I was watching UFC on Spike Wednesday night and twice I believe they said that Jon Bones Jones was a Juco All American wrestler and was recruited by ISU. Does anyone know more about this story. I thought it was interesting to hear ISU twice. How close were we to getting him?
Jon Bones Jones
- Thread starter brycy
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He and Cain Velasquez were both All-Americans at ICCC. At least two people that went to ICCC made something of themselves.
Actually, I believe I read that Jones's dream was to wrestle at the University of Iowa. He was lined up to receive a scholarship there after attending ICCC but decided to pursue a career in professional MMA instead.
False..
Sherdog.com: Your opponent, Matt Hamill, was first introduced to MMA fans as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 3" in 2006. What were you doing then?
Jones: In 2006 I was winning a national title (in wrestling) at Iowa Central Community College. My focus was on being a Division 1 national wrestling champion at Iowa State University. That's the only thing that mattered to me. I was a freshman in college, just trying to keep it real and learning myself, learning how to be an athlete. I was growing into my body a little bit.
Use to know Jon while he was around, Humble, extremely nice guy.
They have said several times that it was Iowa State that he was offered from. More than just one fight. I have seen him fight several times and Mike Goldburg always mentions it because Mike Goldburg always wants to sound like he did his homework.
Hmm. I have read multiple sources saying University of Iowa.Guess it can't get more credible than straight from the horse's mouth, though .
Jonesy made the right decision. Although I'm sure he could have been an outstanding wrestler at Iowa State, his decision to go to MMA was smart. He's extremely talented and has the perfect build for MMA. Don't compare Brock to Jones, as they are completely different. Brock is a phenom, but is not naturally talented in the sport. Also, his MMA instincts are lacking. That said, Jones and Lesnar are my two favorite fighters.
BTW, chances are that he would've wrestled at 197. Pretty sure we had that weight class taken care of from 2007 to 2010.
BTW, chances are that he would've wrestled at 197. Pretty sure we had that weight class taken care of from 2007 to 2010.
It's tough for anyone to be unstoppable in MMA, one lucky punch will end anybody's reign. But Bones looks like a legit champ that will be around for years.
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He was verbally committed to ISU but his coach at ICCC was a UNI grad. As the story goes, the coach started putting pressure on him to back out of his ISU verbal and go to UNI. This was when Penrith was still there. Ultimately, he ended up in MMA and the rest, as they say, is history.
And wsr, Iowa was never in the equation, at least publically. I know that shoots your theory that every athlete in every sport has Iowa as their top choice all to hell, but such is life.
And wsr, Iowa was never in the equation, at least publically. I know that shoots your theory that every athlete in every sport has Iowa as their top choice all to hell, but such is life.
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Bones is phenomenal -I don't see him losing in a long time if he gets past Machida, who is very hard to crack. Jones is a great wrestler, but he's the craziest striker in MMA, even more so than Anderson Silva, I think.
well Iowa was going to offer him but they were waiting to see if he was good enough.
Well, if they would have offered, everybody in the country would have been after him. That's just the way it works with Iowa. :twitcy:
Jon would have been heavyweight, he weighed close to 260 when he was in Iowa and was just as ripped, Its incredible how he has changed his body for UFC
