UFC 140 Machida vs. Jones Will Either be Fireworks or Put Us to Sleep

Jon "Bones" Jones has seemed unstoppable in his young career. He does things in the Octagon that not only defy belief and require his athletic ability but also show Octagon intellect and imagination. From jumping over Ryan Bader to take his back to his patented spinning back fist, Jon Jones shows all the ability imaginable and he's only 24. He has yet to really even break a sweat in the Octagon. On Saturday December 10, he faces Lyoto "the Dragon" Machida who not so long ago was touted as the second coming himself. When he knocked out Rashad Evans to win the belt we were told we had entered the Machida era. Well, that era lasted one lackluster title defense and one brutal KO loss, both to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He followed that up with another loss to Quinton Jackson before a highlight reel knockout of Randy Couture. Not that he is undeserving, but Machida is getting the title shot because Rashad Evans seemed to sprout injuries when scheduled to fight Jon Jones and no one else has built enough steam to justify a title shot. Regardless, this is an interesting fight to a point.

We have two fighters who fight on timing and distance. the Jon Jones puzzle has yet to be solved while the Machida myth was smashed by Shogun. Machida loves to dash in and out and counter his opponent. He controls the Octagon like few others and is probably the most difficult to land a solid strike against. Aside from his fights with Shogun, who showed extreme patience and discipline, the Machida style is still not an easily solved puzzle. The problem is that Jon Jones style is similar in that he uses his length to dictate how and where the fight will take place. He shows something something new and innovative each time out. He used kicks to the thigh as a jab against Rampage Jackson to keep him at the necessary distance. He is almost impossible to take down and how will Machida keep him down if he gets him on the ground? The largest obstacle Jones' opponents face is not just Jon Jones' size and reach but that he knows how to use it. Many fighters have enjoyed such freakish advanteages over opponents. Tim Sylvia, Corey Hill, Semmy Schilt, to name a few. None of them can use their attribute to the advantage Jon Jones does. So how can Machida defeat Jon Jones? On paper, there are not many ways for Lyoto Machida to succeed. But as they say, that's why they play the game. Jon jones' chin has yet to be tested. Fans have yet to see him overcome adversity. Machida has a style and physical attributes to give Jones trouble and 6 oz gloves are the great equalizer.

Unfortunately for Machida, Jon Jones has a high Octagon IQ and comes from Greg Jackson's camp. Jon Jones will be prepared. I expect Jones to take Machida down early and beat him up there like he has many other opponents. Machida has not spent much time on his back and I don't see him just standing up against Jones. Expect the elbows to rain on Machida before his father mercifully throws in the towel for a second or third round stoppage.

My fear is that with both fighters playing the distance game, neither will exchange until the time is right and we'll have ourselves another Severn/Shamrock. With Jackson camp's tendency to play it safe this is a possibility, but not likely. Jon Jones has become more vocal and confident of late and he better come in ready to back all that up because one straight left from Machida can bring his ego down real quick.

UFC 139 Features 6 Ex-champions Highlighted by Dan Henderson Slugging Against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

At UFC 139 MMA fan's get a fight many hoped had occurred five or six years ago. Dan Henderson against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. There was a time in the days of Pride that this match-up would have been the talk of the entire MMA world. Even now fans are still getting two of the best they've ever seen clash while still competing at relatively high levels. Both have been knocked down a bit but anyone who counts either of these men is making a huge mistake.

Dan Henderson brings with him one of the best resumes in MMA. He has fought a who's who of opponents and vanquished most. Of his eight losses, three were submissions to Anderson Silva and one to each of the Nogueira brothers. The rest are decisions and he has never been knocked out. The put to sleep the incomparable Fedor Emelianenko in under one round. He has also knocked out Wanderlai Silva, Bisping, Cavalcante, Sobral, Bustamante and Renzo Gracie. More importantly, Dan Henderson brings with him what has now become the blueprint for success in MMA. He is really, really good at one thing and can carry his own at everything else. The one thing he is really good at is wrestling and clinch work and has the ability to control how and where the match will take place. It doesn't hurt that he probably has the hardest right hand in the business and can turn out the lights with one shot and has a chin that has taken shots from the best and come out grinning. Dan Henderson, even at 41, is not easy fight for anyone.

On the other side of the Octagon is the one time 'wunderkind' of Pride, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Until his shocking loss to Forrest Griffin upon his arrival in the UFC, Shogun was thought of as the future of MMA, the Jon Jones of his time.He held KO victories over current heavyweight phenom Alistair Overeem, Quentin Jackson, and Ricardo Arona. But Shogun is only 4-3 in his UFC tenure although three of those matches were for the championship belt of which he only won once. There is no shame in losing to Jon Jones at the moment. No one has solved that puzzle yet. But since his knee surgeries, Mauricio Rua has not been the same young fighter we first saw in Pride. That does not mean he does not have the skill set to defeat Dan Henderson. He still very dynamic on the fit, with an array of strikes and kicks that few can match. Shogun is very heavy handed and with an iron chin equal to or greater than Henderson's. The beating he took at the hands of Jon Jones without ever losing consciousness is a testament to that. The knock on Mauricio since his UFC debut has been lack of stamina. He fades in fights. I disagree to a point. Has he faded in fights? Absolutley. But I find it difficult to believe that an athlete of his caliber with his training regimen lacks stamina. In the Jon Jones fight, few take into account the damage the body strikes Jones landed early that fight caused. He certainly did not fade in his first bout against Lyoto Machida. In that fight he was very controlled and paced, strikingly different from his natural style. Which is why I feel he tires in fights. He starts bout at a frenetic pace with an array of high level kicks, not your basic low kicks. I don't feel he trains to maintain that pace and wears himself out quickly.

