UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones will defend his title for the seventh time tomorrow against number 2 contender Glover Teixeira (22-2) at UFC 172. The fight will go down at 10 PM ET at Baltimore’s Baltimore Arena, the first time UFC has held an event in Charm City.
Jones holds the UFC record for the most light heavyweight title defenses with six and TopBettingReviews.com, predicts that the 19-1 Jones will win his fight over Texeira on Saturday.
The dynamic striker and wrestler made his media rounds this week in anticipation of UFC 172 appearing on BET’s 106 & Park and Live with Kelly and Michael. He took time out of his hectic TV and training schedule to get his #WORDSWITHSCOOP on with The Source.
The Source: If you weren’t a UFC fighter, you’d be a cop. Why?
Jon “Bones” Jones: I know it’s not the most popular profession. But, being a cop is cool to me. These guys are here to serve and protect, there the one’s that rescue your mom when you’re not there, help your grandma when she falls down. I look for the good guys in the law enforcement agencies and what they have to offer. In high school I always kept to myself, I was a fairly private individual—I didn’t really care to reach out to a lot of kids. I wasn’t popular either. So on lunch breaks, a police officer would stand and watch over us during recess, I used to go up to police officers and would talk to them about their career. They use to teach me a lot of life lessons about people and some of the negative things of the world and things I wasn’t aware of and I just found it very fascinating. I made up my mind that I would be like the guy carrying the gun and helping others out. It didn’t happen like that, but I’m glad I chose the path that I chose.
The Source: What makes UFC special?
Jon “Bones” Jones: What makes UFC stand out first and foremost is it’s brutality, it’s realness. It’s something that not everyone can do. I think many people look at us as modern day gladiators. Even other athletes look up to us because it’s something that modern athlete’s wouldn’t dare do. It’s something that takes a lot of courage—it’s not really a game, but I think it’s what makes us so intriguing.
The Source: What is something that folks may not know about you?
Jon “Bones” Jones: I’m an animal hoarder. I have four German shepherds, a golden doodle and three cats. I’m a big animal lover. I also enjoy spending time with my daughters. I love them—whether it’s teaching them about things, teaching them to use their imagination, I love spending time with my little girls.
The Source: UFC is predominantly white. Why do you think folks look at it as a ‘white man’s sport’?
Jon “Bones” Jones: I think a reason a lot of people consider it a “white man’s sport” because when it was founded, some of the earlier stars were Caucasian. Brazilians are actually the creator of the sport, but in America, white American’s caught on to it first. A lot of the underground fight scenes, a lot of the bar fights and a lot of the smaller shows, you see a lot of white guys with a lot of tattoos going at it—so it’s kind of been labeled as a white man’s sport.
The Source: You’re one of a few successful UFC fighters of color. How do you think there can be more diversity in UFC?
Jon “Bones” Jones: The main start would be to give more black kids opportunities. You don’t see a lot of MMA schools in the inner city. You don’t see a lot of MMA schools in the hood. You have local boxing programs at the local Boys & Girls Club—that’s the way a lot of great boxers got started. You don’t typically see a lot of black males join wrestling teams and wrestling is a great avenue to get into mixed martial arts. The majority of champions in mixed martial arts came from the wrestling background, me being one of them. So more black kids willing to join wrestling programs and seek formal training—I think guys like myself, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, us black fighters just continue winning and showing what MMA can do for you can just change the minds of young men globally. They’ll see that it’s an avenue for success and they don’t just have to be a basketball player, or a boxer or the next NFL player—they can be the next UFC fighter. They can be the next Rampage, they can be the next Jon “Bones” Jones.
The Source: You’re fighting Glover Teixeira tomorrow. What do you know about him and how prepared are you?
Jon “Bones” Jones: This Saturday, I’m fighting Glover Teixeira, a Brazilian opponent I respect a great deal. He hasn’t lost in five years, he’s won 20 fights in a row, knock out power in both hands, which is a rare gift to have, tier two black belt and a great wrestler. A total package martial artist, I consider myself a total package martial artist, being the champion and everything, but it’s going to be a great fight. It has the potential to be an absolute battle and who doesn’t like to watch a good battle?
The Source: It’s The Source, so we’ve got to ask you about music. What will be bumping in your ear on fight night tomorrow?
Jon “Bones” Jones: Honestly, I submerge myself in Bob Marley. I love Bob Marley and that reggae. I’ve always been a fan of Bob Marley and I’ve come out to Bob Marley in fights in the past and I just love his vibe talking about peace, talking about hard work. It gets me in a peace mindset and a mellow mood. I fell when I’m calm and mellow, I do my best thinking—I’ll obviously be thinking results and victory in a good performance.
Be sure to check out Jones vs. Teixeira tomorrow and check out some of Jones’ skills on the mat:
