UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a very unique problem — he is finding it difficult to be nervous ahead of his fights.
Jones defends his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC 239 which takes place July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In Santos, he faces a brawler with the capability of knocking his lights out at any moment.
However, Jones has been so active in recent months with his title defenses against Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith that he has become accustomed to the sport of combat. Such that he almost feels too comfortable:
”Mentally, technically, I feel better than ever,” Jones said in a recent interview with ESPN. “All the moves are just flowing out of me effortlessly. …Confidence is ultra high. Greg Jackson always talks to me about Rome and how they were so dominant because they would just fight all the time. And he wants that to be the idea for me, to be extremely active and just get so comfortable with combat and I feel like that’s where we’re at.
“I’m not injured anywhere and it just feels all like another day at the office for me, at this point. It’s all so familiar, high pressure moments, tough opponents, fighting the next scariest guy, the guy that’s on the tear. And it’s all so familiar right now. It’s almost too comfortable in this space. I’d appreciate being a little more nervous, it would make me feel like I’m more ready. But I am ready and I feel great.”
So when was the last time Jones was actually nervous for a fight? “Bones” claims it was actually during his rematch with Gustafsson in December — partly because “The Mauler” was the only opponent of his to put him in the hospital after a fight:
”Last time? I think the Gustafsson fight,” Jones said. “Gustafsson 2. It can’t help but to be. He’s the one person that put me in a hospital after 10 years of fighting. Put me on morphine.
“The guy who was just as tall, just as long as me. Gustafsson, I had a lot of questions about how I would perform in a rematch against Gustafsson. And those questions were answered, and I liked the answers.”
You can see the full interview below:
Who do you think makes Jones nervous again? Daniel Cormier at heavyweight? Francis Ngannou? Or someone at light heavyweight like Luke Rockhold or Johnny Walker?
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