HOUSTON – Jon Jones views his UFC 247 victory as a learning experience.
Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC), the UFC light heavyweight champion, defeated Dominick Reyes (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by five-round unanimous decision. During the post-fight press conference, Jones called the performance “a hard-earned fight” and credited his championship prowess with giving him the edge.
“You hear people say, ‘You don’t lose, you learn.’ I’m really grateful to have a win and such a learning experience,” Jones said. “Dominick did a tremendous job. I respect him dearly. I respect him wholeheartedly. What a way to put yourself in the history books – doing it with such a hard-earned fight.”
Additionally, Jones revealed his championship mindset was strengthened by a message he received from ultramarathon runner, Navy SEAL, and well-known motivational speaker David Goggins.
“I can’t repeat what he said verbatim, but the basis of his message was: ‘be the guy who embraces the ugly, the miserable,” Jones said. “Be the guy who embraces hard work, the grind. Don’t be afraid of being hurt. Don’t be afraid of sacrificing some blood.’ The whole week I was thinking, ‘I want to finish this fight. I’m going to finish this fight before the championship rounds. I should be able to smash this guy.’ Goggins’ message is for a reason.
One piece of advice really hit home with Jones. It served as a reminder of the mentality Jones’ coach, Greg Jackson, has worked to implement in him over years of training.
“Greg Jackson has said it for years,” Jones said. “Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Goggins gave me a really good reminder, ‘Jon, you should want this fight to be miserable. You should want this to hurt. You’re a guy who thrives in that.’ I felt like I was that guy tonight. I had to earn this position.”
“I think about the first person to climb Everest. I’m sure a lot of people died. I respectfully say that. The first man who ran a four-minute mile, I’m sure he was hurting bad. To bet the first person to do anything, you should look like this. That makes the victory even sweeter.”
UFC 247 took place Saturday at Toyota Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Jon Jones drew inspiration from David Goggins' messages before UFC 247