J. Jones (photo) claims to know the story of T. Marreta. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jonnybones
The light heavyweight champion (up to 93kg.), Jon Jones, admitted to having studied the life of Thiago Marreta, his opponent this Saturday (6), in the main fight of the UFC 239, in the United States. At the time, the North American confessed, in a recent interview with 'Combate', that he admired his opponent, but minimized the chance of being defeated by the Brazilian this weekend.
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“I started paying attention to Thiago a little before our press conference. We had a press conference where I was sick and didn't attend and, at that time, I started studying him, reading about his past and who he was. I became a fan of his. I respect him. I know that he has social work in Brazil, that he has been doing martial arts his whole life, that he has already served in the Brazilian army”, confessed the champion.
'Bones' also stated that he sought to learn about the origins of Marreta, who today has important community work within the community in which he was raised. Marreta was born in Cidade de Deus (2002), well known in Brazil also as a result of the Brazilian film, which was nominated for four Oscars in 2004.
“I know he came from the favela, and I really respect the fact that he is helping his community. I think he’s a trustworthy guy,” Jones said.
Although he has shown a lot of admiration for his opponent, Jones remains very confident about this weekend's outcome. For the champion, Thiago is, in fact, dangerous, but he is not as much of a threat as people have been reporting in the press and behind the scenes of MMA.
“I think he has very good knockout power, but, like I said, everyone has that. He always comes to fight very aggressively, but I also know that he has been gaining a lot of muscle mass and I'm excited about that”, admitted Jon.
The North American also bets that Jones' gain in muscle mass could be harmful to the Brazilian himself. With the increase in muscles, the body needs a greater amount of oxygen during physical activity, causing resistance to be reduced.
“Fighting is not an endurance sport. I gained a lot of mass when I faced Ovince St-Preux and I got tired very quickly. Thiago gained a lot of muscle to face me, and I'm leaner for this fight. I think his body type, his explosiveness and aggressiveness will end up working against him”, concluded 'Bones'.
If he defeats Marreta, Jones will defend his second belt since regaining it in the duel against Alexander Gustafson, last year. The 31-year-old athlete is considered, by many, the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
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