Jon Jones says respect saved Rashad Evans from being "finished" during training

I believe him totally. The way he ragdolled Shogun leads me to believe he was killing Rashad in the gym. I hope he puts a hurting on Rashad haha.

I would dislike Jones less if he was the open arrogant ****y guy talking down to his opponents. Hell, I'd probably like that. But right now hes wishy washy. But I guess he has to throw up a facade so he can get more sponsorships and what not....But a storm is brewing up and Im liking it >=]

ive never been a fan of rashad but i really want him to beat jones. I do like jones and i think there is nothing wrong with confidence but when it becomes arrogant my view changes and i think he has now become arrogant in what he says. Tough fight for rashad but anyone can beat anyone in that division

@japanegro Ya I agree with you....why wouldnt u believe Jones after wat he has done in the UFC manhandling fighters like Bonnar, Vlady, Shogun, Bader and Hamill....after seeing that I easily believe he beat Evans around in training

@Ninja. I am a Jones fan but I don't believe him. No one intentionally tries to finish their training partners. If it happens then it happens but no one goes in for the kill when they have their partner rocked. It is a stupid way to train and it just isn't done. I guarantee Greg Jackson wouldn't have that shit going on.

Rampage'll do it. The only reason he wasn't fighting Rua was that he was fat when they called him.

To be fair Rashad started this topic saying now it depend on just who was holding more back in training, implying that he was going easy on Jones. Jones just said the same thing but was more direct about it.

wow cant believe he said that

its such an unprofessional thing to do

you dont talk about your training

sparing is not about who beats who its about improving

a true martial artist doesnt say things like that



jones is very childish

But a FIGHTER says things like that to promote the FIGHT.



And it's working. Look at all the comments it generated on here.

People would comment if Jones said he changed his underarm deoderant--so that logic doesn't fly.

And The Trash Talk Begins!!!

Lol, after all the shit Rashad has talked, like calling Jones a 'Judas' etc, you can hardly blame Jones for talking back. People who are criticizing Jones for this need to get a life. This is actually some of the best trash talk I've heard because a) it's believable that Jones had the upper hand in training and b) it's said in a nice respectable manner and anything Rashad says in response is probably just going to backfire and make him look like an ahole.

Yea i agree..i hate when people say hes not humble cause he makes comments about people he's has to fight or how confident he is in what he can do i mean WTF do people want him to say!!!

Also, to be fair to both fighters--such pre-fight hype goes right to their bank accounts--so why blame the fighter for wanting to increase their revenues.



Pre-fight hype and trash talk I take with a grain of salt--but post-fight trash talk leaves me cold.

haha nice I like it will be a good fight most def. will be interesting to see who shoots first and who comes out on top.

Easy young padawan. Rank of Jedi Knight, granted. Rank of Jedi Master, not.



While this might be true (most likely), Rashad still held the title at one point and holds a few advantages over Jon. I'm really looking forward to this fight.



Call me crazy, but I think Rampage is going to present more problems for Jones than Evans will... but first things first.

I love page but he's too one dimensional and he hasn't developed his game enough over the years to execute different game plans it would be Mr predictable v Mr unpredictable. I think Rashad will give Jones a good fight. Rashad has showed he can execute game plans at the highest level very well.

Your article "The Jon "Bones" Jones truth and hype" was so wrong it is not even funny. You have hated Jones for a long time now. Why is that?



http://www.lowkick.com/UFC/The-Jon-Bones-Jones-truth-and-hype-12053



I love how you are still butt hurt over your boy Shogun getting absolutely demolished. I think it is time for another one of your fantastic articles bashing Jones skill.

Ummm, please present to me where Jones proved his striking was superior? He's yet to defend his title once and you're calling me out? Hilarious.



In fact, I stated, in my article, that Jon's wrestling and ground and pound are elite. Did I down play his chances? No. Stop bitching and debate on the subject at hand.

I gotta co-sign on "Rampage" presenting more problems for Jones !! but like u said first things first...

I disagree, Rampage is a very underrated wrestler and when Ibarra was training him -- Rampage had pretty damn good Boxing.



In my opinion, I think Rampage let his ego get alittle too big and started to ease up on his training and started to do acting instead, and it showed. In addition, Wolfslair is not an elite MMA camp.



If Jackson dedicates himself again, he'll be a huge threat for Jones or anyone else in the LHW division.

