DENVER — Jon Jones decimated his toughest opponent to date and successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time on Saturday night. So why didn’t he seem all that happy about it?
That was just one of many questions for the brilliant young fighter who is proving to be as much of an enigma to those trying to understand him out of the cage as he is to the baffled opponents who face him inside of it. Throughout the UFC 135 post-fight press conference the 24-year-old champion maintained a low-key, almost downtrodden demeanor, despite the fact that he was only minutes removed from the biggest win of his career.
“Me and ‘Rampage’ [Jackson] did a lot of talking and I’m just glad it’s over,” said Jones, his voice flat and low. “I’m just doing my job right now.”
Maybe what got him down was the foot injury he sustained while kicking Jackson’s shins. He had to be helped into his seat at the start of the post-fight presser and helped out of the room once it was over, though he insisted it was nothing serious.
Or maybe it was the fact that the UFC once again cut his post-fight celebration short by immediately shifting the focus in the cage from Jones’ fourth-round submission win over Jackson to his planned next bout against former teammate Rashad Evans — a shift that Jones said “ruined my special night” for the second time in as many title fights.
When asked about that comment, a stone-faced Jones shook his head and said only, “I don’t want to talk about Rashad today.”
Though later he did talk about him, but only after Jackson alluded to Evans possibly having Jones’ number after their training room sessions at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, N.M.
After Jackson said that Evans was “basically the only person who has a chance at beating him because Rashad trained with him before and Rashad knows,” Jones deigned to speak of his former training partner.
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“I will say this about Rashad,” Jones said. “He does not have my number. He’s not even close to having my number. Me and Rashad, we sparred a few times, and every time we sparred I know what could have happened. He talks about one day at practice where he held me down and he lives that day in his head every day.”
Even Jackson had questions for Jones once they were both sitting at the same table. Like, for instance, why did he start the fight by crawling out to the center of the cage on all fours?
According to Jones it was because he knew Jackson’s punching power would be greatest early in the fight and “I knew he wouldn’t be able to generate too much power at such a low target.”
And his decision to dump Jackson over his back before calmly strolling off to his corner following the horn to end round three? At the time, it seemed like just one more way to remind Jackson of his superiority. Not quite toying with him, but certainly sending a message.
Not so, according to Jones.
“I was just trying to finish the round strong, show that I had a lot of energy left,” he explained.
Jackson, who has losses to both Jones and Evans, said he respected the champion more than his old rival Evans, if only because Jones looked to do more than simply out-wrestle him.
“When it comes to fighting, even though Jon ran like a little girl every now and then, I still have more respect for him as a fighter, because Jon did come to bring it. …He rocked me once and he’s a true fighter. Rashad…I was really rusty and he probably would have knocked me out that time had he fought me.”
As for Jones, he insisted that he was “definitely happy” about the win over Jackson, even if he didn’t seem like it. Rather than thinking (or talking) about where and when his long-awaited fight with Evans might be, the champion had other ideas.
“I just can’t wait to get home to my family, take a nice bath, and be done for a while.”
DENVER — Jon Jones decimated his toughest opponent to date and successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time on Saturday night. So why didn’t he seem all that happy about it?
That was just one of many questions for the brilliant young fighter who is proving to be as much of an enigma to those trying to understand him out of the cage as he is to the baffled opponents who face him inside of it. Throughout the UFC 135 post-fight press conference the 24-year-old champion maintained a low-key, almost downtrodden demeanor, despite the fact that he was only minutes removed from the biggest win of his career.
“Me and ‘Rampage’ [Jackson] did a lot of talking and I’m just glad it’s over,” said Jones, his voice flat and low. “I’m just doing my job right now.”
Maybe what got him down was the foot injury he sustained while kicking Jackson’s shins. He had to be helped into his seat at the start of the post-fight presser and helped out of the room once it was over, though he insisted it was nothing serious.
Or maybe it was the fact that the UFC once again cut his post-fight celebration short by immediately shifting the focus in the cage from Jones’ fourth-round submission win over Jackson to his planned next bout against former teammate Rashad Evans — a shift that Jones said “ruined my special night” for the second time in as many title fights.
When asked about that comment, a stone-faced Jones shook his head and said only, “I don’t want to talk about Rashad today.”
Though later he did talk about him, but only after Jackson alluded to Evans possibly having Jones’ number after their training room sessions at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, N.M.
After Jackson said that Evans was “basically the only person who has a chance at beating him because Rashad trained with him before and Rashad knows,” Jones deigned to speak of his former training partner.
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“I will say this about Rashad,” Jones said. “He does not have my number. He’s not even close to having my number. Me and Rashad, we sparred a few times, and every time we sparred I know what could have happened. He talks about one day at practice where he held me down and he lives that day in his head every day.”
Even Jackson had questions for Jones once they were both sitting at the same table. Like, for instance, why did he start the fight by crawling out to the center of the cage on all fours?
According to Jones it was because he knew Jackson’s punching power would be greatest early in the fight and “I knew he wouldn’t be able to generate too much power at such a low target.”
And his decision to dump Jackson over his back before calmly strolling off to his corner following the horn to end round three? At the time, it seemed like just one more way to remind Jackson of his superiority. Not quite toying with him, but certainly sending a message.
Not so, according to Jones.
“I was just trying to finish the round strong, show that I had a lot of energy left,” he explained.
Jackson, who has losses to both Jones and Evans, said he respected the champion more than his old rival Evans, if only because Jones looked to do more than simply out-wrestle him.
“When it comes to fighting, even though Jon ran like a little girl every now and then, I still have more respect for him as a fighter, because Jon did come to bring it. …He rocked me once and he’s a true fighter. Rashad…I was really rusty and he probably would have knocked me out that time had he fought me.”
As for Jones, he insisted that he was “definitely happy” about the win over Jackson, even if he didn’t seem like it. Rather than thinking (or talking) about where and when his long-awaited fight with Evans might be, the champion had other ideas.
“I just can’t wait to get home to my family, take a nice bath, and be done for a while.”
DENVER — Jon Jones decimated his toughest opponent to date and successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time on Saturday night. So why didn’t he seem all that happy about it?