UFC light heavyweight champion Jon 'Bones' Jones' meteoric rise to world domination means there's blood on his hands and a target on his head.

We speaks to the man himself and takes an exclusive look inside his camp to discover if he has the determination and ability to stay on top.

Standing six-foot-four and boasting an 84-inch reach, some say UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the blueprint of a Utopian warrior.

In just three years, his perfect body frame and extreme athleticism have fired him to the upper echelons of the pound-for-pound rankings, rapidly amassing a 25-1 record – his only loss coming by way of a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill.

Yet at just 24 years old, the youngest-ever UFC champion, the weight of the world rests upon the young man's shoulders. 

There are those who adore him, and for good reason, displaying a vast array of awe-inspiring flying knees, suplexes and spinning elbows.

Then of course, as with any champion, there are the detractors who say he is not deserved of such praise; that he's still too young and inexperienced to be awarded such reverence.

But Jones' success is truly just, because his dedication holds no boundaries.

It's evident right down to the grassroots of his MMA career, where he would learn to fight by simply sitting and watching, of all things, MMA videos on YouTube.

“I got into MMA after I finished college and that's when I'd start to watch YouTube videos,” laughs the champ.

“I had an unexpected child and I kinda had to put school on hold.

I didn't get the degree I wanted and I was having a really hard time finding work.

I came across an MMA school through the Internet and I said, 'You know what, I'm a great wrestler and I'm having a hard time finding work. I'm gonna try and become an MMA fighter!’ 

“I called this school and signed up. Problem was, I quickly realized it wasn't the best martial arts gym. It was more like a garage with a bunch of guys kicking bags and beating the hell out of each other.

The head coach of the whole program didn't really know about techniques, the mental side or even the history of martial arts, so I took it upon myself to watch a load of YouTube videos of martial arts seminars and Anderson Silva.

Then I started buying books to learn and just started taking it really seriously about every inch of what it takes to become a successful martial artist.”

Jones' tenacity and dedication was inherent from a young age, spurred forth by his champion athlete older brothers.

Despite being one of the most deadly men on the planet, Jon admittedly was “never the kid who had the best grades in high school, never the starter, never the jock and never the best athlete.”

Because his elder brothers were such gifted athletes in high school – his older sibiling Arthur going on to star in the NFL – Jon felt the need to impress.

“My main thing was keeping up with Arthur, who was always a starter in the football and wrestling team,” he says.

“I was always kinda the second-string athlete on the football team and I wasn't as good as he was.

So he kinda pushed me to train harder and be a champion at a young age like he was.”

The brothers also provided him (rather generously) with his first taste of fighting. “We would always fight each other a lot,” he laughs.

“One day it'd be me vs Arthur, another day it'd be me and Chandler vs Arthur. It's definitely safe to say we got in a lot of fights with each other.”

Despite having a beanpole body in high school – hence the nickname 'Bones' – Jon would go on to become a standout wrestler in college, providing the physical and mental foundations for his MMA legacy.

“I noticed from my very first fight that I had a sense of calm and relaxation.

Same thing I had when I'd go into championship wrestling matches,” he says. “Just having over 1,000 wrestling matches over my career has taught me to be calm and poised, staying focused instead of being overly aggressive.”

After making the transition into pro MMA, this 'focus' would be quickly put into practice, going 7-0 in just five months.

Again, Jon's determination to succeed and ensure there was food on the table for his family was foremost.

“I was fighting for my family's security. Sooner or later I'll be fighting for my mother and father,” he says.

“You gotta take it seriously and try not to get hurt. You gotta carry your body, stay stretched and do proper warm-ups. If you do that then you should be ready to go out there, bring the fight and be ready to fight again.”

For most humans, fighting so regularly would break down the body, but Jon was gifted. “My body always held up great. I came out of college and had a competitive attitude.

I was training during wrestling tournaments. As a collegiate athlete you compete every single Saturday and if you're not competing you're going at it 100%. I had that same mentality in MMA.

It just felt natural. It was a great thing for me. A lot of fighters have a lot of time off and they have to re-remember techniques.

Fighting back to back, you have a momentum that's behind you. Like in any sport it's always good to have that momentum.”

Yet it's not just the sheer commitment to being a contender that makes Jon a champion, it is also his technical abilities.

With such creative and destructive fight moves (amongst dance moves; see YouTube for him doing 'the dougie' with UFC bantamweight and good friend Urijah Faber), he has been compared to the greatest painters and musicians of all time, such as Mozart and Picasso.

His natural creativity is visceral, yet he admits artistry must be harnessed and drilled.

“Every move that's happened in the cage is a move I've drilled over and over again, thousands of times,” he says.

“I will admit though the combinations come sporadically. I try and mix it up, I have a few general ideas of what I want to happen then I just let it all rip.”

