Machida: Pressure is on Jon Jones
Marcelo Alonso Sep 6, 2011
Lyoto
Machida (Pictured), on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a
recent Sherdog.com interview:
“I had the belt and lost it. We know it’s all about momentum. You can’t analyze only the fighter; you have to analyze the human being, too. Jones is in a new setting, as he is the champion now. Everything gets bigger: media calls, responsibility, pressure. Every fight becomes a mountain to climb. You get pressured. Your oxygen gets low. Everything intensifies. To have good performances in normal situations is one thing; to be great when you’re champion is completely different. Opponents are studying him more, everybody is looking for a weakness and he has a target on his back. Let’s see how he does against Rampage, and then I’ll think about him. I don’t want to be concerned with a challenge that isn’t mine. I’ll do that only when it becomes a reality.”
“I had the belt and lost it. We know it’s all about momentum. You can’t analyze only the fighter; you have to analyze the human being, too. Jones is in a new setting, as he is the champion now. Everything gets bigger: media calls, responsibility, pressure. Every fight becomes a mountain to climb. You get pressured. Your oxygen gets low. Everything intensifies. To have good performances in normal situations is one thing; to be great when you’re champion is completely different. Opponents are studying him more, everybody is looking for a weakness and he has a target on his back. Let’s see how he does against Rampage, and then I’ll think about him. I don’t want to be concerned with a challenge that isn’t mine. I’ll do that only when it becomes a reality.”
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