Volkanovski fought Islam Makhachev at UFC 284, he showed high-level wrestling and submission defense. Hickman and Jones prepared him well for the fight. Nonetheless, Volkanovski has lost his last two bouts, both via knockout. Moreover, the Aussie is over 35 years old, and his best days are likely behind him. Nonetheless, Volk has the confidence to become a champion again, evidenced by his latest spoof video.

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