No Breaking ‘Bones’

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His rapid rise has created awe, envy and resentment in its wake. However, success masks a staggering truth: Jon Jones will not turn 25 for another seven months. The transition has at times seemed awkward for a man adjusting to a new life on the fly, a man growing into his own skin, a man still learning to deal with the fame, fortune and hopes that will be forever tied to his otherworldly talents. Common men carry only the highest expectations for their kings, a reality to which Jones has had to acclimate, as he watches his steps and words in conjunction with his arrival as MMA’s latest bona fide superstar.

Tennis legend Andre Agassi once said, “Image is everything.” That may not be wholly true, but for someone of Jones’ surging stature, it certainly accounts for a significant part of the equation.

“I think it’s important to always just be yourself and always put your best foot forward,” Jones said during a pre-fight teleconference for UFC 140. “As far as my image, I don’t really worry about my image too much. I’m just myself. I think that’s good enough. I’m a pretty solid guy with good intentions, and I think a solid character and personality is just good for the UFC.”

Jones -- who will defend his light heavyweight championship for the second time when he collides with Lyoto Machida in the UFC 140 main event on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto -- does what he can to shake what remains of negative MMA stigmas. He sees it as his duty.

“We have a lot of fans that know us,” Jones said. “I want the mainstream [fans] to get to know that we are college-educated guys, that we are intelligent athletes and not just guys that show up and beat each other up in the cage; let the world know how much training and education goes into each bout, just little things like that. I always try to make sure to have a suit on and just try to portray our sport in a positive light. I think mainstream America has a lot of learning to do about us. Being in the position that I am, I just want to make sure mainstream America knows we’re solid guys.

“When major companies come looking at us, I want them to know they can trust investing into the UFC, that we’re quality guys, that we’re just as much athletes and professionals as any other pro sport,” he added. “It’s something I’m aware of, as far as marketing yourself in the most positive way.”

Since his promotional debut at UFC 87 in August 2008, Jones has supplied highlight reels with almost limitless material in resume-building wins over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar, Brandon Vera and former International Fight League light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko. Well-spoken, thoughtful and confident, Jones has emerged one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most recognizable figures and most marketable commodities.

“I absolutely embrace the role,” he said. “One of my main goals in the UFC is to try to change the sport for the better.”

A 24-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native, Jones fuels his drive to excel with basic desires rooted in competition. Whatever motivations the man they call “Bones” relies upon, he finds himself in the middle of a potentially historic 12-month tear through the light heavyweight division.

“It’s not about the business,” Jones said. “It’s about the passion and the love and setting goals and achieving goals. The thrill of being able to achieve goals that are set strengthens me every day. As a warrior and an athlete, I feel strongly that I can do great things. That’s what it’s really about.”

In Machida, Jones confronts a hungry former champion who desires a return to the top of the 205-pound division and often confounds opponents with his unorthodox approach. The 33-year-old Brazilian, who opened his career at 16-0, endured a difficult stretch in 2010, as he surrendered the UFC light heavyweight crown to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and later came out on the wrong side of a disputed split decision against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Machida rebounded at UFC 129 in April, when he kicked hall of famer Randy Couture into retirement with a foot to the face. Many view him as a formidable obstacle for the young champion.

“I try not to worry. Lyoto’s a new challenge,” said Jones, who systematically dismantled the only two men to have beaten Machida. “Really, there’s nothing to fear when you’re prepared. There’s no need to fear the results. There’s no fear when you do your work and you study. I try to look at each fight as the same mentality I had in my UFC debut, and that is no fight’s a big fight. Never fight the name. Just fight the body. Fight their reactions. That’s the way I’m going into it.”

A southpaw who leans on an unusual karate and counter-heavy standup style, Machida possesses excellent all-around skills, as evidenced in knockouts of former 205-pound titleholder Rashad Evans and American Top Team brute Thiago Silva and his submission victory over Pride Fighting Championships veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Outside of a few minor adjustments, Jones has stayed true to the pre-fight preparations that have carried him to this point.

“I guess the biggest difference is I had to find a lot of southpaws to work with, and what I basically did was use the guys that I already had,” he said. “I had them mimic Machida’s style to the best of their ability. That’s the only difference. Everything else is pretty much the same.”

Jones primed for his showdown with Machida at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M., where he dropped anchor as a promising but unproven prospect two years ago. He has surround himself with some of the game’s most celebrated minds, including trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, along with a number of accomplished teammates, from former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner John Dodson to lightweight contenders Clay Guida and Donald Cerrone.

“I’m surrounded by a team of winners,” Jones said. “I can’t even name all the winners that we have on our team. We all push each other in training. I love my team with all my heart. I’m surrounded by awesome fighters.”

Should Jones defeat Machida, he will have completed one of the more remarkable 12-month tears in MMA history. He will have beaten three former UFC champions -- Machida, Jackson and Rua -- in succession, along with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader, who was unbeaten at the time of their February encounter at UFC 126.

“I’ve fought a lot this year, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to train better and how to eat better and all these sorts of things,” said Jones, who has finished his last five foes. “And I think about all the knowledge that I have from the Ryan Bader training camp and the Shogun camp and the Rampage camp, and this is the last one of the year. Everything’s in order.

“This year’s been awesome,” he added. “I’m really not looking to 2012 yet. My primary goal right now is to enter 2012 while remaining champion. I haven’t been able to let it soak in. So many great, positive things have been happening to me in my career. It’s been a phenomenal year.”