HHJ
11-28-2009, 05:20 PM
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Rumble/entry/view/45267/rumble_exclusive_jon_jones_interview#page_break
Chad Dundas: It seems like it's been one interview after another for you today, huh?
Jon Jones: Man, it has been pretty hectic today. It's been real repetitive, but it's cool.
CD: What's the weirdest thing you've been asked?
JJ: If I've had a near-death experience.
CD: Have you?
JJ: Yes, I have.
CD: I might have to ask you about that later.
JJ: Oh, no. Not you, Chad. Let's be original. Me and you, brother, let's do this.
CD: Alright. I know you're down at Greg Jackson's right now, is this the first time you've been down there or did you train there before the O'Brien fight too?
JJ: This is my first training camp here but I have been here before, just to kind of try out the scene and see if I wanted to be part of it. Obviously, I fell in love with it.
CD: Tell me a little bit about what it's like down there. What are you learning?
JJ: Well, they’re attacking my main weaknesses. Greg is big on getting his athletes to close up their gaps. My jiu-jitsu has to be my weakest department so he's trying to close that hole up. I've been doing a lot of wrestling and a lot of jiu-jitsu.
CD: I know you've been to the Tri-Star Gym (in Montreal) for this fight as well. What's the experience like for you now to be able to go train with some of these world-renowned camps?
JJ: It's amazing. It's just a total reality check on how not good I actually am. You know what I mean? I go from a school (in New York) where I beat up everyone, and now I get tapped out and guys try to kick my head off. It's an everyday thing. It's just a big reality check in how much work I actually have to do still.
CD: Can you give me a sense of how much your life has changed over the last year?
JJ: It's really, really different. It's been such a blessing. I'm a person who’s really into thinking positively and looking for the best in people, having self confidence and believing in yourself. The biggest thing is that I finally get to spread that message and I get to be an example. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of amazing people that I would've never, ever gotten to meet without this.
CD: I was going to ask you about your mindset. You've been so successful so fast and you're only 22 years old. What do you have to do to keep yourself grounded and focused?
JJ: Moving to Greg Jackson's and getting beat up everyday? That definitely helps.
CD: Let's talk a little bit about the fight. What do you expect from Matt Hamill?
JJ: Matt Hamill? I'm expecting him to try to go out there and take me down and lay on top of me until the time runs out.
CD: You think so? He's looked better on his feet his last few times out. You still expect a fairly wrestling-based attack from him?
JJ: Absolutely. After the Rich Franklin fight I don't think his confidence is where it needs to be when it comes to striking. I think he's a wrestler at heart and I think that he thinks his best chance of winning is by wrestling me. I'm sure that's what he's going to go out and try to do.
CD: What’s your plan to counteract that? Do you want to try to outwrestle him or would you rather keep it on the feet and force him into a striking battle?
JJ: Well, Jake O'Brien was supposed to outwrestle me, but he didn't pull that off. Like I said, I'm big into confidence so I have no reason to doubt myself … People say how great of a wrestler Matt Hamill was, but he was a great wrestler a long time ago. You lose a lot of wrestling (over time.) The 2006 Jon Jones would beat the snot out of me in a wrestling match today. I'm a little more fresh out of the wrestling scene and he's been out of it for a long time. So for the critics to say that Matt definitely has the upper hand in wrestling, I'm not going to give it to him. He's going to have to prove it. If he takes me down a couple of times and he proves it, then fine, he outwrestled me. But it's not a wrestling match.
CD: In that same vein, what are the other aspects where you think you've got a definite edge over Matt?
JJ: You know what? I'm going to try to say every aspect. I've really trained so hard. To train this hard and not believe in myself would be totally ridiculous.
CD: The flipside of that is, do you see any part of the fight where you have to be particularly careful of his skills?
JJ: Yeah, every part of the fight. Matt Hamill knows how to win a fight; he has an outstanding UFC record. I just hope that my self confidence never, ever comes across as being arrogant, because I really dislike arrogant people. But I just try not to doubt myself. Obviously, if I was fighting like a B.J. Penn I would say he's definitely a better jiu-jitsu guy than me. But Hamill, he can do a little bit of everything, but he's not super great at anything. He's not super fast. I guess his strength is one of his big advantages. But I'm just going to keep the faith in myself, because that's all I've really got in life, you know?
CD: Where do you think he stacks up against the other guys you've fought in the Octagon, like (Andre) Gusmao, O'Brien and Bonnar?
JJ: I think that he could possibly be physically the slowest and probably physically the strongest.
CD: I think one of the things that's made you so popular so fast is – not only your throws, especially against Bonnar – but you also have this unorthodox, exciting striking style with the spinning back fists and stuff like that. As you get more and more training at these top camps where they have really elite-level striking coaches, do you find guys are trying to change that about you, to make you a more conventional striker?
