Saturday night, at 9 p.m. ET, UFC 135 will kick off in Denver, Colorado.
In the main event for the evening, Jon “Bones” Jones (13-1) will defend his Light Heavyweight Championship for the first time against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-8).
Jon Jones is the favorite heading into the night. Despite his 13-1 record, Jones physically has never lost a fight.
His only loss came by disqualification when he landed multiple illegal 12-to-6 elbow shots against Matt Hamill. Jones was dominating the fight up until that point.
Here are three keys to the fight to help Jones remain unbeaten.
1. Wrestling Advantage
Jones has taken down every wrestler he has ever stepped in the ring with. Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko are all known for their wrestling ability. They couldn’t stop Jones.
Jackson is not known for his ability as a wrestler. He stands a much better chance as a brawler or boxer.
A year ago we saw what Rashad Evans was able to do when tacking down Jackson. If Rampage can’t stay on his feet, this one will likely be over fast.
2. Reach Advantage
Jackson may be known as the boxer of the two, but he definitely still has a distinct disadvantage when he and Jones stand toe to toe.
Jackson has a reach of 73 inches which typically isn’t a problem.
However, Jones has a freakish reach of 84.5 inches.
Jackson has the power to land knockout punches, but he may have trouble getting close enough to Jones to actually do it.
Jones will likely look to fight this match from a distance and on the mat.
3. Clinch Advantage
Jones will likely take a page out of the book from Rashad Evans on this one. Evans completely dominated Jackson from the clinch in their fight a year ago, which ultimately led to his victory.
The difference is that Jones has added abilities from the clinch. Jones possesses Greco-Roman throws and judo trips that will send this fight to the mat.
If the two get into a clinch, Jones should have very little problem taking Jackson to the mat. If this fight is fought from the ground there is no chance that Jackson comes away with a victory.
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