To many, Jon Jones is a prospect that represents the state of the art in terms of technical and physiological potential.

(Photo: nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com)

Because so many factors define a fighter’s efficacy in battle, it's forgivable that we settle for terms like "good cardio" and "bad cardio" to describe an athlete's fitness.  Nevertheless, when one is truly seeking to cast a thoughful appraisal, a term like "cardio" simply falls short of capturing the various nuances of human output.  Given the trend toward fighters with increasingly elite athletic pedigrees, we trainers, fighters, and fans would do well to move past the term "cardio" and become more familiar with the fundamentals of human physiology as defined by sports science.

Admittedly, this article is at best an overview of fight physiology.  Additionally, your author is more construction worker than sports scientist, therefore, please don’t expect this piece to be more than a jumping-off point for your own study. 

Nevertheless, in the spirit of expanding our collective physiological vocabulary; let's take a peek beneath the tattoos and see how the flying knees are made.

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