Jon "Bones" Jones Finds Maturity Through Immaturity

While most 22-year-olds would lose a sense of themselves after posting a dominating first round TKO victory over Brandon Vera, Jon “Bones” Jones remains level headed despite bumping his pro mark to an impressive 10-1 on Sunday.

Although Jones is the epitome of a manchild physically, he had difficulty keeping his emotions in check as he grew impatient waiting to get back inside the Octagon.

The pot boiled over when Vera and Jones were supposed to square-off for pictures at Saturday’s “UFC on Versus” weigh-ins, however, Jones decided to bum rush the Filipino and grind his forehead into Vera’s instead.

It was an uncharacteristic move by the unassuming Jones, who had to be pulled away by UFC president Dana White before a real altercation ensued.

“With Brandon Vera, he was amped-up to be the biggest fight of my life, the biggest test of my career and it pushed me to the point where I was thinking about him all the time,” Jones said at the post-fight presser. “So thinking about someone so much and then finally being around them, I think my adrenaline got a little pumped up.”

What made time really appear to stand still was the fact that he was coming off a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill back in December, his only professional blemish. Although the controversial defeat was eating at him throughout his entire training camp, Vera’s pre-fight antics certainly lit a fire in Jones’ belly as well.

“He’s also the first opponent that talked a lot of trash,” Jones said of Vera’s sharp tongue. “He would always make comments towards me that I didn’t appreciate so it was a little more personal to win this fight and I was able to win it in devastating fashion.”

Although Jones acknowledged his immature behavior after the fact, he did have the presence of mind to understand that he needs to enter the cage with a clear mind in order to perform at his best.

“I definitely wish I could apologize to him for acting out,” Jones said of his behavior. “Everything happens for a reason and I’m glad that I was able to get that aggression out so I could actually think in the Octagon.”

While most youngsters would boast about breaking their opponent’s face, Jones humbly accepted the victory and is already looking to get back to Jackson Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico to refine his ever-improving mixed martial arts game.

“I just want to get back in the gym so I can keep improving,” Jones stated of his future plans. “My time will come and I just need to make sure I’m ready when it does.”

Now, how many 22-year-old superstars can you find that talk like that?

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