"I wanted to model my career after him" - Jon Jones lauds UFC legend's influence for his own career

Jon Jones recently named the one UFC legend he looked up to and by whom he was heavily influenced. Giving Georges St-Pierre his flowers, Jones heaped praise on the former two-division champion for his professionalism and style.

St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. The UFC Hall of Famer holds the record for having the most successful title defenses at welterweight and the third most consecutive title defenses in promotional history. He has an impressive professional record of 26-2, having recorded wins over high-profile opponents like Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, B.J. Penn, and Carlos Condit.

Given St-Pierre's legacy in the sport, perhaps it's no surprise that Jones looked up to 'GSP' and sought to model his own career after the Canadian fighter. In an interview on No Scripts Podcast, Jones lauded St-Pierre and said:

"I really enjoy the way 'GSP' conducted himself, the professionalism, the size of his team, every member of his group was vital. The way that he would wear suits to the UFC, he was one of the first fighters to do that. I wanted to model my career after him, and that’s why I met Greg Jackson. Greg Jackson was one of 'GSP’s' coaches at the time, and sure enough, this guy completely changed my life, my psychology. Modeling myself after 'GSP' was brilliant."

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Check out Jon Jones' comments below (15:40):

When Georges St-Pierre spoke about Jon Jones being the MMA GOAT

Last year, Georges St-Pierre explained why he backed Jon Jones as the greatest fighter ever.

In an interview on the Pound 4 Pound podcast (via @ChampRDS on X), St-Pierre touched upon Jones' resume and detailed his experience training with the former UFC heavyweight champion:

"I think it's hard to find someone better than Jon Jones, man. Jon Jones, he's so good. Jon Jones is extremely talented, but he's also extremely tough. People have no idea how tough he is, man. I've trained with him. I've seen him going through the grind. He's so freaking tough. I remember fights that he had, I think with Vitor Belfort, I think his arm got dislocated and then he fought even with a dislocated arm. Even in one of his fights, his toes were broken."

He continued:

"Most of the time, when you have a guy that is very talented, it doesn't come with toughness. Jon Jones is the full package. He's got everything. Elite striker, elite grappler, he's good everywhere. Of course, there's things that people will say, 'Oh yeah, he did this, did that,' but in terms of who's the best, man. And he came back, beat Ciryl Gane the way he did, it's hard to have an argument."