To effectively perform moves like spinning elbows (see the one he destroyed Stephan Bonnar with at UFC 94), takes a natural instinct as well as a honed skillset.

With such flashy displays, does Jon fight for the crowd or fight to win?

“I try and get in there and get the job done,” he admits.

“My wrestling coaches taught me that when you catch a fish, you gotta reel it in as quick as you can. That's the approach you gotta have with martial arts. Despite how much better an athlete or fighter I may be than my opponent, I go in there and I take him out.”

Of course, it wasn't just Jones' physical capabilities that served him well on the road to contendership; he also has a cast-iron mentality.

He reveals that he is human after all and does have doubts before fights, but stresses the importance of channeling it.

“I do get thoughts where I ask myself, 'What if I mess up?

What if he hits me with a lucky punch?' I won't say I get nervous but I definitely get those thoughts.

Nervousness is something that happens to every fighter but the best athletes in the world learn how to control it.

I always think of a phrase I read in a book once: 'If you're gonna have butterflies, you better get them to fly in formation.' 

“It's all about getting those emotions and harnessing them and using those emotions and adrenaline to gain the advantage.

Nervousness and fear are like a fire. Either you can allow this fire to consume you and you'll burn horribly, or you can channel this energy and fire it at your opponent.

That's what I do, I release it. When I'm nervous, that's when I have the most energy to channel.”

He also maintains that it is essential to stay focused as you step into the cage.

“I'm always calm and relaxed. I train everyday. I'm getting heavyweights swinging at my chin everyday. It's just a part of my job.

The mail man doesn't get nervous when he walks up to the mailbox. I'm that mailman, delivering the message.”

It's not just butterflies in hurricanes that Jon has to mentally deal with. Being at the top of the game means there's a target on his head.

The rest of the light heavyweight division are quickly queuing to take a shot at him; both physically and verbally.

“I've got Rashad calling me Judas Jones and Rampage saying he's gonna destroy me,” he says.

“I don't particularly like smack talk.

Every once in a while you get it and you try and get back quickly but the fans won't remember what was said before the fight, they'll just remember who won the fight.

For example, I really wasn't saying much to Rampage at the press conference because when the fight's over, that's when his quotes will be funny.”

As any MMA fan already knows, Jones is set to make his first title defense against perennial contender and fan-favorite Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson at UFC 135.

It will truly be an 'old school vs new school' battle. Jon is currently preparing for war at Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has the luxury of training with some of the best coaches in the world, including Greg Jackson himself and Muay Thai prodigy and revered coach Phil Nurse.

Accompanying this showcase of trainers is stand-up coach Mike Winkeljohn. His training regime is tough, training up to three times a day. 

“I train every day except Sunday,” says Jon.

“Three times a day when I'm training for a fight. When I have no fight scheduled I'd say two or three times a week. Day by day, I start every morning at nine o'clock and I'll do a different style of martial art.

Monday I do wrestling, Tuesday's jiu-jitsu, Wednesday's kickboxing, Thursday it'd be kickboxing with takedowns... Every single day has a different style. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I do conditioning.

Depending on how sore I am we'll do weight lifting.

If I'm really sore we do a cardio blast, something to get my blood pumping.

Then pretty much every night I'm with either Greg Jackson or Mike Winkeljohn to go over strategies.

With Greg I'll meet up about six and we'll talk about things that need to be worked on and positions that I need to be comfortable to work with.

If Greg's not available then I go with Mike and we'll hit some pads, go over combinations and defenses that are crucial to the fight.”

Training three times a day is exhausting for any athlete, yet Jon's body is conditioned to it – aided by his rigorous diet.

“When it hits the last four or five weeks of the training camp, that's when I get really strict with my diet,” he says.

“I generally eat healthy though. My girlfriend, she's home with the kids every training camp. When I come home she's already got lunch, dinner and breakfast sorted for me.

It's not like I stop at Dominos before the gym or get a Subway after the gym, I don't eat any fast food.”

So what does the plate of a champion consist of?

“For breakfast it's always protein like eggs, and carbs for energy.

I'll then have some fruit and a protein shake mid morning. For lunch, a lot of heavy protein and a fat of some sort.

Then between lunch and dinner I'll have another protein shake and some fruit.

Finally for dinner it'll be protein and vegetables with zero carbs. When I'm training I'll never eat carbs after six o'clock at night. Carbs are what make people overweight.”

His philosophy clearly works. Walking around at 222lb then dropping to a leaner 220lb midway through fight camp, during fight week Jon only has to cut around 10–12lb. “My cuts are always real easy,” he says.

“I'm at about 218lb during fight week.

On the Monday before the fight I have absolutely zero salt in my body. I don't cheat.”

