Jon Jones speaks to the press prior to UFC 135. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC.
Jon “The Man” Jones got himself a special in the upcoming issue of GRACIEMAG, where the strengths (copious) and weaknesses (few) of the light heavyweight champion of the UFC are broken down and laid out. Be sure to get your hands on it as soon as it hits a bookstore near you, and to make sure you don’t miss any special reports in the future, subscribe here.
Voted the GRACIEMAG man of the year in MMA of 2011, Jones abounds with lessons. During a lively trip to Rio for the UFC 142 weekend, Jon Jones was interviewed by Brazilian journalist Ary Cunha for the Sunday edition of “O Globo” newspaper, and he also provided one good piece of controversy with Jiu-Jitsu as a theme.
1. LESSON OF LONE LOSS
“I messed up there [disquualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009]. It was the wrong move at the wrong time; I made a mistake. But rather than getting intimidated and stop using elbows, I improved the technique. I don’t make that mistake anymore, and now elbows are my number-one weapon.”
2. TAKE MORE RISKS
“I always try getting the finish when I fights, using different moves, preferably the riskier ones. I know that putting on a good show for the crowd is just as important as winning.”
3. FORMULA FOR SUCCESS AS FIGHTER
“Passion. Being passionate about what you do (…) You have to struggle to be the best every day.”
4. ENERGY AND GAS IN JIU-JITSU
“I love swimming, to improve my wind.”
5. TOUGHEST WIN IN UFC
“It was against André Gusmão [UFC debut, in August 2008; he won by unanimous decision]. (…) I didn’t have a strategy, my technique wasn’t clean, I didn’t think much during the fight. Now I know what’s going on; I know how to read my opponent, read their body language, which I didn’t know how to do before.”
6. OUTSIDE OCTAGON: PEACE AND SMILES
“I don’t get stressed. There are people starving, living with war, disease. I have no reason to complain, to suffer from little things. I can’t cry; I have to smile, because my worst day is a good day.”
7. “WRESTLING IS A POWERFUL WEAPON AND CANCELS OUT JIU-JITSU”
“And last but not least: the controversy. Jones, who has been wrestling since he was 14 years old, is quoted by “O Globo” as saying, “Wrestling is a powerful weapon and cancels out Jiu-Jitsu. Good wrestlers know how to avoid getting pinned. I’ve never been pinned and never been taken down…”
Jones’s opinion deserves the utmost respect, of course. There’s no lack of wrestlers who have trained hard and managed to get around Jiu-Jitsu. Could be, though, that you, dear reader, might agree that this video here weakens the champion’s case just a bit:
What do you think, dear reader, is Jones six times right and one time wrong? Comment below.
