Anderson Silva Says Jon Jones Taught Him Some Things Ahead of UFC 183

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones recently sparred with middleweight legend and pound-for-pound great Anderson "The Spider" Silva at the UFC's Las Vegas headquarters. 

You may have seen the pictures, like this one, posted to UFC President Dana White's Instagram profile: 

Or this one, posted to Jones' Instagram profile: 

Or this video, posted by Jones after the sparring session: 

MMA fans have long desired a super fight between Jones and Silva, two of the most successful fighters in UFC history, but Silva is now on a two-fight losing streak, and Jones has done nothing but win since capturing his title in March of 2011. 

Still, when The Spider stepped in to spar with Bones, the MMA community buzzed with excitement. It wasn't a super fight inside the UFC Octagon, but it was still incredible to watch two all-time greats in the same place at the same time, showing off their skills against one another. 

Silva took the time to chat with MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz about this training session, and he complimented Jones' skills and potential. 

"We were both in Las Vegas, and it [sparring together] happened," Silva told Cruz. "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."

Jones will face Daniel Cormier January 3 at UFC 182, while Silva is scheduled to battle Nick Diaz one pay-per-view event later at UFC 183 on January 31. 

If the recent training session really paid off for each fighter, maybe we'll see a ferocious front-kick knockout from Jones and a huge takedown followed by a ground-and-pound stoppage via elbows from Silva in these bouts. 

Or maybe both fighters remained relatively unchanged, and this was nothing but an opportunity for two legends to work together before their careers come to a close. 

That's why we watch the fights. We'll find out which proves true in January.