UFC champ Jon Jones talks faith, sponsors and beating Gustafsson

A smiling Jon (Bones) Jones walked on to a makeshift stage Thursday to confront underdog challenger Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson.

Always thinking of a new angle, Jones was wielding a smartphone in front of him. His view of the square-off would soon be posted on Instagram, the UFC light-heavyweight champion told the media in front of him.

Jones (18-1) took to social media soon after, managing to squeeze a biblical verse, Nike and Gatorade into the same tweet.

“There is nothing special about me, I just work extremely hard,” he wrote. “Anything can happen.”

A picture below showed a smiling Jones, a Nike swoosh prominent on his hoodie, pointing to a bottle of Gatorade — his latest sponsor. To further make his point, he added Phillipians 4:13 and the hashtags for both companies.

Fighter, man of faith and six-foot-four, 205-pound billboard, Jones is currently the brightest star in mixed martial arts.

“His life doesn’t suck, right,” UFC president Dana White said dryly. “He’s got a lot to be happy about.”

A victory at UFC 165 Saturday and Jones will set the record for most consecutive title defences (six) in UFC light-heavyweight history. He already holds the record for most submissions (five) by a light-heavyweight and is tied for most finishes (nine).

A former junior college wrestling champion with an 84.5-inch reach, Jones’ size and length make him hard to penetrate and tough to defend.

At 6-5, Gustafsson (15-1) is one inch taller and has good striking skills. But while the 26-year-old Swede has won his last six fights, he hasn’t faced the kind of opposition that Jones has.

The bookies have made Jones anywhere from a 9-1 to 20-1 favourite to beat Gustafsson.

White usually dismisses such odds. But he was slightly more circumspect Thursday.

“I think that they’re making lines that they don’t want a lot of money going on Jones because they think Jones is going to win. That’s the way the book works,” said White, no stranger to the betting window.

“Jones is good, really good.”

About the only people who believe Gustafsson can win are those in the challengers’ camp, although most pundits are quick to cover themselves by saying it’s a sport where anything can happen.

Gustafsson, a lanky likable Swede with battered ears, doesn’t think he is being disrespected.

“Not at all. I don’t takes anything personally. I don’t read too much. I don’t think too much. I’m going to go in there and shock the world on Saturday,” he said.

“I’m more than prepared,” he added. “I can’t wait to get in there. I’m just living the dream right now. I’ve got a one in a lifetime shot and I’m going to do the best of it.”