The Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #110 with Craig Jones & Alex Volkanovski

Joe is joined by top ranked jiu jitsu grappler Craig Jones & UFC Feather Champion Alex Volkanovski. Learn more about your ad choices.

Joe RoganhostAlex VolkanovskiguestCraig Jonesguest

Jun 26, 20242h 58mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Volkanovski, Craig Jones Reveal Ultimate Fighter Chaos, COVID Battles, Future Wars

Alexander Volkanovski and Craig Jones join Joe Rogan to talk about filming The Ultimate Fighter, the evolution of MMA and grappling, and the realities of elite fight preparation. Volkanovski breaks down the rising featherweight talent pool, his rivalry with Max Holloway, and his upcoming title defense against Brian Ortega, including strategic insights and psychological angles. Jones details life under John Danaher, the leg-lock revolution, brutal competition injuries, and why he’s wary of MMA despite coaching on TUF. The conversation also dives into COVID, vaccine reactions, staph infections, overtraining, and how true high-level camps manage recovery, strength, and game-planning.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Elite camps separate learning phases from fight camps.

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.

Modern fighters must be truly well-rounded, not just 'multi-skilled'.

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.

Cardio and energy management separate champions from contenders.

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.

Overtraining can quietly destroy your immune system and career.

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.

Grappling has been transformed by systematic leg-lock development.

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.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I don’t want to experience an uncomfortable feeling in the fight. I’m gonna experience it in camp.

— Alexander Volkanovski

It’s better to be good at one than shit at both.

— Craig Jones, on specializing in no-gi vs. gi

What I know now won’t be enough in a couple of months.

— Alexander Volkanovski

We train seven days a week. Unfortunately Jon holds us to a higher standard ‘cause he’s there seven days a week.

— Craig Jones

You can’t have any holes in your game at the elite level anymore.

— Joe Rogan

Filming and format of The Ultimate Fighter: Return season with Volkanovski vs. OrtegaCurrent landscape of MMA talent and evolution of striking/grappling levelsGrappling innovation: leg locks, Danaher Death Squad, and ADCC cultureInjury, illness, and recovery: COVID, vaccines, staph/MRSA, back and neck issuesFight preparation, conditioning philosophy, and year-round skill developmentPsychology and strategy: rivalries (Holloway, Ortega), underdog mindset, mental edgesRule sets and organizations: UFC vs. Pride, ADCC rules, other promotions’ role

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.