Marcus Jones finds his true passion in hunt for UFC contract

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.

On a recent episode of The Ultimate Fighter — the UFC's wildly popular reality show — heavyweight hopeful Marcus Jones made a revelation to millions of viewers.

The former NFL defensive end, who recorded 24 sacks in six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001, confessed that his heart was never fully in his football career.

Well, at least not in the way it's invested in his fledgling mixed martial arts career.

It may have come to a shock to some watching, wondering how someone who once held seemingly one of the most desired and admired jobs in America could have essentially gone through the motions the whole time.

One former Bucs teammate and close friend of Jones's was hardly surprised.

"He'll even tell you, he didn't really love football," said Ian Beckles, who played nine seasons in the league from 1990-98, spending the first seven in Tampa. "He just played football and he excelled at it. But he loves MMA. So the odds of him excelling at that are probably better than football, and he had a pretty good football career as well.

"He says that MMA is his passion, and I believe him. He loves it. To go out there every day and practice like they do, and for his body to already be beat up and having taken those kinds of beatings, you have to love it. Because he doesn't need the money. That's for sure."

At 36 years old, Jones is a hot, top prospect all over again, just as he was heading into the 1996 NFL Draft. Following a stellar collegiate career at North Carolina, the Bucs made him the 22nd overall draft pick that April — four picks before Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, out of Miami.

In the process, he became an instant millionaire.

It took Jones three seasons to find his footing, moving back and forth between end and nose guard. In 1999, he registered seven sacks while starting four of Tampa's 16 games.

In 2000, he broke out, starting all 16 contests and recording 13 quarterback takedowns, joining Warren Sapp to form one of the NFL's most formidable defensive lines.

"Intimidation is hard in football. Some guys that look like Tarzan play like Jane," Beckles said. "But that wasn't his case. He was so strong. I remember being in the weight room, and at the time, I was the strongest guy on the team. I could bench press 500 pounds, and Marcus went in there and bounced 500 pounds off his chest five times. So, he was so much stronger than everybody it was silly. He's definitely a freak of nature. That's for sure."

But while teammates on the same defensive unit — such as perennial Pro Bowlers Derrick Brooks and John Lynch — would put in countless hours watching film and studying opponents, the game never grabbed Jones the way MMA has.

Instead, teammates were sometimes puzzled at how someone who looked so dominant on the practice field every weekday could be so inconsistent come Sunday.

"Other people live and breathe football. That really wasn't him," Beckles added. "He was on my team, so the only time I got to block him was in practice. And out of all the years I played, he may have been the most unblockable guy on one-on-one pass rush. He was literally unblockable. He was just too strong and had too much ability. Sometimes you wouldn't see that in the game, so he did excel, but he had more upside that we didn't see.

"I think he was the kind of guy who went out and played football, but he's the kind of guy who will break down film with MMA, and he wants to be the best."

The evidence is clear now to those who tune in and watch every Wednesday night.

A few weeks back, Jones's long-anticipated first episode on the show aired, and he blew everyone on the cast away as he took care of Mike Wessel in quick fashion with an armbar submission in the first round.

On tonight's two-hour special, he'll take on Darrill Schoonover in a quarterfinal matchup, leading up to The Ultimate Fighter Finale at The Palms on Dec. 5.

His rough exterior but soft demeanor on the show earned the imposing 6-foot-6, well-built Jones the nickname "Big Baby."

Beckles said it's a fitting moniker.

The two remain close, as Jones visits the sports radio show which Beckles co-hosts on weekday mornings in Tampa to give updates and talk about The Ultimate Fighter. The two hang out regularly, typically taking in some football on Sunday afternoons.

Other times, when, say at a bar, Beckles marvels at how it's impossible for anyone to approach or be near Jones who doesn't come away naturally liking the guy.

It's that quality which could help give Jones a future in the UFC, whether he wins this season of The Ultimate Fighter or not.

"Being a good fighter is great, but you've got to have the personality," he said. "I think he has the look, obviously. He's very imposing. When you watch that show, those guys are kind of scared of him. They're scared of his power, and I understand that.

"I think he's very marketable, because he's got that big teddy bear kind of feel to him, but he can be a beast as well."