UFC 135 Preview - Jon "Bones" Jones

Many people are anointing Jon “Bones” Jones the future of Mixed Martial Arts. With the longest reach in the UFC at 84.5 inches, and standing an imposing six feet four inches tall, he may be just that. The real question, and the question already posed by former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, is whether Jones is the present.
En route to claiming the UFC Light Heavyweight Title at just 23 years of age, “Bones” defeated a long list of competitors. Sure, he beat Shogun Rua, Stephan Bonnar and Ryan Bader, but his record isn’t as impressive as someone like Lyoto Machida’s. The fighters Machida had to face to claim his belt were a completely different caliber than the ones Jones has faced. Another interesting factor to Jones’ title run is that he faced Shogun as he was coming off of a knee injury. Rua’s camp says that he wasn’t fully recovered, and he did look pretty sluggish in the Octagon.
Still, Jones has had a lot of doubters in his last two fights. In his fight versus Ryan Bader, critics pointed out the fact that Bader was an All-American from the well-respected Arizona State wrestling program, whereas Jones went pro after two years at Iowa Central Community College. Those who doubted Jones stood behind Bader’s supposedly stronger wrestling and said that Jones would have to stand with the former Sun Devil. Jones ultimately outwrestled Bader and forced him to submit to a guillotine choke in the second round.
It was the same case against Shogun. Critics said that Rua’s superior ground game would force Jones to stand, and that if he did try and take it to the ground, he would be easily submitted. This was not the case at all, as fans saw Jones dominate every aspect of the fight, including a stellar, near finish on the ground.
It is this point that makes his title run valid. Maybe all of the opponents he faced weren’t top ten, but he got his title because he defied the odds against him, and he won all of his fights in a dominant fashion. Every time someone said Jones couldn’t do something against another fighter, or use a certain technique because it would lead to his demise, he went out and proved he could. Every time a critic said he would have to fight a certain way to win, it was as if he altered his game plan just to show he could do whatever he wanted. He is just that much better.
The latest talk is that Jon Jones won’t be able to stand with Rampage, and will instead have to rely on his ground skills. Rampage has always been one of the better strikers in the UFC, but that doesn’t seem to be true anymore. A man who couldn’t put Matt Hammil away is going to out strike the most dynamic Light Heavyweight Champion the UFC has seen so far?
Jones and Rampage are pretty equal in their conditioning, so this one won’t be over quick. It could be a long, drawn out wrestling match, but this is a fight between two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. Neither fighter wants to simply go out and win. Rampage has developed a profound hatred for Jones, and for the first time, fans have seen Jones get a little bit angry in the pre-fight talks between the two. The allegations of spies in training camps have amped things up a bit, and Jones looks ready to go out and close Rampage’s mouth. Jon Jones will use his superior reach to dictate the pace of the fight, and keep it standing. Jones will pick Jackson apart with his jab, and avoid the clinch, as that is one of the few ways ‘Page could score a victory. This one ends in a TKO victory for the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon “Bones” Jones in the fourth round.