15.0°C Not observed 
The UFC kicks off one of its busiest stretches in recent memory this weekend with the first of four cards crammed into 20 days.
Sunday night's main event at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., (Rogers Sportsnet, check local listings) gives highly touted light-heavyweight Jon (Bones) Jones a reality check in the form of Brandon (The Truth) Vera.
The card is the first for the UFC on the Versus network in the U.S.
Just 22, Jones is a raw talent with a deep, unorthodox bag of tricks who befuddled Andre Gusmao, Stephan Bonnar and Jake O'Brien in his first three trips to the Octagon. Long and lean at six foot four, the former junior college wrestling champion has an unpredictable array of trips, takedowns, knees and spinning back kicks and elbows.
In the co-main event, hard-hitting Junior Dos Santos faces Gabriel Gonzaga in all-Brazilian affair that could cement Dos Santos' status as a heavyweight contender.
After Broomfield, Canadian Georges St-Pierre defends his welterweight title against brash Brit Dan (The Outlaw) Hardy at UFC 111 on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Lightweight Kenny Florian then welcomes Japanese star Takanori Gomi to the UFC on a televised card March 31 at the delightfully named Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C.
"This is a freak month and it happens sometimes," said UFC president Dana White, who will squeeze in a visit to Toronto next Tuesday to meet local media and fans.
"I'm so pumped for these next three cards," he added. "First of all, two of them are free TV and one pay-per-view. So that's a good month for fans."
Next month, the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi for UFC 112 on April 10 when Anderson Silva defends his middleweight title against fellow Brazilian Demian Maia and lightweight champion B.J. (The Prodigy) Penn faces Frankie (The Answer) Edgar.
Jones (9-1) is coming off a controversial loss to Matt (The Hammer) Hamill in a December fight that ended with the six-foot-four Jones astride Hamill, carving him open with more than 40 elbow strikes to the head. The fight was stopped, with most observers expecting Jones' arm to be raised. Jones himself celebrated with a cartwheel in the cage.
Instead Jones had a point deducted by referee Steve Mazzagatti for an illegal (straight downward) elbow and Hamill (9-3) got the win despite being unable to continue due to a shoulder injury.
The decision was made after Nevada State Athletic Commission officials made use of recently approved instant replay to examine the fight's ending.
"I definitely don't look at it as a loss, but I never cry over split milk," said Jones, adding: "I'm not totally at peace and comfortable with the whole situation."
The ripple effect of that bizarre ending was felt back at his home in Ithaca, N.Y. His girlfriend Jessie, distraught at the sudden turn of events, called Jones at his after-party to say she was going into labour a week early.
Jones, who also has a 19-month-old daughter Leah, had to leave five-week-old daughter Carmen for his six-week training camp for Vera.
"There's just a lot of really cute things they do at that age that I'll never get back," he said. "It really sucks."
Jones looks to turn that sacrifice into motivation.
"I couldn't imagine losing after being away from my family so long," he said.
Still Jones understand the hard work is necessary to prep for Vera.
"I do do the extra studying when I could be playing 'Call of Duty,' " he said. "Instead I log into the Internet and watch more of his fights, even though I've watched his fights a thousand times already.
"All the extra stuff is why I am where I am."
Vera (11-4) lost a close decision loss to Randy (The Natural) Couture last time out at UFC 105 in a fight some thought he had won.
"He's a good opponent for me," Jones said of Vera. "He's inspired me to train on a level I've never trained before. He's inspired me to get my technique to somewhere it's never been before. I can't predict the outcome of the fight but I can predict that people are going to notice drastic differences in my technique and my form."
A talented fighter who acknowledges he has yet to make the most of his potential, the 32-year-old Vera needs a win over his young opponent to remain a player in the 205-pound division.
Vera, the bookies' underdog in the fight, knows it won't come easy.
"His game is tight," he said of Jones on a conference call. "His striking is good. His footwork's good. We've been studying for a while and his biggest weakness is his experience. That's the only X-factor in this game. Everything else, he's almost like a seasoned vet."
Following his UFC 100 win over O'Brien last July, Jones joined forces with respected trainer Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M. - "the best move I've ever made in my career," according to Jones.
Jackson wants Jones to keep his unorthodox ways. His mantra for Jones is "relentless creativity."
"He wants to see three times more," said Jones.
"I want his mind flowing like a river, not kind of stagnant," added Jackson.
Jones has welcomed Jackson's structure, acknowledging his training regimen was somewhat haphazard before, and says he has become a more well-rounded fighter.
"I see it every day. My gaps are just closing up more and more. it's exciting."
Jones also says the Jackson camp has helped keep him grounded by showing him how much work he needed to do.
"I was starting to believe I was really good at fighting after I dominated Stefan Bonnar . . . Then I get down to Greg Jackson and next thing I've got little guys tapping me out and I've got freaking guys slamming me around, out-kickboxing me," he recalled.
Also on Sunday, heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Paul (The Headhunter) Buentello look to right themselves after UFC 107 losses (Kongo to Frank Mir and Buentello to Stefan Struve). Kongo's crisp striking has the bookies making him more than a 3-1 favourite.
