UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters in the world. But even the best can get better, and that's what Bones has been concentrating on in his training camp leading up to his UFC 151 title defense against former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. One thing he thinks he hasn't shown yet is a lot of power, which is something Hendo clearly has a lot of. So Jones is trying to work on putting more of a jolt into his strikes, according to what he had to say in a recent Fuel TV interview (via MMA Weekly):
"The biggest thing I've been doing differently is just learning how to put people down. We're realizing by watching my own fights, my coaching staff and I, that I am becoming a pretty good kickboxer, but I'm not dropping anybody. So we're working on foundation, using your legs, working on power," said Jones.
He also thinks that could lead to something absolutely no one would be expecting:
"Everyone's talking about Dan Henderson's knockout power; it might just be a one-punch knockout for me this time."
While there's pretty much zero chance of that happening, mainly due to Henderson's vaunted iron chin, it's good that he's not getting content and is still honest about the holes in his game and the need to improve them. He also stated that there's something else that keeps him motivated - defending his 205-pound title more than anyone else has:
"I'm closing in on Tito Ortiz's record, one of the greatest light heavyweights of all time," said Jones. "That's something that also motivates me to just keep hitting it hard."
SBN coverage of UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson