Jon Jones Is More Awesome Than You Think
by ufc4 on Feb 6, 2009 11:11 PM EST
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Ben Fowlkes has an interesting article about Jones up at SI.com. Among the many interesting facts he reports on is something that is almost hard to believe:
"The gym I train at is a really small gym, a lot of wrestlers, so I didn't have a striking coach until this last fight," Jones said. "I had to teach myself how to strike."
Which may lead you to ask, how does one teach themself how to strike? Well the answer is simple really- YouTube!
"I would study a lot of videos on YouTube, or go to different websites where I could watch old Pride fights. I just became obsessed with MMA and watched videos over and over again. I learned the moves and took them to practice and started using them. Before I knew it I was considered a pretty good striker."
And that is also what led him to accept the fight with Bonnar, even though he had reservations about it at first:
When he was initially offered the fight with Bonnar, Jones said he was suspicious of the UFC's motives, wondering if it might be looking to take a young fighter "with lots of holes in his game" and feed him to the more experienced Bonnar. He told his manager he'd think about it. Then he did a little research on his own.
"I went online and watched a couple of his fights. I really focused on the fights that he lost, saw him at his weakest moments, and it inspired me to think that I could be better than him. I gave my manager a call back about three hours later and told him I'd take the fight," he said. "I dedicated my life to Stephan Bonnar. I knew how he moved. I knew his tendencies. I just became obsessed with him, and it paid off. The energy I put into preparing for him really showed, and it honestly surprised me how one-sided that fight was."
He goes on to say how he was disappointed with himself for gassing so badly in the final round and how he thought he had trained really well for the fight and that his cardio wouldn't be a problem. He also said Dana White gave him a big bonus for having such an exciting fight. Overall this was a really good article about a very young guy that a lot of people (myself included) are very high on for the future. With his unorthodox teaching techniques he might just be GSP and Greg Jackson all rolled into one. With the talent this guy has now that he can actually afford to train properly the sky is the limit for him. Anyone who is a fan of his should definitely check out this article.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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“I dedicated my life to Stephan Bonnar. I knew how he moved. I knew his tendencies. I just became obsessed with him, and it paid off. The energy I put into preparing for him really showed, and it honestly surprised me how one-sided that fight was.”
When I saw the post title, I was gonna say, “I dunno dude, I already think Jon Jones is totally awesome.” But you’re right, that’s pretty fucking awesome.
The thing that I like about him is not only is he super talented, he sounds very smart as well. That’s a scary combination for a guy who has already accomplished what he has at only 21 years of age.
I don't mean to toss a stereotypical label out there..
but in general, national championship-caliber wrestlers (even at the JuCo level) are going to be pretty smart, and have a well-reasoned approach to the things they do athletically. It’s almost a requirement…wrestling isn’t really a talent-based sport, it’s a discipline-based sport. A good brain is a huge contributor to a disciplined approach.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
That’s true, but Jones is still the first guy I have ever heard of who basically taught himself how to strike simply by carefully studying videos on YouTube and working hard on the moves he saw day after day in the gym. That shows not just smarts, but also ingenuity.
This is a great point.
The portrait of Jones that is painted in this article is awfully impressive. Now, the next test is to make sure he’s coach-able..if he is, then there is really no limit to this guy’s potential.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
watching brock lesnar
i dont think, “Wow that guys really smart”
not saying he isnt, but that isnt the impression that one gets
im not impressed with your performance
The guy gave up a job where he was making millions of dollars and had worldwide fame because he was smart enough to realize that it was going to kill him, sounds like a pretty intelligent guy to me, how many other pro wrestlers were smart enough to get out of it before it was too late?
i lol'ed hard when he said god bless you to god..
but ufc4 has a very good point.. Being smart doesnt necessarily mean being bookish.. He was smart enough to let go of something most people wouldnt, fame and (extra)fortune.. cause hey, he still lives pretty good now.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 7, 2009 3:27 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, that was pretty funny.
I d’oh!‘d when he did that, but really you can’t blame the guy too much..he just won an emotional fight against one of the greatest competitors in the history of the sport. All that hard work in the gym gets to be pretty taxing psychologically, and the release of a good victory is sometimes more than a person can contain.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Fair enough.
And as noted in comments above, smart doesn’t necessarily equal brainy. Introspection, humility (in the capacity to understand your shortcomings and actually compensate for them) and the ability to really understand the principles of what you’re learning are what is required for growth to a high level in MMA.
Unless you’re BJ Penn.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Not surprising
If you followed James Thompson’s career you’d know what watching videos can do for you
Gimme 1 Round!
Or Tito Ortiz.
Oh wait, we were talking about profession, not spouse selection…my bad.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
by misterjonez on Feb 7, 2009 1:21 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Here's a nice piece I found on Jones before his fight against Gusmao...
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/8/5/586946/ufc-87-preview-jon-jones
So he’s got two fights left on his current contract. I wonder if the UFC will main event him on a UFN or something in his next fight.
you mean a nice piece you WROTE
;)
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Jon Jones is the lightweight version of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson I can’t wait to see him fight again
I hasten to disagree. One more highlight reel KO (tonight?) and Johnson starts getting groomed for a title shot.
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 7, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
Don't think so
The memory of him getting choked out by Clementi in a catchweight fight is still fresh
Gimme 1 Round!
It’s an undercard fight he took on a week’s notice. Nobody besides online fans cares about it. If he gets a big KO over Fiorvanti he will get a pretty solid step up in competition next. I’d honestly like to see him fight Parisyan. Kind of a trial by fire for both of them.
Light heavyweight. And I love Rumble, but his wrestling can’t sniff Jones’.
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 7, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
I’d love to see Jones fight Tim Boetsch next… both with a wrestling background, good throws and some unorthodox striking.
Well, according to MMA Bay, he will be facing Thiago Silva next:
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/Story%2000509.html
Which of course means, he will be facing anyone BUT Silva in his next fight. As usual a rumor from MMA Bay that sounds completely ridiculous. Jones is only 21 and they are gonna go easy with him, I doubt they would step him up to somebody like Silva for only his 3rd UFC fight. I realize that Bonnar was a pretty big step up for him but the guy hadn’t fought in 15 months and was coming off a big injury, I actually expected Jones to handle him pretty easily which he did. I just think Silva is at a bit higher level than they should put Jones up against at this point. Boetsch sounds like a good matchup to me, or maybe Tomasz Drwal.
Yeah MMA Bay don’t have a very good record when it comes to rumours :)
Hamill would be a good matchup as well IMO
Hamill doesn't present anything new to Bones, though.
They’re both wrestlers, and at this point Jones is obviously a better overall striker. I don’t see that as entertaining, or helpful to Jon’s career…not saying I wouldn’t watch it, it’s just I’m not sure if it accomplishes much, other than to further deflate Hamill’s value.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
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