UFC 126 - Bader vs. Jones: A Battle of Phenoms

he UFC 126 super card is sure to be one to excite long-time MMA fans and newcomers alike. The main card features the always-exciting Anderson “Spider” Silva defending his middleweight title against Vitor Belfort. Forrest Griffin steps back into the cage against Rich Franklin and up and comers Jon “Bones” Jones and Ryan Bader square off. Each matchup is loaded with storylines. Silva has defended his title a record seven straight times, and hopes to extend that streak against former light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort. Forrest Griffin is fighting for the first time since Nov 2009 and hopes ring rust will not be a factor against Rich Franklin who is fresh off an impressive victory over UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. The most interesting storyline is that of The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner Ryan Bader and UFC poster-boy Jon Jones.
Bader holds a perfect record of 12 wins and no losses, with a notable victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Bader is considered one of the elite wrestlers in the UFC having won two state wrestling titles in high school and was ranked fourth best in the country at the time. He wrestled collegiately at Arizona State University with fellow UFC fighter C.B Dolloway and current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Bader will not be easy to control on the ground if Jones can manage to get him there. Everyone knows about his solid wrestling pedigree, but many forget that he trained under Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira on TUF 8, learning a lot about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the process.
Jon “Bones” Jones is considered one of the UFC’s hottest fighters. Jones has a record of 11-1, with his only loss coming with a controversial disqualification against Matt Hammil in a fight that he dominated. Jones has been making a big name for himself since entering the UFC in 2008 with wins over Stephan Bonnar, Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko, the final two of which he finished via elbow strikes. Jones is known for his highly unconventional striking, throwing spinning back kicks and the strike he has made popular, the spinning back elbow.
The matchup between these two fighters on the rise has been scrutinized heavily, many critics often mentioning Bader’s superior wrestling ability. While Jones didn’t wrestle at a division I college like Bader, Jones did earn a national junior college championship while Bader earned no college championship. Bader having wrestled in a program as prominent as ASU’s gives him a slight edge in wrestling over Jones.
To me, Jones has a major advantage in this fight. Jones is a superior striker, and has the longest reach in the UFC and in much of the MMA world at 84.5 inches. His reach, a full ten inches longer than Bader’s, will be the biggest factor. Jones, who utilizes a lot of kicks, also has a crucial two-inch height advantage, much of which is in his legs.
Even with a few crucial advantages such as these, I don’t see Jones being able to control Bader on the ground. Bader will try to keep the fight on the ground with some success, but Jones will find a way back to his feet. Jones wins in the second round by way of knockout.
Whichever of these two outstanding fighters wins, it is sure to shakeup the light heavyweight division in the UFC. Bader can hang with anyone and with his incredible size, can keep opponents down with strength like that of Brock Lesnar. Jones has the potential to end the fight at any moment with one of his highlight reel knockouts. With the UFC’s 205-pound division in its current state, either of these two fighters could find themselves in contention for a title shot with this win.
Jones will be more valuable to the UFC if he moves on to win this fight and get a title shot. He reminds me a lot of Anderson Silva in the flashy way the he knocks out opponents, and the way he is built. He has very long legs, and is a true student of Muay Thai in the way that he uses all eight points to handle his opponents.
If Jones gets a title shot it will boost ratings much higher than if Bader does simply because Bader isn’t a finesse kind of guy. He is an old fashioned “get it done” type of guy. Bader just finds ways to win, and certainly does it often.
Jones has the potential to control the 205 division with this win. Whoever wins will go on to fight for the number one contender spot. The 205-pound division is wide open and until Anderson Silva moves into it permanently, it will be.
The future of the light heavyweight division rests in the hands of a few fighters. The champion, Shogun Rua will likely retain his title for several months, while being challenged by Rashad Evans later this year. Other fighters who will likely be in contention are Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. Jones and Bader will surely find their way into the mix, as Bader has already beaten one of these top fighters.
The title will bounce between these fighters until Anderson Silva enters the division for good and he will try to do what he has done to the middleweight division for the past few years: destroy it. The only fighter who can match up with this behemoth when he enters at 205 is Jon Jones. He is similarly built in size and speed to Silva and their fighting styles are very similar.
Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva is a fight I would be more excited to see than the epic Georges St-Pierre and Silva blockbuster every MMA fan has wet dreams about.