UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones believes former Octagon adversary Quinton Jackson still has enough gas in the tank to take out another ex-UFC champ, Tito Ortiz, during their November showdown under the Bellator banner.
When asked by a fan who he thought would win, “Bones” responded with a straightforward answer:
@cmichealduke I got page winning this one.
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) August 6, 2013
Jones squared off with “Rampage” at UFC 135 in September 2011, submitting the former Pride star with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round.
This was only the second time Jackson had tapped out in 41 professional fights, compiling a 10-year stretch where he avoided being submitted.
The former Pride star looked like a shell of his former self after that, dropping consecutive decisions to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira before opting not to negotiate a new UFC contract.
The 35-year-old signed on with Bellator in June and was heavily anticipated to headline the company’s first pay-per-view late this year in a boxing match against Roy Jones Jr., according to MMA Junkie.
That rumor only ended up being half true.
While Jackson will be in Bellator‘s featured fight for their November 2 pay-per-view, it will be against Ortiz instead of Jones Jr.
Recognized as one of the founding fathers of the sport, the self-proclaimed “People’s Champion” retired after UFC 148 last July, losing a hard-fought decision to the original Ultimate Fighter Forrest Griffin in a rubber match.
Despite an unheard of 1-7-1 stretch in his past nine fights, the 38-year-old Ortiz claims he feels better than he ever has and is ready to get back to his winning ways, according to MMA Fighting.
Jones has the opportunity to break Ortiz’s UFC light heavyweight record of five consecutive title defenses next month, when he defends his belt against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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