Current UFC light heavyweight champion and virtually undefeated resident MMA phenom Jon Jones has set the world of MMA on fire over the past year -- both inside the cage and out of it.
Jones, 23, went from a surefire future contender with a world of potential, to UFC champion. Along the way he came to the rescue of a stranded woman and her child, subdued a burglar before a fight, and managed to alienate a mentor and former leader of Jackson's MMA in a highly controversial and ongoing dispute.
So what's next for Jones? Well it won't be a split with famed trainer Greg Jackson.
"There's no back with Greg, I never left him," Jones recently told SBNation. "Me and Greg Jackson, we have a great relationship. We have a great chemistry."
Despite the hard feelings and eventual split between Rashad Evans and Jackson's camp over the bad blood between Jones and Evans, Jones maintains that the chemistry between he and everyone at Jackson's camp has not suffered.
"Me and my team have a great chemistry, even though the situation happened with Rashad Evans." Jones maintains. "Everybody at Greg Jackson's camp is still a family and we're gonna be moving forward. I got some of the best coaches in the world on my side. I feel great and I wouldn't abandon that for anything."
The once close professional and personal relationship between Evans and Jones had become so strained that the two agreed to fight one another at UFC 133 on Aug. 6th. Jones, however, was forced from the bout with injuries, so the UFC chose to replace him with rising undefeated upstart Phil Davis.
Jones appears intent on taking another jab at his former teammate for this however, claiming that Evans could have waited for him to heal and fought him for the title a couple of months later.
"Rashad could've been fightin' me, but he was impatient," Jones said. "He decided to take a [non-title] fight against Phil Davis instead of waiting. [He] should've been patient and he would've been fighting me soon, but things happen. He lost his number one contendership, but that's something that he decided to do. So it's whatever."
Though Jones still appears to harbor mixed feelings for his former mentor, he nevertheless believes that he'll come out on top against Davis.
"I met Phil Davis," Jones said. "I think he's a great guy. I think he's great for the sport. But I also think he doesn't like to get hit. I think Rashad Evans' experience might get him through this fight, but I think its gonna be a good fight. If Rashad takes him lightly, you never know what can happen. If Phil Davis makes it a wrestling match, I think his odds will be a little stronger. I'm not rooting for anyone. I think their both fair inidividuals. Phil's a good guy, but if I had to put my money on it I would go with Rashad Evans. Definitely."







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