Yeah I don't think so. Rampage is great but he doesn't match up well with jones at all. How would he keep his distance? His footwork is not good enough and the clench game wouldn't benefit him there either. It will take someone with a lot more footwork to beat jones. Someone fast enough to avoid his reach.

As you guys have eluded to, style match ups make the difference at this level, and by that I mean the minute technical differences between fighters within every aspect of MMA. Unless a guy is simply "on another level" the style match-ups become somewhat irrelevant, but I can't say that about Jones...yet. I'm tempted to say it about Cain, and GSP looks pretty much untouchable but those are conversations for another day.



When you look at Jon Jons opponents, you can pretty much count Bader, Vlad and Hamil as one guy (I exclude O'Brien because its only worth mentioning mid to high level guys). Then you have Shogun who most would agree is a pretty favorable match up for Jones stylistically and Vera who I honestly thought would give Jones a good fight and I still believe can (watch their fight carefully if you are surprised by this statement).



My point is that their still remains a multitude of different match-ups for Jones against top guys, and I think it would be very hard for him to take out (for example) Splenda, Page and Machida the way he has his previous opponents. I'll save going into these style match-ups for when the fights are actually close though, but I will say I'm surprised Forrest is being left out of the conversation.



I think people have Griff's loss to Anderson too firmly pressed into their minds, and they see a super talented athletic specimen like Jones, so they rule him out immediately. Forrest isn't an easy guy to put away on the feet, and Jones is no Anderson Silva while standing. On the ground I believe Forrest could (unlike many others) handle the base and ground game of Jones. He is a big, long and strong (no homo) LHW with good JJ. His technique in all aspects of the game is sharp and his conditioning is superb. I'm not saying he would win, but he wouldn't get destroyed IMO.

like rashad ? :P

What fighter isn't at a disadvantage with the reach? Jones is big for a LHW, he walks around at 235.



Look, until Jones decides to make the jump to HW (not seeing it happen anytime soon -- Overeem is coming, Lesnar is planning on sticking around, Dos Santos is apart of the future, Velasquez is the current champion, Carwin is improving everyday, etc) or we get another LHW with Jones' size, no one is going to able to get inside and cause damage.



The only fighters that stand a chance on the roster are Shogun, Evans and Rampage.

Shogun stands a chance? Did you watch his last fight?

This is MMA, or have you forgotten? It only takes a single mistake.

i honestly think something was wrong with shogun in tht fight , i nvr imagined anyone destroying him and he gassed very quickly and he looked slow. i think if he got a rematch even if jones won shogun wouldnt get demolished.

And yet you base this on theory, just like me.



Nothing is guaranteed in these match ups. Jones' size, strength, wrestling and ground-and-pound are a lethal combination but hey -- most assumed Lesnar was going to dominate Velasquez too.



My point is just because a match up looks favorable on paper doesn't mean it transitions perfectly into the fight. Jones might run through Rampage, Evans and maybe even Shogun again but that is yet to be seen.



Gracie is a compelling match up but he stands no chance at all right now. His wrestling is weak and his striking isn't any better. While Mousasi is the smaller fighter, I personally view him as a bigger threat due to his technical striking and active guard. Granted, he has questionable behavior at times (being a little indifferent and apathetic) but he still a very dangerous fighter at point.

That might be possible, but we've yet to really see that in MMA. His guard could be just as flawed as Garcia's or Nogueira's. Until we see him face a top 20 fighter, then we cannot say that Gracie has the best guard in MMA.



The reason why I picked Mousasi over Gracie is because of his ability to neutralize the ground and pound and be able to cause damage off his back.

Roger Gracie? The only way Gracie would have any chance against Jones is if he can take him down and we know that ain't happening.

Couldn't agree with you more. Edub.



Gracie doesnt have to take Jones down. He just has to exacute a gameplan. For instance fooling Jones into thinking a shot rocked him and then pulling him into his guard when he goes for the GNP.



Machida has a great chance and I want to see the fight. He is smart and has pretty good wresting himself. I would say the most underestimated wrestling In MMA. The main advantage would be 5 rounds. He wouldn't go in there trying to knock Jones' head off. Jones running after him would take it's toll after 3 rounds and he could have a chance to get him while tired.



All theory of course. Jones shocked me the way he walked through Shogun. Have to give him my respect.