JJ: One thing about Greg Jackson is that he sees who I am and he respects who I am and he allows me to be who I am. He tells me every day, "I love your creativity, Jon. I want more of that. What is that called? Do more of that funky thing." He loves it. The only thing he forces is for me to be able to push the pace. Instead of one flying knee, he wants six flying knees per round. Instead of a few jabs, he wants 20 jabs per round. He wants combinations, he wants punches in bunches. He wants (me) to use the base of (conventional) fighting to set up the funkiness. He embraces it, he just wants me to take pride in this new set of lungs that I have.
CD: Being creative and unpredictable, do you see that as one of your strengths as a fighter?
JJ: I'm starting to realize that it is. I had never really thought about it before. It's kind of just who I am. I had to kind of teach myself how to fight and teach myself how to strike. Seeing people knock others out with a spinning back fist was just cool to me, so I was just like "Man, I'm going to practice this weird stuff, here in my living room in front of this mirror." Now, it's like I can't break away from it and I don't want to break away from it.
CD: Do you feel any added pressure knowing that this fight will be at the top of the card?
JJ: No, not at all. I think everything happens for a reason. All the attention and all the media that was around UFC 100, that kind of scared me. But that prepared me for this.
CD: As you look around that weight class, where do you see yourself compared to the other top guys at 205-pounds?
JJ: I see myself as the guy who's going to fight Matt Hamill on Saturday night.
CD: Can't trick you into answering that one, huh?
JJ: Yeah, sorry.
CD: There's not a lot of criticism of you out there so far. But when you came into the UFC you were coming off five or six stoppages right in a row, then you had the back-to-back decisions against Bonnar and Gusmao, so people started to say: "Well, we need to see if he can finish guys at this level." Then you choked out O'Brien. Do you see those two decisions as being anomalies in your career? Do you consider yourself to be a fairly adept finisher?
JJ: I think these guys made it to the UFC for a reason. You've got to respect that you weren't able to finish these guys. They’re martial artists just like I am. I couldn't finish them, but it was nothing that I did wrong. These guys are tough. Bonnar was really special because that (spinning back elbow) hit was really unique and hard and he survived it. Hats off to him for that. I'm just going to be grateful for winning, I'm not going to complain about not finishing.
CD: That's all I've got for you, Jon. Anything you want to add?
JJ: I just want to thank my sponsors, but you probably won't put that in there.
CD: No man, go ahead, we'll put that in there at the bottom.
JJ: (laughing) Oh no, you're not going to do it, Chad. You're not going to do it.
CD: Don't doubt me, man. I'll totally do it.
JJ: I'll hold you to it.
CD: Well, say who they are then.
JJ: I just wanted to thank Silver Star for being such a great company. That's it.
Chad Dundas: It seems like it's been one interview after another for you today, huh?
Jon Jones: Man, it has been pretty hectic today. It's been real repetitive, but it's cool.
CD: What's the weirdest thing you've been asked?
JJ: If I've had a near-death experience.
CD: Have you?
JJ: Yes, I have.
CD: I might have to ask you about that later.
JJ: Oh, no. Not you, Chad. Let's be original. Me and you, brother, let's do this.
CD: Alright. I know you're down at Greg Jackson's right now, is this the first time you've been down there or did you train there before the O'Brien fight too?
JJ: This is my first training camp here but I have been here before, just to kind of try out the scene and see if I wanted to be part of it. Obviously, I fell in love with it.
CD: Tell me a little bit about what it's like down there. What are you learning?
JJ: Well, they’re attacking my main weaknesses. Greg is big on getting his athletes to close up their gaps. My jiu-jitsu has to be my weakest department so he's trying to close that hole up. I've been doing a lot of wrestling and a lot of jiu-jitsu.
CD: I know you've been to the Tri-Star Gym (in Montreal) for this fight as well. What's the experience like for you now to be able to go train with some of these world-renowned camps?
JJ: It's amazing. It's just a total reality check on how not good I actually am. You know what I mean? I go from a school (in New York) where I beat up everyone, and now I get tapped out and guys try to kick my head off. It's an everyday thing. It's just a big reality check in how much work I actually have to do still.
CD: Can you give me a sense of how much your life has changed over the last year?
JJ: It's really, really different. It's been such a blessing. I'm a person who’s really into thinking positively and looking for the best in people, having self confidence and believing in yourself. The biggest thing is that I finally get to spread that message and I get to be an example. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of amazing people that I would've never, ever gotten to meet without this.
CD: I was going to ask you about your mindset. You've been so successful so fast and you're only 22 years old. What do you have to do to keep yourself grounded and focused?
JJ: Moving to Greg Jackson's and getting beat up everyday? That definitely helps.
CD: Let's talk a little bit about the fight. What do you expect from Matt Hamill?
JJ: Matt Hamill? I'm expecting him to try to go out there and take me down and lay on top of me until the time runs out.
CD: You think so? He's looked better on his feet his last few times out. You still expect a fairly wrestling-based attack from him?
JJ: Absolutely. After the Rich Franklin fight I don't think his confidence is where it needs to be when it comes to striking. I think he's a wrestler at heart and I think that he thinks his best chance of winning is by wrestling me. I'm sure that's what he's going to go out and try to do.
