Jon Jones on Thiago Silva: I'd love to give him a slap in the face

Tensions seemed to run high between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera throughout much of their UFC 125 match-up, as the two made verbal exchanges and took turns throwing up their arms at one another.  However, as the bout progressed it was clear who was the dominant fighter on this night, as Vera struggled to find an answer for the Brazilian's relentless ground and pound.  Then, late in the third round, Silva appeared to bring the taunts to another level, alternating between drumming on Vera's back and slapping the side of his face.

While its not the first time a competitor has resorted to such antics inside the octagon, at least one fighter took exception to Vera's behavior.  Fellow Light Heavyweight Jon "Bones" Jones immediately took to his Twitter account and voiced his thoughts on the matter.

"Wow that slapping was so disrespectful.. id love to give him a slap in the face."

In the days since Jones has elaborated on the comments, explaining that it was not a personal rivalry, but a matter of disrespect among professionals.

"It kind of bugged me, only because we all fight, and just losing alone is humiliating enough. It's embarrassing. If someone ever did that to me, where they would beat me like that and then drum on my back, I would be humiliated. Just absolutely humiliated. Think about all the people who watched those fights. All his fans, all the members at his school, all the kids that look up to him. Man, it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It's not something I would ever want done to me and it's not something I would ever do to someone else."

"It came out afterwards that he said he slapped him to try and get him to open up, and I do believe that he was looking for an opening, but at the same time he was having a little fun, too," said Jones. "There's ways of looking for an opening besides playing pattycake on a guy's back."

Although both competitors currently compete at Light Heavyweight, a potential showdown would be unlikely to happen anytime soon.  Silva's unanimous decision victory over Vera makes him 2-2 in his last four outings, while Jones is currently set to face Ryan Bader at UFC 126 in a bout that is likely to have title implications for the winner.