Anderson Silva Talks Training With Jon Jones: He Taught Me A Few Things
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will be fighting for his twelfth straight win and his eighth straight title defense when he steps into the octagon to battle Daniel Cormier in the main event of this Saturday night’s (January 3, 2015) UFC 182 pay-per-view (PPV) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jones’ ultimate goal is to become the greatest mixed martial artist the sport has ever seen. To reach that goal, he’ll not only have to beat Cormier to keep his streak alive, but also run down the illustrious records of former middleweight champion and all-time great Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Although a dream match-up between Jones and Silva has long been rumored but never came to fruition, the two superstars did at least meet up for an impromptu training session in Las Vegas last month, which UFC President Dana White chronicled on Instagram:
After the session, Silva spoke up during a recent press conference in his native Brazil (via MMA Fighting) to discuss training with the man who took over his No. 1 spot on the pound-for-pound rankings:
“I have a good relationship with him, we’re friends for a long time, since he started his career, but we never had the chance to train together before. We were both in Las Vegas and it happened.
It was a normal training, he did a few things, and I did a few things. It was a tough training for both of us. We learned a lot. He taught me a few things I didn’t know, I gave him a few tips. I like him a lot, and it was cool.”
Silva apparently picked up some tips from the dynamic striking skillset of Jones, so we’ll have to wait and see if those new tricks will propel Silva to a win against notorious trash talker Nick Diaz in the main event of January 31’s UFC 183.
But “The Spider” gave the young, dominant champion his due in the media, noting that Jones could one day be the best fighter in United States history:
“He has his history, he’s building (his career). He’s young and has everything to become the biggest name of the sport in his country.”
Silva has high praise for “Bones,” but it’s worth noting that the longtime former champ only referred to Jones as potentially being the best fighter in American MMA history, excluding him from toppling over a long list of Brazilian MMA legends.
If Jones can continue his bulldozing run through the light heavyweight division, there won’t be much standing in the way of him becoming the greatest fighter of all-time.
However, he’s facing arguably his toughest test in Olympic wrestler Cormier, and surprisingly, most pros are picking “DC” to win their anticipated grudge match this weekend.
Will “Bones” win and fulfill “The Spider’s” prophecy, or will he fall short of Silva’s celebrated records?
