(Jon Jones says he’s got new things for Brandon Vera – photo Hedges/Zuffa)
Jon Jones is getting a little tired of hearing Brandon Vera talk about his inexperience.
In an interview with Ben Fowlkes over at CagePotato.com, Jones finally comments on the recent onslaught of Vera interviews.
[Vera’s] comments on you seem to focus on inexperience. He says you haven’t really been pushed yet and aren’t as experienced a fighter as he is.
For him to say that I haven’t really been pushed yet, you know, that’s not my fault. I’m sure Stephan Bonnar really wanted to push me and whoop me up. I’m sure Matt Hamill wanted to push me and whoop me up, and I’m sure Jake O’Brien did too. But they weren’t able to do it. Every opponent I’ve faced wanted to win the fight and thought they had a way to win the fight, but they didn’t win.
As far as Brandon saying he has so much more experience, I don’t think he’s ever fought anyone like me. I’m not saying I’m better than any of the guys he’s fought, but I know that my style is definitely a lot different than anyone he’s fought. I’ve never seen any of those guys try too many spinning techniques or go for a flying knee. The only opponent he’s fought who was long like me is Tim Sylvia, and the only guy he’s fought with really good kicks was Keith Jardine, and he lost both those fights. He might think I’ve never been really hit or never fought anyone like him, but I feel the same way about him. I think I’m a completely different animal.
Bones has a pretty good point, doesn’t he? Brandon Vera is certainly the toughest opponent Jones has faced to this point, but Vera hasn’t faced anyone with the same style as Jones, largely because there isn’t really anybody else in MMA with his style.
“UFC on Versus” is the ultimate test for both Vera and Jones and will go a long way towards defining where they are in their respective careers. A dominating win for Jones means that he’s ready to face the cream of the crop in the light heavyweight division, while a dominating win for Vera could mean he’s closer to realizing his potential than we think.