Rampage has a shot IMO. Pages losses have come from being overwhelmed by aggressive strikers, leg kicked, and being too slow (and rusty). The "leg kick" part could be worrisome against a long rangy fighter like Jones, but if Page is aggressive, uses footwork and pressures Jones, that would not be a problem. I actually think the reach disadvantage is beneficial for Rampage in this fight because if Jones is too far on the outside he likely won't shoot for a TD, and I really think Rampages best game plan would be NOT to try and take his head off in the center of the octagon, and this may be a factor that forces him to game plan a bit different. Page is a good wrestler, strong in the clinch, hard to ragdoll and hard to finish. Dirty boxing, conditioning, wrestling defense, and still the one punch KO power with either hand, give him a shot. Again though, I don't know if he would win, but a more interesting fight than most think.

Bingo, good points Dray.



On paper, that match up is one would have to think about throughly. Most discredit Jackson's win over Hendo but that's just insane. Dan is a great wrestler and Rampage outwrestled him.



It only takes one hook to connect and it might be nighty-night fo Jones.

Yea, he can play possum but there's a pretty good chance he's going to get KTFO. Pulling guard with Jones is almost suicidal if you ask me.

Why? Look what Anderson did to chael. Isn't that exactly what werdum did to Fedor?

No? Werdum was actually rocked badly by Fedor's right hook and instinct took over. Personally, I think luck played a big part in that fight.



As for the Anderson-Chael bout, somewhat of a good example but you have to remember that Sonnen does not possess knock out power with his ground-and-pound. So Anderson was able to survive for four rounds and finally land a choke in the final minutes ...and we've yet to see if Gracie can even take a shot yet.

I'm not buying that. Alot of fighters make the same excuse when they get rocked or knocked down.



Now, I am sure? No. BUT it's a HUGE risk to pretend to be hurt and pull guard on a fighter who is known for his ground and pound (especially one who was able to strip off submissions with ease against Nogueira) That reeks of desperation.

Very true, I can go along with that. I know I'd be prepared for a situation similar to that.



I think a major part of Fedor getting subbed was because it was within the first minute of the fight (no sweat, blood or exhaustion). At first I thought Fedor took a dive, but as soon as he made a return I knew it had nothing to do with upcoming political career -- just physics.

heres something you guys probably don't know. I live in Newark (where Jones and Shogun fought) the night before Shogun was at Boi na Brasa (A brazilian restaurant) drinking Corona's, to me this seemed like win or lose, he didn't give a shit about the fight and quite frankly probably doesn't give a shit about fighting in general anymore.

Really? I think us fans need evidence. I doubt a champion's training camp would allow such unprofessionalism. See, that is beyond idiotic. Therefore, please provide evidence that the former LHW champion was at a restaurant drinking alcohol the night before his title defense.

It was probably Ninja who was pounding the brews. But even more likely that it's a complete lie.

Athletes imbibe and let loose more than you think. While it would seem ill-advised and unordinary, maybe he was just relaxing and trying to clear his mind before the fight with a beer or two (as opposed to staring at the hotel wall).

I agree.



Plus, I thought this article was about Jones-Evans. Why is Shogun being mentioned?

Jones is a one of a kind, freak of nature athlete. We as mma fans are so lucky to witness his rise to what he has become. This fight is very intriguing to me as a fan of this sport. People may be expecting to see rashad get tossed around in the same aspect as shogun but i still believe that he will hold his ground and make this and interesting fight...but gawwddddd damn Jon Jones is so good!

I dont think shogun was a true test against jon jones's as an mma fighter, weve never seen jones in any bad spots, its always been him doing well. So well see if hes on his back or getting grided on like rampage did how he can react. Why cant we just have them and rampage fight a free for all? Black on Black on Black CRIME!

Jones' size presents issues for any fighter in the LHW division but it would be asinine to claim that Shogun was not a true test for Jon. The fact that Rua stayed around after he took that knee on the chin for two more rounds gives testament of how tough Shogun is to finish.

Lamest arguement ever. So sick of "let's see him in a bad position, blah blah". If no one is ever able to get him into a bad position, what does it matter? And if he's that good at maintaining good positions, don't you think he's probably also pretty good at regaining them? There's just no logic to it, ****ing annoying.

Common Jonny Boy I want to like you but why do you go 'head and make comments like these???

If its so then go and face one of top 5 HW!

I would like to see this arrogant boy against a 265lb big dude, his chin never realy tested before and it will be pleasure to see he gets is ass beaten...

