Jon Jones believes that one loss doesn’t define a fighter’s career; it’s how they respond that matters. After spending years at the top of the sport, the former UFC heavyweight champion believes that the response to a loss is more important than the defeat itself. And now, in an interview with Red Corner MMA, ‘Bones’ explained why he expects both Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev to return stronger after their first professional setbacks that saw their championship reigns come to an abrupt end.

The Spanish-Georgian’s undefeated streak came to an end at UFC Freedom 250, when Justin Gaethje defeated him via fourth-round TKO to win the undisputed lightweight title. It was one of the most shocking upsets in recent UFC history, but ‘Bones’ feels the former champion already has the right mindset to return stronger.

“Ilia’s going to be in a good position,” Jon Jones told Red Corner MMA. “He has faith, a strong team, and that’s a lot of what it takes. He has the work ethic, and he’s also honest with himself.”

‘Bones’ also revealed that since the two are on the same management team, this gives him some insight into how Ilia Topuria has handled the setback.

“Ilia and I share the same agent, and what I heard is that he’s humbled and that he’s honest,” he added. “He realizes he just didn’t perform well—and that’s the number one step of getting back into the ring in a healthy way.”

For Jon Jones, accepting responsibility is the biggest step toward reclaiming a title. And that is exactly what ‘El Matador’ seems to be doing, according to the former UFC heavyweight.

“It’s the guys that make excuses; that’s when it’s hard to come back and win that rematch,” Jones continued. “Guys who just say, you know what, I could have did better, I could have done more.

“Honesty with yourself is the key for MMA.”

Jones’ comments are especially interesting given that he recently stated that Arman Tsarukyan, not Ilia Topuria, is the future of the lightweight division. Speaking at an IBA event in Russia, the former UFC heavyweight referred to the Armenian as “the people’s champion.”

“Arman is already a champion,” Jones said. “He’s the people’s champion. Everyone loves him.

“And it’s not a matter of if he’s going to be a champion; it’s when he’ll be that great champion.”

But that’s not all, as ‘Bones’ further stated that he would choose ‘Ahalkalakets’ over Ilia Topuria if the two ever go one-on-one.

“You already know; come on, Arman all day. Come on,” he said back then.

But now, it seems like Jon Jones is not writing ‘El Matador’ off after his first professional defeat. Even though he may believe Arman Tsarukyan is next in line at lightweight, the former heavyweight champion also made it clear that he expects Ilia Topuria to bounce back stronger.

It is also worth noting that the former lightweight kingpin wasn’t the only former unbeaten champion Jon Jones discussed in the interview.

Jon Jones believes Khamzat Chimaev needs to fix one major weakness

Khamzat Chimaev also suffered a stunning loss earlier this year, as Sean Strickland claimed the middleweight title with a split decision at UFC 328. After the bout, Chimaev’s brother, Artur, made a big confession about what could be the one big reason behind this major upset.

“There were no injuries, but the weight cut was a problem,” Artur said in an interview for Спорт. “The question arose whether to cancel the fight or take a risk. With 1.2 kg (2.65 pounds) remaining, his body shut down.”

But while Jon Jones sympathized with ‘Borz,’ he believes the defeat also exposed an area that now needs serious attention.

“Big fan of Khamzat, man,” he said. “It was hard to see him lose. It really was. I was really surprised by that, by that fight. But Khamzat, like I said, his family, team, people that believe in you—it’s easy to get up and get back on your horse with a team like his. So he’ll be okay.

“I think when he got taken down, I think that was the main shift. When he was down and he was on his back, I feel like that was the main shift. He’s not used to being in that position. He’s usually the dominant one. I think being down and being on his back somewhere in his mind took him out of the fight.”

Now with the title out of his hands, ‘Bones’ believes that rather than dwelling on the loss, Khamzat Chimaev should attack the weakness head-on.

“If I was Khamzat, I would work on my weaknesses,” Jones added. “That’s something that I personally do before every fight. I will watch a fight and I’ll say, “How can this person beat me?” I would say maybe switching up your endurance routine and spend more time on your back. Maybe throw up some submissions and things like that.

“You know, Khamzat is a great kicker, great boxer, great wrestler, especially when he put you in that body lock. But we don’t really see him on his back very often. So I would go back to the drawing board. I would learn to be comfortable on my back, develop a strong jiu-jitsu game on my back, and mainly focus on the mindset.”

The advice is especially notable given Jon Jones’ past praise for Khamzat Chimaev. After all, earlier this year, the UFC legend described the middleweight champion as one of the best fighters on the planet.

“I think Khamzat Chimaev can win at any weight,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “I think he is one of the top fighters on the planet right now. I think he is big enough to compete with heavyweights. I think he is still small enough to go down. I think he makes a great welterweight.

“I’d love to see him at light heavyweight. I think he’d do great against these guys like Alex Pereira, and Magomed Ankalaev, and all these guys.”

In fact, he expressed interest in training with the former middleweight champion.

“Real recognizing real; hope to train with him some time,” Jones stated.

So, despite Khamzat Chimaev’s first career setback, ‘Bones’ definitely still has faith in him. If anything, he believes the loss only exposed a few flaws that can be fixed before trying another run at UFC gold.