Jon Jones busy studying everything possible on Ryan Bader, credits Rashad Evans for his ongoing success

UFC light heavyweight star on the rise, Jon Jones has been speaking about how he’s studying everything he can get his hands on concerning his UFC 126 opponent, Ryan Bader ahead of their clash early next month, as well as crediting one person in particular for his ongoing success.
Speaking via MMAFighting.com, Jones said:

“When you watch someone’s interviews, you can tell where they’re at mentally. There’s certain words people use, keywords that show their level of confidence. Like, if I win this fight. Or, I hope. I might be able to do this. For instance, when [Bader] says, ‘When Jon does that spinning back elbow he has his back open for a split second and maybe I can take his back.’ Just the fact that he mentioned that in a Q&A tells me that’s on his mind and that’s a move that frustrates him, that’s bothering him, so I should work on it and make it even faster and harder for him to see coming. People give a lot away in everything they say.”

“I have one fight, one individual to pay attention to in order to get me one step closer to my dream. Why not just get totally immersed in the things that he says, the things he tweets, the people he’s around? …I just like to know every angle. I use the internet to know every little thing I can, kind of like a spy. I just think, if I was Ryan Bader, how would I beat Jon Jones? I think about the ways I could lose the fight first instead of thinking how I can beat him.”

Jones then turned his attentions to his training at Greg Jackson’s facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico alongside some of the best fighters currently competing in the mixed martial arts world today.

“I have times where I don’t have any special fighters around me and I’m whooping up everybody at practice. But then there’s weeks like the one coming up here where Rashad Evans is here, Mike Van Arsdale is here, Georges St. Pierre, Andrei Arlovski…just this powerhouse workout squad, and it really reminds me that I don’t know anything. I’m just like a kid around my older brothers, getting beat up every day.”

“The thing about me and Rashad is, we have to be happy for each other and we have to always be pulling for one another. Rashad’s star climbing will only make my star climb. Me trying to bury him in any way or wish he won’t be successful, that won’t help me at all. If Rashad won the title, I would wait right where I’m at. There’s so many great fighters I haven’t fought yet. If Rashad won I would be so happy for him and hopefully he hangs on to it for a while. I’m also growing, so there’s a possibility for me to go up to heavyweight at some point, but I’ve got a lot of time left to me at 205 [pounds].”

Jones returns to action on the UFC’s next Pay-Per-View card in Las Vegas, taking on “Ultimate Fighter” season eight winner and undefeated prospect, Ryan Bader in the co-main event of the evening. Who will prevail and put themselves firmly in the title picture at 205 pounds?