UFC 152: Champ Jon Jones hasn't changed up training philosophy for Vitor Belfort bout

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The main reason UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones turned down any replacement bouts for UFC 151 was the fact that he'd have had only three days to adjust to the change in opponent. Though there were eight days until the fight, five would have been spent in Las Vegas for media obligations during fight week. Because of that, his team advised him it would be unwise to take any fight on that short of notice.

Instead, he's had a few weeks to prepare instead for a bout this Saturday night at UFC 152 in Toronto. He was prepared to face any fighter the UFC offered him for the event, and after a couple of fighters turned down the opportunity, he's got Vitor Belfort standing across from him this weekend.

Though Belfort is a vastly different opponent from Dan Henderson, Jones hasn't changed his approach to training, telling Inside MMA on Monday night that he hasn't brought anyone into camp specifically for this fight. Instead, he believes all his preparations can be taken care of with the people he has around him right now.

"I've brought in no one special, no one new, to train for this fight," Jones said (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "I just believe in mainly being prepared for certain positions you're going to be in, certain techniques. I'm sure I'll adjust to the timing when the fight starts. But as far as special partners, we just know what we need to prepare for, and that's all we've done."

"I just don't believe in looking for new people to be the answer," Jones continued. "I believe the answer should come from within ? that self-drive and determination, that will that you have in your heart. That's where the answers to the puzzles are."

"When I started MMA, I had no special coaches. I had no special equipment or anything to train. I just had heart, and it played out for me, so I don't really believe in bringing in new people. I work with what I have, but more importantly, I focus on he positions that I'm going to be faced with."

One thing he can't really prepare for in training is the timing of his opponents, especially one like Belfort who has historically fast hands and a blitzing striking style. However, Jones believes that's an issue that plays itself out early in the fight itself.

"Timing, that's something that will be figured out within the first round of the fight," Jones said. "His hand speed is definitely a gift that he has, but I believe that I'm really fast, too."

Penick's Analysis: There are lots of different philosophies when it comes to preparing for fights, especially at the elite level. Some are big into breaking down their opponents on video and trying to prepare for what they've historically done in fights. Others think it best to bring in different training partners for each camp to emulate what those opponents may be bringing to the cage in order to get an idea of what they're facing. Jones thinks he and his camp can prepare without emulating an opponent, and that's not really surprising. If anything, the fact that he's so unlike any other fighter makes him a nightmare to prepare for as it is, so he's more concerned with being as prepared as he can be in just knowing what his opponent's tendencies may be. We'll see how that strategy plays out on Saturday night, but it's worked pretty well for him thus far.

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14395.shtml

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