JRE MMA Show #110 with Craig Jones & Alex Volkanovski

Volkanovski emphasizes that true technical evolution happens between fights; once an opponent is booked, every session becomes tightly structured around that matchup, while off-camp time is for adding new layers and deepening skills.

It’s no longer enough to have striking plus basic grappling; Volkanovski and Jones stress that you need integrated offense/defense in all phases (wrestling, jiu-jitsu, wall work) and the ability to choose the right 'tool' at the right time.

Volkanovski describes deliberately brutal conditioning sessions where he pushes to breaking point, making fight night feel easier; he also exploits opponents’ early explosiveness, knowing their sharpness drops dramatically after a minute or two.

Both guests link hard camps to worse COVID cases and chronic staph/MRSA infections, showing that seven-day training weeks and constant hard rounds without smart recovery can lead to serious illness and long-term damage.

Jones explains how Danaher’s structured, experimental approach and events like EBI and ADCC created a platform for heel hooks and leg-lock systems to dominate, forcing the entire jiu-jitsu world to adapt or be left behind.

Rogan and Jones highlight that when fighters and grapplers trust their defensive escapes (from mount, back, takedowns, submissions), they attack more confidently, because they’re not paralyzed by fear of bad positions.

From fighting with staph or broken fingers to dealing with neck, back, and vaccine side effects, they show how top athletes weigh risk vs. reward, often pushing through issues but increasingly using specialists, stem cells, and targeted strength work to extend careers.