Jon also reveals one of his secret nutritional weapons for keeping svelte is Ivory tuna, a high-grade form of tuna fish found in expensive portions of Japanese sushi.

Although sporting such a lean body and admitting his weight cut isn't tough, Jon shares his plans of a future move to heavyweight.

“I'll go to heavyweight one day the older I get.

I refuse to be miserable trying to cut weight at 25 to 30 years old.

I definitely look forward to my heavyweight days where I can eat pretty much what I want and trim up when needed – and just be a big, fast, long athlete.

I don't think any heavyweights will have as much agility as me when I move up.”

Although an exciting prospect, he still has to wipe out the light heavyweight division first; by no means a small feat.

But Jon is a dreamer, a thinker and an optimist. Before he leaves, he's keen to share his ultimate ambitions.

“When I'm gray and old I wanna be remembered as the fighter who was a God-fearing man, someone who was opinionated and not afraid to be himself.

Someone who was positive and stood for what was best for the people in general, despite their ethnic background.

I wanna be remembered as an all-time great who took his best days by the balls and made his own story.

I wanna be remembered as an overcomer.

I wanna inspire people who have nothing. I wanna be remembered as a hardworking, loving champion.

Rather than my moves, I wanna be remembered for my character and integrity. I could go on and on.” And indeed he could; a champion's ambition that knows no bounds.

GREG JACKSON is Jon’s fight strategist and head coach

Q: How long have you been training Jon?

Greg: “I started training Jon since the Matt Hamill fight. That’s when he came to Jackson’s. Before that I’d seen him fight. I was impressed with his heart and creativity but there’s a lot of people like that.

He’s been working with me and Mr Winkeljohn and now he’s coming along nicely.”

Q: What was the first thing that struck you about Jon?

A: “I was impressed with his creativity. At that time, he wasn’t finishing everybody in the first or second round. He went to war with Stephan Bonnar and a back and forth battle with Jake O’Brien.”

Q: He’s still only 24, so you must have seen him evolve in such a short space of time?

A: “Yeah it’s crazy, he just soaks everything up like a sponge.

He’s so receptive, he’s so coachable. He just improves and improves and improves and I honestly think he’s no way near his prime yet.

I think he’s got maybe two or three years before he’s really gonna start coming into his own. It’s pretty scary stuff!”

Q: Have you instilled your creativity or is it something inherent in him?

A: “He was already very creative. He was already trained in moves and putting things together pretty well. I just decided the challenge for me, Mr Winkeljohn and Phil Nurse was to use good, strong foundation stuff; continue that creativity, but don’t stifle it.

You don’t wanna be super creative all the time because then the creativity becomes predictable. You don’t wanna be meat and potatoes all the time because you lose what makes you great.

So it’s a real fun challenge to coach him because you have to play that line. He needs to be strong, but he also needs to be touch and go and creative. It keeps you unpredictable and a fighter like Jon Jones, with his rhythm and his timing, he should be highly unpredictable.”

Q: Do you still find there’s moments where he rushes into things because of his age?

A: “I don’t find a lot of that. He’s actually very mature in his fights and in the cage and how he does things. I’m not too worried about that stuff. For me, it’s much more how to think, how to stay creative under pressure. It’s a lot more the fine technical stuff but he had a lot of experience competing in wrestling. He’s actually pretty mature on that stuff and he doesn’t lose his cool.”

Q: Did he have any weaknesses when you first started working with him?

A: “Yeah, he was shocking at first. It was shocking how far he’d got knowing what he did. Everyone is always like, ‘Really?’ When he first came there were a lot of things we needed to change and learn and switch around. I literally mean everything.

His wrestling was pretty solid, his jiu-jitsu was okay but nowhere near the standard it needed to be.

His kickboxing was good because he was long and rangy. So he had that but he didn’t have as much technique as he could.

Now he’s getting all the methodology and timing, it’s all coming his way.”

What is Jon’s dedication like?

“He started out in MMA learning videos from YouTube. He was self-taught. That says so much about his character, his intelligence and his creativity; the fact he was able to take those moves and use them in the cage without any form of detailed training.”

Q: What’s the main thing that sets him head and shoulders above everyone else?

A: “He needs to prove still that he’s head and shoulders above everybody else. Obviously he’s a very tough and talented fighter and I’d like him to continue to prove that.

There’s a lot of things that make him special though. It’s one of those things where the sum is greater than the parts.

There is a little bit of everything. He learns quickly, he can see where the moves are and he has a natural sense of when and what to do which is really important. 

He has so many diverse elements that make him different that it’s just one of those things where you step back and think, ‘Wow he’s amazing!’ It’s an amalgamation.”

Q: What’s the biggest piece of advice you've offered Jon?

A: “Certainly one of the most important is telling him, ‘You’re young and you’re going to be hyper successful.

