UFC
UFC 151: Dan Henderson says Jon Jones still "young and sloppy"; Jones avoiding trash talk
Jul 12, 2012 - 11:55:12 PM UFC 151: Dan Henderson says Jon Jones still "young and sloppy"; Jones avoiding trash talk

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

It seems that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones simply cannot avoid trash talking from his opponents. After his fights with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans, along with the talk those fights brought about, he was hoping his UFC 151 matchup with Dan Henderson would be a little less on the disrespectful side.

As it stands, Henderson has made some comments about the young Champion on numerous occasions that could be construed as disrespectful, including one of his latest interviews with ESPN.

"He's young and sloppy a little bit," Henderson said. "He still has a lot to learn, technically... My focus is to win every round, not to land the 'H-bomb.' I'll make sure I win every round and if I hit him good along the way, hopefully it knocks him out."

"A lot of people who think [Jones is unbeatable] have never fought before. They see what he's done from the outside. He's done well with his style but I feel like he's never fought anybody like me. [My style] really goes well against someone like him."

For his part, Jones is a little confused as to why Henderson has taken this route, though he says it's something he'll use for motivation. over the next month and a half.

"No clue why Dan Henderson decided to be so disrespectful to me leading up to this fight, but it is what it is," Jones wrote on Twitter on Friday. "I could use the motivation. The dudes done so much for the sport, I'm not even trying to come at him like that. I did enough trash talking with Page & Evans."

"Henderson's mouth isn't bothering me at all, I just figured with all his experience he'd be over stuff like that."

Penick's Analysis: It's all been fairly mild from Henderson, but he certainly hasn't been quiet. He's got plenty of opinions on Jones and how he feels he'll fare in their Title bout on September 1, and he's more than willing to share those with anyone who asks. I'm sure Jones is a bit irritated that it keeps coming back to that in these fights, but he's left himself open as a target at times, and his reaction to it won't stop it either. Henderson's going to say whatever he feels like saying into this meeting, and Jones will have to use it in whatever way he feels will help him in a positive way. It won't get as bad as the Evans and Jackson fights did, but Jones is clearly already not happy about where it's gotten thus far.

[Dan Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]