"I remember being off in my own world while [Jon Jones] was throwing elbows and missing, and holding his wrists. And I was thinking, ‘Jeez, man, really? All the hype was about you? This is what you have to offer on the ground? I remember, I said, ‘You effin’...’ And then I said ‘suck,’ but before I finished the work ‘suck,’ the elbow came down on my face and smashed my face. That’s when I realized, right then and there, ‘That’s what you get, you bastard. That’s what you get for thinking you saw ahead of the game.’ I guess my arrogance caught up with me. My head got real big and somebody needed to pop it. Too bad he had to pop my face for it to pop, but it’s popped. I don’t like looking past any fighter anymore. Thiago has my full attention, my full respect. I appreciate that they didn’t give me a ‘gimme.’ They gave me a chance to come back into the UFC and prove my salt, make sure I’m worth what I’m worth. Thiago’s been off for a minute and I know he’s got something to prove."

Brandon Vera heads into his UFC 125 light heavyweight fight against Thiago Silva with a brand new attitude, thanks largely in part to having his face caved in by uber-prospect Jon Jones back in March. "The Truth" spoke at the "Resolution" pre-fight press conference (via Sherdog.com) and is bringing his full respect for his hard-hitting Brazilian opponent on Saturday night. Will it be enough? Or will Silva send him to his third straight loss and possibly the unemployment line?