Taking all this into account, I feel Dan Henderson can take a split decision victory over Mauricio Rua. There'll be fireworks early on, with maybe Dan Henderson taking a stumble. But he will fall back on his Greco-Roman base and control the match en route to a tight decision victory.

The rest of the card:

Brian Bowles finishes Urijah Faber

Wanderlai Silva posterizes Cung Le

Martin Kampmann decisions Rick Story

Kyle Kingsbury wears down Stephan Bonnar

Ryan Bader earns a split decision against Jason Brilz

Chris Weidman finishes Tom Lawlor

Miguel Torres KOs Nick Pace

Rafael dos Anjos outgrapples Gleison Tibau

UFC 128 pits the top two light heavyweights in UFC battling for supremacy

UFC 128 Shogun vs. Jones in Newark, New Jersey will hopefully show fans where the evolution of MMA will lead. The main event pits champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua against the top prospect in the light heavyweight division, Jon “Bones” Jones. This will be Shogun's first title defense and Jones' first title fight. Odds makers have Jones as an 8 to 5 favorite over the champion and with good reason.

Few fighters have created as much buzz and fan awe as Jon Jones has. His record is 12 – 1 with his only loss coming via disqualification after after cutting and blooding Matt Hamill. With the exception of that loss he has finished his last four opponents inside the Octagon including the previously unbeaten Ryan Bader and tough veteran Vladimir Matyushenko. He introduced spinning back elbows and simply jumping over an adversary to take their back. He is athletic, exciting, unorthodox and a sponge for the sport of MMA. All fans can think of is how good and how far can Jon Jones go?

If you listen to all this hype you can't help but assume that Shogun Rua is only safekeeping Jones' championship belt. You would be terribly wrong. In his pride days, Shogun was much like Jon Jones is now. He did things in the ring that no one else had or could. He finished opponents, he knocked people out (Ricardo Arona), he made others quit (Rampage Jackson). It seemed the only thing keeping from holding Pride gold was that his mentor and good friend Wanderlei Silva held that belt. Then the injuries came and the surgeries then Pride folded into the UFC and a long layoff followed. He looked tired and not at all like his old self in his first few UFC bouts, especially in his loss to Forrest Griffin. But the Shogun of old returned beginning with his knockout of MMA legend Chuck Liddell. In his first UFC title fight against Lyoto Machida he lost a controversial decision but avenged that with a first round knock out in the rematch. Now he faces Jon Jones and a highly anticipated bout.

Anyone who assumes Shogun will be outclassed and over matched on the feet by Jones forgets Shogun knocked out Alistair Overeem. Shogun solved the Machida puzzle and made Rampage Jackson quit. Jones does possess a large physical advantage over Shogun on the feet but Shogun is not new to anything in MMA. He has the technical skill to neutralize or overcome this disadvantage. The other common assumption is that Jones will out-wrestle and out-grapple Shogun. While does not possess a direct wrestling background, his jiu-jitsu is above average and has used it to gain an advantage on the ground. He was not outwrestled by Kevin Randleman or Mark Coleman (in their second encounter). Shogun has not been overwhelmed by any opponent in his career and I don't expect Jon Jones to be the first. Shogun will be game for whatever the fight brings.

The bigger question for me is how Jon Jones will react to adversity. In all his UFC bouts, Jon Jones has dominated. He has not been in a second of trouble, which is what has made him such a fan favorite. But to me, the best measure of a a fighter is how he takes a punch, how he overcomes a tough opponent. That is what has made fighters like Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko favorites. They won, but they also when at times when the odds where stacked against the. We have not had the opportunity to see Jon Jones face those odds. I have a feeling he will be put in dire straits in this bout by Shogun and I also believe his vast physical attributes will carry past the troubles towards a victory against Shogun.

I expect the bout to be exciting and thrilling and set a new standard of excellence for MMA and the UFC. We will see the crowning of a new king of the light heavyweight division with hopes that he can defend that title better than the last few that have held it.

Here are my picks for the remaining fights :

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland – Faber via TKO round 3

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland – Benavidez via Unanimous decision

CroCop vs. Brendan Schaub – Schaub via TKO round 2

Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus – Miller via decision

Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller – Marquardt via TKO round 2

Raphael Assuncao vs. Erik Koch – Koch via decision

Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle – Almeida via decision

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau – Pellegrino via TKO round 3

Anthony Njokuani vs. Edson Barboza Jr. - Barboza via TKO round 2

Constantinos Philippou vs. Nick Catone – Catone via KO round 1

Luis Artur Cane Jr. vs. Eliot Marshal – Cane via KO round 1