Jon “Bones” Jones heads into UFC 140 with the awareness that Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will be his sternest test to date. Unlike Ryan “Darth” Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Machida poses the most threat to his reign as UFC light-heavyweight champion.
At UFC 140, Jones will come face to face with a man on a mission, a man hell bent on redemption and a man who’s been handed an unlikely opportunity to once again hold aloft the gold that was ripped from his grasp by Shogun more than 18 months ago.
Machida (17-2) has the dynamic karate skills, punching power and elusiveness to upend the young phenom, and he’ll attempt to use those tools come fight night.
On the other hand, Jones (14-1), who’s making his second defense of the title, will want to end the year with the UFC gold still strapped around his waist.
Needless to say, he’ll have his work cut out for him if he’s to achieve that goal.
So what are the keys to ensure that the reigning light-heavy king remains just that, at UFC 140?
Let’s take a look.