Former Jackson Wink general manager Mikhail Lyubimov has shared a series of revelations about the gym's top fighters. Jon Jones dominated all sparring partners including heavyweights and reportedly never remembered Jiri Prochazka, Vagab Vagabov, or Modestas Bukauskas after they trained at the facility. Jones also personally demanded Roman Dolidze leave the gym after the Georgian repeatedly submitted Jones's BJJ coaches and taunted them. Lyubimov attributes the decline of the legendary Jackson-Wink MMA to Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn burning out, with Winkeljohn now more focused on real estate. Claressa Shields's MMA career stalled because she was, in Lyubimov's words, extremely lazy in wrestling and grappling despite dominating boxing sparring against male partners.
Former Jackson-Wink general manager Mikhail Lyubimov has gone public with a wide-ranging interview detailing life behind the scenes at one of MMA's most storied gyms, offering candid assessments of Jon Jones, Roman Dolidze, Claressa Shields, and the facility's gradual decline.
The most striking claims concern Jones, the 38-year-old heavyweight champion who carries a 28-1-0 record and a 84-inch reach that made him a physically overwhelming presence in the gym. According to Lyubimov, Jones dominated every sparring partner at Jackson-Wink, including heavyweights, and left such a faint impression on fighters like Jiri Prochazka, Vagab Vagabov, and Modestas Bukauskas that he reportedly had no recollection of them after their stints at the facility.
The Dolidze story is equally striking. Lyubimov says the Georgian middleweight, who holds a 15-5-0 record and sits ranked 12th in his division, repeatedly submitted Jones's BJJ coaches during his time at the gym and taunted them afterward. Jones allegedly responded by personally demanding Dolidze's removal. Now 37 and training out of Xtreme Couture, Dolidze averages 0.7 submission attempts per 15 minutes — a rate that gives context to why those grappling sessions reportedly caused friction.
Lyubimov also addresses Claressa Shields's stalled transition to MMA, describing her as extremely lazy in wrestling and grappling despite dominating boxing sparring against male training partners. The disconnect between her elite striking base and her apparent disengagement from the ground game, in Lyubimov's account, explains why her MMA development hit a wall.
Why it matters
- Jon Jones's reported behavior toward visiting fighters and coaches offers a rare insider look at the gym's internal culture during his time there
- The Dolidze account sheds light on his departure from Jackson-Wink and his development as a submission-active middleweight
- Lyubimov attributes the gym's broader decline to Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn burning out, with Winkeljohn reportedly shifting focus toward real estate
- Shields's grappling deficiencies, as described, highlight the specific hurdles elite boxers face when crossing over to MMA
