Throughout his young career as UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has dealt with his fair share of trash talkers who wanted to make a fight with him personal.
Even before he was champion he dealt with brash fighters who believed he wasn’t as talented as he was perceived to be, so it took Jones some serious time to earn the respect he’s been given.
The opponents who still didn’t respect him?
Jones has certainly taught all of them a lesson as well with his five consecutive light heavyweight title defenses, finishing four out of five opponents by either TKO or submission.
For his upcoming bout at UFC 165 against Alexander Gustafsson, there’s a different feeling in the air than some past bouts for Jones.
Gustafsson has never been known as a trash talker or really to say anything bad about an opponent before a fight. If anything, Gustafsson just displays a quiet confidence that might be scarier than any words a fighter could say before squaring off in the Octagon.
Jones recognizes the look of competitive hunger in Gustafsson‘s eyes, because it’s the same look he carried before he won the UFC light heavyweight title. It’s that very hunger and drive that Jones appreciates most about Gustafsson, so even if he never says another word before they fight, the motivation to win is already instilled in him.
“The way I find motivation to fight a guy like (Gustafsson) is he wants what I have,” Jones said recently. “I can’t allow that to happen.”
Jones has said time and again that he’s working towards bigger goals for his life, and that includes major sponsorship deals, being involved in huge matchups in the UFC and branching out his brand for the next several years.
That all stops or potentially goes away if he loses to Gustafsson, so Jones knows that losing is not an option.
Check out this interview with Jones where he talks about Gustafsson and the differences he sees in the Swedish born fighter as opposed to some of his past opponents that tried to go the route of trash talk ahead of a fight.
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