According to a report at MMAMadness.com, Joe Stevenson will be leaving Cobra Kai gym and heading to Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico:
MMAMadness.com has learned that Joe Stevenson will be leaving Cobra Kai and head trainer Irvin Bounds to join the Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Stevenson makes the decision as he faces a possible "must win" scenario to stay in the UFC when he takes on Nate Diaz on June 20.
"We both agreed it would be better if he moved on and try to change a little bit so he can continue to stay in the UFC," Bounds said.
...
"Joe just basically wanted to make a change in his routine. He needs to be more isolated. He wants to completely be away to focus and train with some better people like St. Pierre and Rashad and push himself," Bounds said.
This is an unconfirmed report at the moment, but I would file this one under "probably happening". Stevenson went from a number one contender when he took on B.J. Penn at UFC 80 to sporting a 1-2 record in his last 3 fights.
While he's taken on very good competition in eventual number one contender Kenny Florian and newcomer to the Lightweight scene Diego Sanchez, Stevenson lacks the skillset to be a dynamic finisher. Most notably, his striking isn't heavily technical or powerful and his submission game is lacking. Relying on the guillotine choke to be there isn't a solid game plan.
This should be a good move for Stevenson. He'll have a top camp to work with, fighters who will push him to the edge and increase his skills, and hopefully he can tighten up those areas of his game that he isn't overly great at. If Greg Jackson and his team can bring Stevenson's striking to a higher level and teach him the finer points of a dynamic ground game, Stevenson may very well be able to pull himself back from the brink of losing his UFC contract.