CD: What’s your plan to counteract that? Do you want to try to outwrestle him or would you rather keep it on the feet and force him into a striking battle?
JJ: Well, Jake O'Brien was supposed to outwrestle me, but he didn't pull that off. Like I said, I'm big into confidence so I have no reason to doubt myself … People say how great of a wrestler Matt Hamill was, but he was a great wrestler a long time ago. You lose a lot of wrestling (over time.) The 2006 Jon Jones would beat the snot out of me in a wrestling match today. I'm a little more fresh out of the wrestling scene and he's been out of it for a long time. So for the critics to say that Matt definitely has the upper hand in wrestling, I'm not going to give it to him. He's going to have to prove it. If he takes me down a couple of times and he proves it, then fine, he outwrestled me. But it's not a wrestling match.
CD: In that same vein, what are the other aspects where you think you've got a definite edge over Matt?
JJ: You know what? I'm going to try to say every aspect. I've really trained so hard. To train this hard and not believe in myself would be totally ridiculous.
CD: The flipside of that is, do you see any part of the fight where you have to be particularly careful of his skills?
JJ: Yeah, every part of the fight. Matt Hamill knows how to win a fight; he has an outstanding UFC record. I just hope that my self confidence never, ever comes across as being arrogant, because I really dislike arrogant people. But I just try not to doubt myself. Obviously, if I was fighting like a B.J. Penn I would say he's definitely a better jiu-jitsu guy than me. But Hamill, he can do a little bit of everything, but he's not super great at anything. He's not super fast. I guess his strength is one of his big advantages. But I'm just going to keep the faith in myself, because that's all I've really got in life, you know?
CD: Where do you think he stacks up against the other guys you've fought in the Octagon, like (Andre) Gusmao, O'Brien and Bonnar?
JJ: I think that he could possibly be physically the slowest and probably physically the strongest.
CD: I think one of the things that's made you so popular so fast is – not only your throws, especially against Bonnar – but you also have this unorthodox, exciting striking style with the spinning back fists and stuff like that. As you get more and more training at these top camps where they have really elite-level striking coaches, do you find guys are trying to change that about you, to make you a more conventional striker?
JJ: One thing about Greg Jackson is that he sees who I am and he respects who I am and he allows me to be who I am. He tells me every day, "I love your creativity, Jon. I want more of that. What is that called? Do more of that funky thing." He loves it. The only thing he forces is for me to be able to push the pace. Instead of one flying knee, he wants six flying knees per round. Instead of a few jabs, he wants 20 jabs per round. He wants combinations, he wants punches in bunches. He wants (me) to use the base of (conventional) fighting to set up the funkiness. He embraces it, he just wants me to take pride in this new set of lungs that I have.
CD: Being creative and unpredictable, do you see that as one of your strengths as a fighter?
JJ: I'm starting to realize that it is. I had never really thought about it before. It's kind of just who I am. I had to kind of teach myself how to fight and teach myself how to strike. Seeing people knock others out with a spinning back fist was just cool to me, so I was just like "Man, I'm going to practice this weird stuff, here in my living room in front of this mirror." Now, it's like I can't break away from it and I don't want to break away from it.
CD: Do you feel any added pressure knowing that this fight will be at the top of the card?
JJ: No, not at all. I think everything happens for a reason. All the attention and all the media that was around UFC 100, that kind of scared me. But that prepared me for this.
CD: As you look around that weight class, where do you see yourself compared to the other top guys at 205-pounds?
JJ: I see myself as the guy who's going to fight Matt Hamill on Saturday night.
CD: Can't trick you into answering that one, huh?
JJ: Yeah, sorry.
CD: There's not a lot of criticism of you out there so far. But when you came into the UFC you were coming off five or six stoppages right in a row, then you had the back-to-back decisions against Bonnar and Gusmao, so people started to say: "Well, we need to see if he can finish guys at this level." Then you choked out O'Brien. Do you see those two decisions as being anomalies in your career? Do you consider yourself to be a fairly adept finisher?
JJ: I think these guys made it to the UFC for a reason. You've got to respect that you weren't able to finish these guys. They’re martial artists just like I am. I couldn't finish them, but it was nothing that I did wrong. These guys are tough. Bonnar was really special because that (spinning back elbow) hit was really unique and hard and he survived it. Hats off to him for that. I'm just going to be grateful for winning, I'm not going to complain about not finishing.
CD: That's all I've got for you, Jon. Anything you want to add?
JJ: I just want to thank my sponsors, but you probably won't put that in there.
CD: No man, go ahead, we'll put that in there at the bottom.
JJ: (laughing) Oh no, you're not going to do it, Chad. You're not going to do it.
CD: Don't doubt me, man. I'll totally do it.
JJ: I'll hold you to it.
CD: Well, say who they are then.
JJ: I just wanted to thank Silver Star for being such a great company. That's it.