Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News
LAS VEGAS — The word “hype” is often thrown around in MMA circles, surrounding young prospects. It probably has been attached to few names as often as it has been attached to Jon Jones.
Even during a weekend featuring a middleweight championship bout, more than a few insiders have admitted that Jones’ fight with Ryan Bader is the one they’re most interested in seeing at UFC 126. The spotlight on him is that bright. But to Jones, “hype” is a four-letter word for its often negative connotation related to unearned attention. To Jones, it’s not hype if it’s hard-earned through work.
But despite his success and the limelight that’s followed him, Jones won’t concede he’s anywhere close to a finished product as a fighter. In fact, he says one of his favorite parts of MMA is that there is always more to learn.
“I love it,” he told MMA Fighting. “MMA is like swimming out into the middle of the ocean and realizing there’s no other side out there. It’s like climbing a ladder where there’s no top rung. When you take account of expert psychology stuff, working on flexibility, guard passes, working from the bottom, and I could go on, there’s so much to learn. I love it. But I say I’m at 20 percent of where I can be, where I should be.”