Saturday night’s main event saw Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson put on a formidable clinic when it comes to the classic “sprawl’n’brawl” fight tactic.
Matt Hamill seemed to throw away his chance at competing on the higher end of UFC events with a poor display. He was completely outclassed by Jackson despite the former UFC light heavy weight Champion’s claims of sporting a fractured left hand.
Depending on the severity of the injury, UFC president Dana White has claimed it will be Jackson who will get the honour of being Jon ‘Bones’ Jones first opponent for a title defense.
Jones is well known for his unorthodox style within most facets of MMA. ‘Bones’ demonstrated wild wrestling techniques in his bout against Stephan Bonnar, a freak submission against Jake O’Brien and massive confidence in his striking ability when securing his title in his destruction of Muay-thai machine—Shogun Rua.
Rampage’s game plan was no shock to anyone who has watched the knockout merchant’s development over the years in the sport. If the Memphis native receives an opportunity to face Jon Jones it is very possible he will use a similar disposition.
If one criticism came from Jones’ picking apart of Rua, it was that he seemed to be gassed, although not nearly to the extent of his opponent, toward the end of his fight. A harsh critique in my view yet still an important one to note.
In Jackson’s last outing versus Rashad Evans, he didn’t seem to be at the races at all for the first two rounds, but still finished the fight the stronger of the two. Evans deservedly won the bout on decision.
If Rampage managed to stuff the take downs of the explosive Jones, there is no doubt it would have a serious impact on the engine of the young champion. However, I think most people believe that Jackson would find it hard to have the same rate of success as he did against Hamill, stuffing all seventeen of his take down attempts.
This would leave the fight to be decided on the feet, somewhere Jackson is at his most comfortable. Jones too is no slouch in this department, but with Rampage able to pick apart Matt Hamill with only one good hand, you would have to give the edge to the Tennessee man.
Then again a similar mistake was made by a lot of analysts before Jones’ last bout against Rua.
I believe that Jones’ unorthodox style leaves openings for Jackson to exploit, especially if his coveted left hand is ready to fire on all cylinders.
One thing is for sure, the UFC will have to pick a substantial venue if the match is to go ahead as a lot of fans want to see this fight. A defense will cement Jones’ place as the 205 king and also as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, while a title shot could awaken the sleeping beast that is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
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