I love how anytime people perceive someone as better than the rest of their division they automatically have to move up in weight.



Jones is a 205 pounder, not his fault he makes it look so easy.



In regards to the comments about Rashad, he's trying to hype the fight, get under Rashad's skin ... but it's still likely he speaks the truth

what a lowblow from judas jones....

I liked jones before but im starting to notice a real change in him.

i stopped following him on twitter

time for some black on black crime!

you guys dont think this is a lowblow from jones?

This really bothers me and I think the title has already gotten to Jones and he is changing, becoming arrogant. The evidence is pretty damning in this comment alone. Ok so you didn't finish him because of that is not something you do in practice but as soon as he leaves and you have a beef suddenly its okay to talk about how you did in practice while you were friends? Seriously how many others fighters would do that?



Imo what he said in that interview alone is really really bad style and classless as all hell. I was hoping that writing his name as champion before the fight was really just a mental thing but I am leaning more towards that is was simply arrogance now.

Geez, what happened to that humble Jon Jones. His success is clearly going to his head. U wait, there someone who WILL come

Along and finally put a whooping on him.

enuf of this crap alredy. i wanna c jones aginst a world class grappler, all he has is flashy strike that hit air haf the time. nd on the grnd al he has is his long ass elbows.. roger gracie wud submit this guy easy, jones is a white belt ffs. hed get embarasd on the grnd aginst roger. ufc dont hav 2 many world class grapplers at lhw. if any..

p.s. shogun is nt a world class grappler, nether r the wreslers..

anyone with 3 pro submission victories that is still a white belt is choosing to be a white belt, belts don't dictate skill accurately, there's plenty of purple belts that he would have no trouble with

u obvy duno wat ur talkin bout. getin sick of u tbh. roger gracie wud school jones. nd let him no wat bjj really is. belts r used as skill ranking u dumbass in any of the arts. ofc. u can stil do well without training in a gi nd switchn 2 mma.

Criticise him all you want we all know the better the trash the bigger the hype!



I'm buzzing for this fight!

WoW!.... a little ****y there..

While you can call Jones statement ****y, over-confident or part of calculated mind games, I don't see it as anything negative.



Gifted athletes don't come along very often, like Micheal Jordan or Usain Bolt, and what might seem arrogant for everyone else is just them telling the truth.



In 1934, a baseball pitcher named Dizzy Dean came up with this quote, on his way to winning 30 games(!) and winning the world series and it's just as true today as it was then...



"It's ain't braggin' if you can do it."



So far, Jon Jones has done everything he said he would.

I love how everyone hates Jones now and thinks he is ****y. Nothing he has said thus far is any worse than what Rashad has said. Saying that he could have finished Rashad in sparring most likely is true. Lts all wait until they fight. My money is on Jones throwing Rashad around like a rag doll like he has done to so many other good wrestlers.

Guys, I think we all need to lighten up a bit. He is only 23 and trying to be proffessional and build confidence in his fans. I say things all the time that people take out of context. Maybe he is c*cky but I can't tell for sure by anything he has said or done.

Rashad is an example of the flaws that surround judging fights in the UFC. He took down Thiago Silva a dozen times in their fight and did nothing. They stood for a brief exchange in which Rashad nearly found the canvas. That fight alone cemented my view on Evans.



The guy is a solid wrestler, with decent standup. He'll need more then that to beat Jones. Machida, may be the only guy that poses a legit threat to the title. Jones was the first one to initiate saying he would fight a sparring partner. If he was getting his ass kicked on a regular basis by Evans, I doubt he would be so eager to accept the fight.



Jones will win in 3 rounds.

Many of the older fighters don't even know what the internet is--so they couldn't care less what is said out of their sight.



I think Jones surfs and sees the comments about him, and he is young enough that it stings. That is where I see his comments coming from. Despite his tremendous accomplishments, I think he is still a little insecure.

Bones is a talented fighter no doubt, i was shocked at the way he mauled Shogun, i thought that was going to be his first true test but he made Shogun look bad. Bones is tall and rangey which gives him a big advantage and makes him a hard target, no one has truly tested his chin yet either but it's a matter of time before somebody does. His division is stacked with so many talented fighters i don't think he'll keep the belt for too long.......

**** this foo!... i'll tell you how kick his ass! just kick him in the balls! ..haha thats going to be hard tho..

Jones is getting ****y these days...