Jon Jones recently spoke to UFC.com about training with Greg Jackson’s team, which consists of several top fighters, including Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, and Keith Jardine.

He said:

“I literally get my butt kicked every single day, which is new for me. I come from a school where I wouldn’t even get hit. I would never get a black eye, a bruise, a bump, or a nick, and now, I’m icing every night because these guys are kicking the snot out of me. I got a little criticism from some people back in my hometown. I heard things like ‘oh, you think you’re too good for us now?’ But I realize after talking to some of my mentors that if people are your real friends, they’ll be happy for you when you branch off and have to do what’s right for you. And the people who aren’t happy for my move are the people who really don’t care about my best interests. They only care about themselves. Fortunately, Team BombSquad is really happy for me and they encouraged me to leave. They knew that I was kinda coming to a plateau and my teammates weren’t really pushing me as hard anymore. They were starting to respect me a little bit instead of trying to knock me out. So I came down here and I had to humble myself. Not that I wasn’t humble, but it was a different feel. I went from being the big fish to just another guy in the camp. There are just so many guys walking around here who are way better than me.

I’m getting tapped out, taken down, punched in the face, and it’s just a reality check. There’s so much work to be done. In a sport like mixed martial arts, a real black belt doesn’t think he knows everything; he pays attention to how much he doesn’t know. I’m really not anything. I’m a young guy who’s had some impressive fights, and when it comes to proving myself, I really haven’t done anything. There’s a lot more talent out there besides me, a lot of other guys that are looking great, way more well-rounded, and until I get to that level where you can find no holes or weaknesses in my game, I’m gonna continue to be a grinder and continue to work hard, improve, and keep my head on straight. I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.”

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