Jon Jones keeps his eye on the standings, his legacy
By BOB EMANUEL JR. | Scripps Howard News Service
Although Jon Jones is a few months shy of his 26th birthday, the UFC light heavyweight champion sounds like a seasoned veteran.
Jones, who will face former middleweight top contender Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Saturday night, routinely discusses what he hopes his legacy will become and keeps a vigilant eye on his standing among mixed martial arts’ all-time greats. A win over Sonnen will tie UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz’s record of five successful title defenses.
“One thing I’ve been contemplating is first tying Tito Ortiz and then establishing that record with my next fight in November,” said Jones, who boasts an impressive 17-1 record. “And after that fight in November, entertaining superfights and heavyweight fights.”
Sonnen, the loquacious former challenger to Anderson Silva’s middleweight throne, does not believe Jones has anything left to prove.
“As great as Jon is, I don’t think he understands how good he is,” said Sonnen, who sports a 27-12-1 record. “For him to pay tribute to Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali earlier was a very nice thing for him to do. The reality is Jon Jones could beat up Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali in the same day. When he says he wants to be the best ever, Jon, news flash for you, buddy: You are the best.”
The undercard, which begins at 4 p.m. HST, is stacked with ranked fighters, including the co-main event between middleweights Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher.
Heavyweights Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo, light heavyweights Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes and lightweights Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy also will fight on the main card.
QUICK JABS: UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will likely remember last Saturday night for the rest of his life. Not only did Henderson secure a narrow split decision over former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez in the main event of UFC on FOX 7, he also followed through on a personal milestone that had occupied his thoughts for some time. Following his victory, Henderson dropped to a knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Maria Magana, who gleefully accepted. “There’s a lot more important things in life than fighting,” Henderson said. “I love fighting. I love to pay my bills. I like the lifestyle. But sometimes you have to take care of other things that are more important. I knew I was going to ask at some point in time. I decided for sure it would be after the fight. I was on the fence about it, going back and forth … I manned up and did it.” Henderson’s future in the Octagon also gained clarity when UFC president Dana White announced his next opponent will be the winner of the Gray Maynard-T.J. Grant fight at UFC 160 … Daniel Cormier, who won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix last year, enjoyed a successful UFC debut with a victory over former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Cormier’s future with the UFC dominated the postfight press conference. Cormier, who trains with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, previously said he did not want to fight his teammate, and a move to light heavyweight remains a possibility. “It’s really going to be a team decision,” Cormier said. “We’ve got to get together with the UFC and my management team and everybody else and figure out what the next step is. Me personally, even if they said, ‘You’re going to fight Cain Velasquez next,’ I don’t think that performance warranted a title shot. I’ve got some room. We’ll get together and figure it out. If they say, ‘Daniel, if your intention is to be a 205-pounder down the line, we need you to do it now,’ then I guess that’s what I have to do.”
