Jones celebrates training with Anderson and praises: 'It was like playing basketball with Michael Jordan'

Jones (left) and Anderson (right) training at UFC Gym. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Youngest fighter to win a UFC belt and record holder for title defenses among light heavyweights, Jon Jones He realized an old dream only a few months ago, when he had the opportunity to train alongside his idol Anderson Silva at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas (USA).

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The North American, who will defend his title again this Saturday (3), against Daniel Cormier, recalled training with “Spider” with excitement and hopes that the opportunity will be the beginning of a true friendship with the Brazilian. “It was incredible, it was incredible. I respect Anderson so much. He's such an amazing guy. I really look forward to hanging out with him more in the future, really getting to know him and becoming a real friend, having a relationship with someone I respect. It was incredible”, said Jones, in a press conference reproduced on the “Combate” channel website. “Being able to hang out with him, with his wife, talk about his career, his children, learn from him and teach him things! It was like a high school kid playing basketball with Michael Jordan. I truly felt honored and appreciated his friendship.”

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Jones explained that the training, despite being brief, was enough for him to further enrich his arsenal of strikes thanks to tips given by Anderson. “He taught me a really cool trick in striking. We did a little jiu-jitsu, and some of his moves I didn't really accept because it wasn't my style, but, in striking, whenever he hit me with something I didn't see, I said, “OK, come back! What was that?”, in the middle of sparring, he said, “I set it up like that, and it worked because of that.” A lot of times in my strikes, I like to set things up, but, I don't know, he's much deeper at striking than I am. It was an immense learning experience. He goes deeper mentally, the reasons why he throws certain shots. He has a very strong psychology about striking. I really think he’s going to win his next fight by knockout,” he opined.

Finally, Jones celebrated the fact that he was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world without having to face Anderson, who previously held the position. “Yes, I'm very glad we never fought, because when you fight, you ruin a friendship. I never wanted to fight him. It was a lose-lose situation because a lot of people said, “Jon, if you want to be the best, you have to win. Anderson Silva”, and I always said that I didn’t need to have the Anderson Silva on my CV to have a great legacy. Now, it's happening, in most rankings I'm already ahead of him. I didn't need to defeat him to make my dream come true. It was a victory for me, not having to fight him and creating a friendship with him.”