During a media conference call last week, in which light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Vitor Belfort talked about their bout in the main event of UFC 152 this Saturday in Toronto, they talked about their love for Christ and addressed the subject of whether they prayed for victory.
“I don’t believe that God gives me an advantage over my opponent at all,” Jones replied. “I think God could care less about UFC fights. What I do believe is God helps me live a certain life. I’m constantly seeking Christ, constantly trying to develop a sure relationship with Christ. I’m constantly trying to grow closer to Christ. I believe that our relationship with Christ helps me live a better life than what most 25-year-olds would be living.
“Right now I have the option to do whatever I want, when I want, be friends with who I want. I know it sounds a little taboo to people who don’t understand these lifestyles, but I live a pretty crazy life. I believe if I didn’t have Christ in my life, I would be a hot mess. It would be a lot of craziness going on.
“Christ in my life helps me out a lot. There’s football players who are Christians that play on different teams. Christians compete against each other all the time. I don’t think God has a favourite. That’s my opinion. God’s just blessed me and Vitor to be in a position we are. We’re both successful and that’s blessing enough.
“The winner of this fight is going to be the person who wants it badly enough, who trains hard enough, who studies more. I don’t really feel there’s any contradiction, like who’s God going to come through for? I think God has already come through for both of us.”
“Very good answer, Jones,” Belfort replied. “(God) only expects one thing from everybody, every Christian, he wants you to do your best. I’m just here loving people. I love to hear a Christian fellow understand the vision of real Christianity. I don’t believe Christianity is a religion. Christianity is a relationship.
“Me and Jones are brothers in Christ. That’s our job, we are fighters. I have so much respect for a man like him, and I understand we all mistakes. I don’t have a right to judge anybody. I don’t have a right to make choices with anybody. I have a right to make my own choice, and my choice is to live a life with Christ. Everything I do, what I’m fighting for, what I’m training for, my life is not anything. He is my provision. I go there to fight and do my best. That’s the only thing I can do. I cannot control the outcome, how people think.
“I don’t like when people try to make fighters hate each other. I don’t like to talk trash. I just like to do what I do. I follow Jesus with my attitudes and I think attitudes talk louder than words. It’s a pleasure (and) an honour for me to fight a champion like Jones, but also just getting mature in Jesus. The more (Jones) grows, the more he’s going to face so many things in life. We all face so many things in life. Our focus has to be Jesus…When you’re with Jesus, you’re safe.
“You have to understand this is a competition. It could go either way. It’s 50-50. We’re going to go there and do our jobs as we’re doing it from Jesus — with honour, respect. We’re just going to compete. I love (Jones). I have a lot of respect, a man who (can believe) in Christianity. That’s what I live for — what I prophesize in the name of Jesus.
“I know people judge me, but when you point a finger, you have four fingers pointing back at you, so you’ve got to be careful. The way you judge is the way you’re going to be judged by God. I don’t want to judge anyone because I don’t want God to judge me. I want God to save me.”
