Ask any UFC fan who Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones’s primary influences are, and they will probably list the likes of Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, and Randy Couture.
However, Jones seems to be studying the all-time greats from a number of sports – and not just MMA.
Jones has achieved all there is to achieve for a UFC fighter at this point in his career. Sitting on a 27-1 record, Jones has won four titles in the UFC and achieved two-division champion status. At 37, it is perhaps a case of figuring out how to stay motivated and seeking out new challenges as a mixed martial artist.
Speaking to celebrity barber VicBlends on an episode of DeepCut, Jones provided a fascinating insight into how he remains mentally inspired and incentivized.
“I try to grab motivation from people outside of my field. Because in this MMA space, I’ve become a member of a lot of people’s Mount Everest, right?” acknowledged Jones. “In my own space, I try to be inspired by the people who are better than me in categories.
“For example, more of a humanitarian or just a better class act or gives back more. Or connects with his fans better. There’s fighters that do things better than I do. Guys like Conor McGregor, he’s just so good on the mic. So I become inspired by my peers… How can I become closer to him in this category?… I look at Tom Brady, and the LeBron Jameses, and the Michael Phelpses, the Michael Jordans.”
Jon Jones names two things outside of sport that improve his mentality
Jon Jones is an all-time great in the UFC, possibly the greatest. And as history has shown, the finest individuals in their respective fields often approach their area of expertise with a unique and unorthodox approach. They innovate from the inside out.
Jones’s fighting style is a great example of this. Rather than resting on his laurels and accepting what works well for him, especially now in his later years, he continues to evolve and diversify his approach. It has resulted in a multi-faceted fighting style that provides him with multiple ways to defend against and attack opponents effectively.
Outside of studying his fellow GOATs, Jones named two unexpected mental influences on his approach as a fighter.
“The two things that I really enjoy outside of fighting that I feel helps my mentality. I love studying military groups and I love studying the male lion,” smiled Jones.
“The male lion I’ve watched for many years. I have photos of male lions all throughout my house. They’re territorial, they can lounge around and appear almost lazy until it’s actually time to work. They’re just the king and I like what they represent.
“They’re not the biggest, but they have the mentality and they’re ferocious… I’ve watched hours of lions just attacking things that are so much bigger than them and through their persistence and grit, eventually, they get that bull to the floor. I carry that same mentality.”
If the lion can symbolize anything about Jones, it is perhaps the acceptance that he isn’t the best in every category. However, he can confidently say that he is extremely good in almost all the areas you need to be in order to succeed in MMA. It is that fortitude, the belief that he can overcome seemingly invincible beasts, that gives him that edge mentally and physically.
