Fighter’s house is in order

The last time rising Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jon Jones was in action, he suffered his first professional loss when he was disqualified for landing an illegal elbow on Matt Hamill in December.

The light heavyweight appeared to take the setback in stride and seemed largely unaffected, even at the postfight news conference, chalking it up as a learning experience.

The same could not be said for his girlfriend, Jessie Moses, who Jones says went into labor with the couple's daughter, Carmen, because of stress after hearing about the loss.

Jones said taking care of his family became his focus, rather than getting back in the cage -- which he will finally do tonight when he takes on Brandon Vera on a UFC card in Broomfield, Colo.

"I got home right away, and my main priority was just to take care of my girlfriend and my oldest daughter (Leah, 20 months) and make sure things at home were going smooth," he said. "Training wasn't really a No. 1 priority to me right away."

Jones said Carmen was born with a heart murmur but is otherwise healthy.

"She's doing great now, and she's getting more beautiful every day, so it's awesome," he said.

Jones' loss to Hamill did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of fans who have labeled the 22-year-old as the future of the sport. Jones says he is aware of the hype, but realizes how quickly it can go away with one subpar performance.

"I know that MMA fans can be brutal, so you know I can be God's gift to the world or the second coming of Jesus Christ, and then the next day, I can be nothing," he said.

Vera, 32, was hyped similarly when he first burst onto the scene in 2005. He says he welcomed the expectations, but has learned a great deal from the losses that knocked him off the pedestal he'd been placed on.

"I guess I'm glad the way things have gone (and how) I've turned out so far," Vera said. "I like the bumps in the road. I enjoy learning from my mistakes. I'm not going to say it kept me humble -- it made me humble. I had no choice but to become humble again."

Vera is 3-2 since dropping down to light heavyweight and is coming off a controversial decision loss to Randy Couture in November. A win tonight would go a long way toward restoring Vera as a legitimate threat in the division.

The card, which also features a heavyweight bout between Junior dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga, will air live on Versus (Cable 38) at 6 p.m.

The 25-year-old dos Santos has four knockouts, including three in the first round, in his four UFC appearances. A win over Gonzaga would certainly propel him into the elite echelon of heavyweight fighters in the organization.

Gonzaga endured a two-fight losing streak that included a loss to Couture for the heavyweight belt but has since won three of four fights, with the loss to Shane Carwin.

The other heavyweight bout on the main card is Cheick Kongo against Paul Buentello. A middleweight fight between James Irvin and Alessio Sakara rounds out the card.

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