Jones finds his niche in MMA

It's easy to envision rising UFC star Jon Jones making a living on an NFL field instead of fighting inside a cage.

The quick, athletic, 6-foot-4-inch light heavyweight had one thing holding him back from greatness on the gridiron.

"If you could zoom in on my chicken legs, that will probably tell you why I ended up fighting," he said. "I was really athletic and pretty good as a senior, but it took me a long time to finally get respect on the football field, and it just wasn't my thing. No coaches wanted to scout a guy who looks like a little girl in the lower-body department. I just kept the faith, and I found my niche."

That niche was in the cage, where Jones will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship card at the Palms on Saturday night against Matt Hamill.

Jones' two brothers stayed with football, a decision that worked out well for them. Arthur and Chandler Jones teamed up on the defensive line at Syracuse, and Arthur is projected to be an early-round pick in April's NFL Draft.

"He's definitely right," Arthur Jones said of Jon's claims of having chicken legs. "He's always been the guy with the big cowboy collar on and the big pads, and then you look down at the baby legs. But he found his thing in life, and he's doing a fantastic job."

In addition to playing football, Jon Jones also was a state champion wrestler at Union-Endicott High School in New York and earned a national title at the junior college level. He left school to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, and he has quickly ascended the ranks. The 22-year-old is 9-0, including three wins in the UFC, and will be in a main event for the first time Saturday.

It has been a remarkably quick rise for Jones, but he said he is ready for the step up.

"I feel as if I'm just blessed to be on this route that I'm on. I train really hard, and you don't train extremely hard and expect not to be where you're supposed to be," he said. "Getting closer to my ultimate goal (of winning the belt), tougher competition comes with it."

Jon and Arthur Jones said they appreciate the fact that so much athletic talent has come out of one household.

"My parents raised us up really right to just appreciate things for what they are and just go with the flow and keep a level head, so I think we're both doing really well with all of that kind of stuff," Jon said. "Even though I'm the pro, I still look up to (Arthur), and I'm still trying to keep up with him. It's a win-win situation. We both try to feed off of each other."

Arthur shared almost an identical sentiment.

"I'm the older brother, but he's my hero," he said. "It's amazing how blessed our family is, and we've just got to keep praying and keep working hard."

Arthur Jones said he has been a fan of the UFC for some time and that it was fun watching his brother beat Stephan Bonnar, whose career they had followed, in January.

In fact, Arthur said he might follow in his little brother's footsteps after his football days are over.

"Maybe it's something in the future I may end up doing, who knows?" he said.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.