Distance control and the utilization of reach is the biggest obstacle opponents of Jon Jones face and UFC 172 is no different.
Jones will have a nine-inch reach advantage over Glover Teixeira Saturday night and it’s something the light-heavyweight champion is admittedly looking to exploit.
“I think Glover has a pretty short reach and I’m sure he’s going to try and get in close,” Jones told Sportsnet in a phone interview. “In order for him to be able to hit me he needs to close the distance and I’ll embrace him closing the distance and also try to fight the fight at a distance that’s more appropriate for me to hit effectively.”
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC 172 prelims Saturday on Sportsnet 360 starting at 8 p.m. EST
The 26-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto. It was his sixth consecutive title defence, but a bout that saw Jones struggle with his tall opponent’s reach and distance control at times. Jones doesn’t feel this will be an issue against Teixeira.
“I feel confident, whether I’m far or close, I’ll be able to react appropriately to whatever he offers me,” Jones added.
Jones also said he feels better heading into this fight compared to how he felt against Gustafsson. He learned a lot from his battle with the Swede and has done things slightly differently in terms of strength and conditioning to prepare for Teixeira.
“The biggest thing is I learned to eat a lot healthier. I’m a lot leaner and I really focused on my cardio and strength training,” Jones explained. “Basically I’m doing the same regimen I’ve done in the past, I’m just doing it harder and faster and I’m eating a lot cleaner and I feel a lot better.”
Saturday’s event is the UFC’s first trip to Baltimore and Jones feels he will be the crowd favourite — something that hasn’t always been the case in the polarizing fighter’s previous bouts.
“The atmosphere is going to be great in Baltimore,” Jones said. “My brother [Arthur] won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens and I think when you win a championship with a city your name is always associated with that city forever.”
Jones is 19-1 as a pro, but that one loss was a controversial disqualification in which he dominated his opponent before landing an illegal elbow. Essentially, he’s on a 20-fight win streak, just like Teixeira is.
Not many people are giving Teixeira a chance in this fight. Neither is Jones.
“I feel as if the holes in my game are pretty small right now.”
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST)
— Jon Jones vs Glover Teixeira
— Phil Davis vs Anthony Johnson
— Luke Rockhold vs Tim Boetsch
— Jim Miller vs Yancy Medeiros
— Max Holloway vs Andre Fili
PRELIMINARY CARD (Sportsnet 360 at 8 p.m. EST)
— Joseph Benavidez vs Tim Elliott
— Takanori Gomi vs Isaac Vallie-Flagg
— Jessamyn Duke vs Bethe Correia
— Danny Castillo vs Charlie Brenneman
ONLINE PRELIMS (UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. EST)
— Chris Beal vs Patrick Williams
