Jon Jones’ Obsession with Ryan Bader Might be Borderline Unhealthy

(The government later debunked Jon Jones’ claims of seeing a UFO, saying the object in the upper left was just a weather balloon doing routine analysis. PicProps: Heavy)
We already know that Jon Jones is a compulsive game planner. We also know that his…


(The government later debunked Jon Jones’ claims of seeing a UFO, saying the object in the upper left was just a weather balloon doing routine analysis. PicProps: Heavy)

We already know that Jon Jones is a compulsive game planner. We also know that his methods are sometimes unorthodox, trending toward crazy. Remember that one time he taped off Stephan Bonnar’s physical dimensions on his wall at home in preparation for their bout at UFC 94? Yeah, that seemed to work. Well, as he gets ready for his UFC 126 clash with Ryan Bader, it appears that Jonny Bones’ OCD is reaching new heights. Jones tells Old Dad this week that he’s not only studying tape of Bader’s fights, he’s also watching and re-watching his interviews, shadowing him on Twitter and reading the tweets of his friends, coaches and followers.

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Thiago Silva and Jon Jones Don’t Like Each Other One Bit

("Here Brandon, I’ll play you out of the UFC with a drum solo.")
When Thiago Silva decided to showboat a little by playing the bongos on Brandon Vera’s back during their UFC 125 bout, UFC light heavyweight contender Jon Jones took to Twitter …


("Here Brandon, I’ll play you out of the UFC with a drum solo.")

When Thiago Silva decided to showboat a little by playing the bongos on Brandon Vera’s back during their UFC 125 bout, UFC light heavyweight contender Jon Jones took to Twitter to voice his disapproval.

"Wow that slapping was so disrespectful.. id love to give him a slap in the face," Jones wrote.

During an interview with MMAFighting.com, "Bones" explained his reaction to Silva’s grandstanding.

"It kind of bugged me, only because we all fight, and just losing alone is humiliating enough. It’s embarrassing. … Think about all the people who watched those fights. All [the Brandon Vera] fans, all the members at his school, all the kids that look up to him. Man, it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way," he explained. "It’s not something I would ever want done to me and it’s not something I would ever do to someone else. … There’s ways of looking for an opening besides playing pattycake on a guy’s back."

In a recent Q&A with Tatame, Silva attempted to explain why he pulled the seemingly disrespectful stunt.

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Jon Jones Studying Ryan Bader ‘Like a Spy’ in Preparation for UFC 126

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveWhen UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones sits down to watch tape on a future opponent, it is an exercise in excess. In fact, that’s kind of the point. For Jones, there’s no such thing as too much time spent studying the …

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When UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones sits down to watch tape on a future opponent, it is an exercise in excess. In fact, that’s kind of the point. For Jones, there’s no such thing as too much time spent studying the man he’s about to fight.

Take Ryan Bader, for instance. To prepare for their fight at UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend, Jones has procured tape not only of Bader’s fights, but also his interviews and even a recent fan Q&A session. Now he “can’t watch them enough.” As he told MMA Fighting recently, he already feels like he knows what’s going on inside of Bader’s head.

“When you watch someone’s interviews, you can tell where they’re at mentally,” said Jones. “There’s certain words people use, keywords that show their level of confidence. Like, if I win this fight. Or, I hope. I might be able to do this. For instance, when [Bader] says, ‘When Jon does that spinning back elbow he has his back open for a split second and maybe I can take his back.’ Just the fact that he mentioned that in a Q&A tells me that’s on his mind and that’s a move that frustrates him, that’s bothering him, so I should work on it and make it even faster and harder for him to see coming. People give a lot away in everything they say.”

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(Oh man. 1:00-1:10 is just too much. Props: ix3623vault)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Manager: “Chael Sonne…

(Oh man. 1:00-1:10 is just too much. Props: ix3623vault)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Manager: “Chael Sonnen’s Career is Far From Over” (5thRoundWelcome to the club, guys!)

– UFC to Announce Formal Intent to Bring Event to New York (MMA Fighting)

– MMA Hot List: Fights Booked, Careers Put on Hold (Versus MMA Beat)

– Watch Nam Phan’s Guide to Judging in MMA (MiddleEasy)

– Jacob Volkmann on Fox News. You Figure Out the Rest. (the all-new MMA-Scraps.com)

– Bellator Signs Top 50 Middleweight Joe Riggs (FightMagazine)

– Dan Henderson In Talks For Title Shot Against Rafael Feijao On March 5 (MMA Convert)

– Jon Jones: I Would Definitely Take a "Right Fight" at Heavyweight (LowKick)

– Chad Griggs Taking on Regional Prospect in Final Strikeforce Grand Prix Reserve Bout (Five Ounces of Pain)

– UFC And Strikeforce Situations Make Heavyweight The Division To Watch In 2011 (SBNation.com/MMA)

Afternoon Video Dump: Jon Jones’s Funkiness, Penis Cobbler + More

(Props: Cyberplex)
"Ryan’s mentioning that he thinks that I’ll cut down on my flashiness? That’s what he’s afraid of. So that’s exactly what I’ll probably give him the most, is a lot of weird, unorthodox techniques that he’s never seen, even …

(Props: Cyberplex)

"Ryan’s mentioning that he thinks that I’ll cut down on my flashiness? That’s what he’s afraid of. So that’s exactly what I’ll probably give him the most, is a lot of weird, unorthodox techniques that he’s never seen, even in wrestling."

So says light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones, who’s set to face off against Ryan Bader in a high-profile matchup at UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort on Super Bowl weekend. In his most recent fights against Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, and Matt Hamill, Jones simplified his gameplan so that he was pretty much just taking guys down with his Greco throws then smashing them with elbows and punches until the ref pulled him off. Bader will be expecting that, which may be why Jones is promising brand-new techniques. But what can he throw that he hasn’t shown us already? Is there such a thing as a spinning-flying-knee?  

After the jump: Chuck Liddell‘s guest-spot on Blue Mountain State (damn right it’s horrible!), Michael Schiavello repeats his catch-phrase over and over again, and MMA makes it onto Comedy Central’s brand-new Sportsdome series. Sort of.

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Jon Jones Explains Why He’s Not a Fan of Thiago Silva’s Slaps

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveAs Jon Jones’ Twitter followers might have noticed on Saturday night, the UFC light heavyweight wasn’t a fan of Thiago Silva’s slapping maneuver against Brandon Vera late in their UFC 125 bout.

Jones called Silva’s …

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As Jon JonesTwitter followers might have noticed on Saturday night, the UFC light heavyweight wasn’t a fan of Thiago Silva‘s slapping maneuver against Brandon Vera late in their UFC 125 bout.

Jones called Silva’s treatment of Vera “disrespectful,” and added “i’d love to give him a slap in the face.”

To many people on the internet, it looked like an instant rivalry. As Jones explained to MMA Fighting this week, it’s not that he has anything personal against Silva, but rather against blatant displays of disrespect between professionals.