Your lifestyle will change where everybody’s telling you you’re the greatest fighter ever, so if you can handle your you know what, then you’ll be great.

If you can’t then you aint.’ It’s happened a lot when fighters start coming to me and telling me what the best ideas are and they’re telling me what to do.

Or if they don’t make it to practice because they’ve been drinking a lot. If Jon starts doing those things he’s gonna have a hard career.

“So far he’s been stellar, but I needed that talk with him.

It’s by far the most important message. I know amazingly talented fighters who should be winning more than they are but because of these things, it’s holding them back.

They just love the lifestyle. A little bit of drinking and the ladies is great if you need to let off steam, but when it starts interfering with your job or when you start thinking you know better then its dangerous.”

Q: What’s Jon like as a character?

A: “He’s a super confident character. He’s also a sharp guy. You can’t hide intelligence. I find myself constantly having to innovate new moves because if you don’t he’ll get bored and that’s a process I have to constantly evolve while orchestrating all the other stuff as well.

He’s an intricate guy to coach but I love it.”

Rule Breaker

> The rule: To burn fat you need to do 12-15 repetitions on each exercise. 

> Break it: Do fewer reps on each exercise, but go heavy. 

When you’re trying to make weight in the lead up to a bout there’s only so much impact your knife and fork can have.

The rest is down to the hard slog you do in your sweatbox.

Trouble is, most guys think that pumping out more reps means more calories are burned.

This is true up to a point, but most guys tend to use weights that are too light, minimizing their calorie burn.

And if you’re too heavy before a weigh-in you’ll tend to dehydrate more than you should, sapping your strength.

Fortunately, there is a way to get lean and powerful: do just six reps on each exercise.

Using weights so heavy you can only manage six reps hikes up your metabolism more than doing 12 reps, found a study at the Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education.

That’s because your body has to devote calories to repairing the damage done during training.

Rather do four sets of six reps on each exercise and not only will you start to drop weight faster, but instead of losing strength as you rip up you’ll start to gain power just in time to land a overhand right destined to send your opponent packing straight to la la land.

Rule Breaker

> The rule: Avoid cholesterol if you want to lose fat and gain muscle. 

> Break it: A certain amount of cholesterol is beneficial. 

Jon Jones admits to eating a small amount of food containing fat for lunch because even bad, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol isn’t the arterial grim reaper it’s made out to be and it can in fact help make you more powerful in the gym and in the cage.

A new study in the Journal of Gerontology found that after fairly vigorous workouts, participants who had gained the most muscle mass also had the highest levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

"This study shows that you do need a certain amount of LDL to gain more muscle mass,” says Steve Riechman, a researcher in the Texas A&M University Department of Health and Kinesiology.

“Everyone needs a certain amount of both LDL and HDL in their bodies. We need to change this idea of LDL always being the evil thing – we all need it and we need it to do its job."

So whether you’re trying to add size or lose fat, there’s no downside to more muscle because it makes you more powerful and will help you burn more calories.

That’s your excuse to enjoy another steak without having to bother about trimming the fat.

PHIL NURSE is Jon's Muay Thai coach

Q: When did you start working with Jon?

Phil: “I started working with Jon about a month before the Matt Hamill fight.”

Q: Did you instantly think he had something special?

A: “I’d met him before he came to Greg’s. I’d met him at a show and we ended up talking and he showed interest that he wanted to come and train with us and it went from there, but he definitely had some interesting skills that I knew I could work with.”

Q: He’s known for his creativity. Is fighting natural to him?

A: “He actually does a lot of it himself. The only thing I have to do is show him when to do it and not do it for the sake of doing it. You can be creative as you want but you gotta know the timing and understand when it’s going to be effective.

I think he’s got a natural ability to string it all together. He learned a lot of it watching videos. It’s a big credit to him. That shows his motivation.”

Q: Is he mature for his age?

A: “He is but when you’re 24 you’re 24 and you’re gonna act like a 24-year-old. He’s still young and wants to have fun but he’s still focused and knows when it’s time to get serious.”

Q: What do you work on with Jon?

A: “We’ll do conditioning, then pad work. Then we’ll work through five or six different moves. As it gets closer to the fight, we rich pick the moves that work best for Jon.”

Q: What is it about Jon’s ability that stands out the most for you?

A: “He’s such a big guy but he’s so athletic for his size.

There’s a lot of things I’ve shown him that a 135lb’er can do because he’s small and nimble but Jon at 205lb can do too.”

Q: Does he do a tough weight cut?

A: “It’s not that bad. He only cuts about 10lb or so in fight week so he’s only about 215lb.

As soon as he hits that camp the weight just sheds off him. I think he could be a heavyweight maybe three or four years from now.”