Jon Jones rips ‘miserable bastard’ Mike Winkeljohn for allegedly ‘harassing’ coaches working with him

Hopes for a drama-free separation between Jon Jones and Mike Winkeljohn appeared to evaporate Wednesday night after Jones went off on his former coach on Twitter.

In a series of messages, Jones accused Winkeljohn of expressing support publicly while doing the opposite by “harassing” coaches who continue to work with him behind the scenes.

Jones, 34, was suspended from the famed MMA camp earlier this year after his latest run-in with the law, an alleged domestic battery case involving his longtime fiancee in Las Vegas. Winkeljohn told The MMA Hour he had to draw a line after the alleged incident but Jones could get his life together and return to the gym.

Jones expressed regret over the “heartbreaking” decision, but on Wednesday painted a much different picture of his former coach, who co-owns the Jackson-Wink MMA gym that shepherded him during his dominant years in the UFC’s octagon.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion said Winkeljohn had fallen behind as a coach and had alienated his previous students. He said the coach was simply seeking “publicity” by announcing his suspension and yet was still using him to promote the gym.

Further, Jones accused Winkeljohn of having a double standard by allowing a “convicted rapist” to train with the team.

“Now all of a sudden he has morals,” Jones wrote. “Get out of here.”

Winkeljohn did not immediately respond to a request for comment by MMA Fighting.

Jones added his departure from Jackson-Wink changed nothing in terms of the personnel currently helping him make the transition to the UFC heavyweight division. His career remains on pause as his domestic battery case plays out; prosecutors on Tuesday asked for more time to file a complaint against the ex-champ.

Check out Jones’ tweets:

Jones said he expected to return to the UFC in the second quarter of 2022 before his latest legal trouble. He relinquished the light heavyweight belt amid a financial dispute with the UFC over a potential superfight with Francis Ngannou and parted ways with his longtime manager. He recently touted his work with a new camp, Fight Ready, that includes former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo.