Author: Adam Osterkamp

UFC 135 Results: Is Jon Jones Destined for Greatness as a Light Heavyweight?

Before Saturday night at UFC 135, Jon “Bones” Jones was an extremely dominant fighter who had gone through his fights incredibly fast and effectively to win the belt, but there were still questions. After his performance against Quinton &ld…

Before Saturday night at UFC 135, Jon “Bones” Jones was an extremely dominant fighter who had gone through his fights incredibly fast and effectively to win the belt, but there were still questions.

After his performance against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson however, Jon Jones has shown everyone that he intends on staying a dominant force for quite some time in the light heavyweight division.

Bones is absolutely destined to be the greatest light heavyweight fighter in MMA’s history, let alone the UFC. His skills are currently by far and away better than anyone else’s in the weight class.

Jones’ career is going to be filled with lots of highlights and glory. It’s absolutely possible that he might end up being the greatest mixed martial artist in history.

Now before everyone starts yelling Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre’s names, I’d like to point out that Jones is only 24. He’s still a kid! He has so much time to improve himself as a fighter and as a human being.

Jones is an incredible athlete, but greatness takes more than that, much more, and Jones has it. It’s Jones’ mind that is going to make him one of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen.

This kid has his priorities straight. He’s cocky, sure, but he should be. He’s a fighter and a winner. The older Jones gets, the more he’s going to be comfortable in his own skin and as a champion.

It should go without saying that nothing is ever certain in this sport. We’ve all seen the highly touted fighters fall from grace, but if that happens with Jones it will be a very sad day for the sport.

Jones has the natural ability to be a total spectacle for all fight fans. His physical size is not enough, though. Luckily for us, Jones has the drive, determination and smarts to realize how gifted he is.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about Jones moving up to heavyweight as well. With the skills Jones has shown us thus far, it’s completely possible for him to be one of the the greatest fighters at that weight class, too.

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UFC 135 Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson: 5 Possible Matches If Jones Loses

The likely hood of Jon Jones losing his fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 on Saturday is small…very small, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. Fight fans have all but decided that Jackson is going to lose, but this i…

The likely hood of Jon Jones losing his fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 on Saturday is small…very small, but that doesn’t mean he won’t.

Fight fans have all but decided that Jackson is going to lose, but this is MMA and nothing is sure. It’s impossible to completely count Jackson out. The power he has in his fists is enough to knock anyone out.

If the unthinkable were to happen and Jones lost, who would he fight next in a weight class where he’s been so dominant? Read on to find out.

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UFC on FOX: Can Junior Dos Santos’ Striking Overcome Cain Velasquez’s Wrestling?

“I wanna finish this fight,” said Junior dos Santos when asked about his fight with Cain Velasquez in an interview with MMAweekly.com. He continued to say, “I don’t wanna fight five rounds against him.” Is dos Santos&rsquo…

“I wanna finish this fight,” said Junior dos Santos when asked about his fight with Cain Velasquez in an interview with MMAweekly.com. He continued to say, “I don’t wanna fight five rounds against him.”

Is dos Santos’ striking the ticket to fending off Velasquez’s ground game? Probably not…but that doesn’t necessarily mean that dos Santos is going to lose.

Velasquez’s best shot at winning this fight is going to be bringing dos Santos to the ground and unleashing some ruthless ground-and-pound. Not to say he’d lose if he stood with dos Santos, but it’d be foolish to not use every advantage he has.

Dos Santos is no stranger to fighting opponents with great ground games, however. In his UFC debut, dos Santos squared off against Febricio Werdum, who would later defeat Fedor Emelianenko by arm bar.

At 1:21 of the first round, dos Santos landed a vicious uppercut that put Werdum out. Dos Santos used those same uppercuts to help he defend takedowns when he squared off against Roy Nelson.

We know dos Santos can use his striking to fend off the takedown, but he has yet to face someone with the wrestling pedigree Velasquez has.

Dos Santos’ striking won’t keep Velasquez from taking him down forever. Once on the ground however, dos Santos does have a brown belt in BJJ from the Nogueira clan.

We haven’t had too much of a chance to see his ground game in the UFC because of his strong stand-up, but dos Santos might just surprise us all while working from his guard.

Even if this fight does go to the ground, which it may not, it’s sure to be one of the best bouts of the year when these two strikers face off.

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Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos: UFC on FOX Press Conference Coverage

UFC’s Tuesday press conference made it evident that their debut event on FOX has everyone, from fans to advertisers, excited. “I can guarantee you, if this fight goes 30 seconds or 30 minutes, this is going to be a fight right here,” …

UFC’s Tuesday press conference made it evident that their debut event on FOX has everyone, from fans to advertisers, excited.

“I can guarantee you, if this fight goes 30 seconds or 30 minutes, this is going to be a fight right here,” said Dana White of the heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

White and company expressed that, by debuting with this fight, they are putting their best foot forward for the millions of people who have yet to be introduced to the UFC.

The fighters themselves also seemed confident in their ability to produce a great fight for the November event.

When asked about the pressure to perform, dos Santos said: “That’s what I love to do, and I’ll be ready, for sure, to make a good show.” Velasquez also said he felt no pressure to perform and that he is “ready to go five rounds.”

While the fans at the press conference certainly made themselves known, they weren’t the only ones excited about the event. Advertisers are apparently stepping up big time, which is great news for the UFC and FOX

“As of yesterday, the entire fight is sold out from an ad perspective,” said Eric Shanks, the president of FOX.

The fact that the advertising has already sold out is great sign that the deal between the UFC and FOX will be a tremendous success for both the fans and the business’.

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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Discusses His Future in Fighting with Bas Rutten

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, despite his moniker, is a kind, fun- loving warrior. This becomes fully evident during Jackson’s interview with Bas Rutten. Leading up to his fight at UFC 135 with Jon “Bones” Jones, Jackson has …

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, despite his moniker, is a kind, fun- loving warrior. This becomes fully evident during Jackson’s interview with Bas Rutten.

Leading up to his fight at UFC 135 with Jon “Bones” Jones, Jackson has being doing lots of press. He and Jones even appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier in the week. Jackson has seemed incredibly confident (and as always hysterical) in every interview he’s had.

In his interview with Bas, Jackson doesn’t talk too much about his upcoming fight with Jones. Instead, the two talk at great length about Jackson’s days in Pride, why he continues to fight, his acting chops and his future in the sport.

The most intriguing piece of the interview is when Jackson talks about an interview he had in Japan that brought him to tears. He talks about referring to himself as “Black Samurai” while fighting in Japan, and how the interview made him wonder if he had become a different fighter.

Many fans agree that since his arrival in UFC, Jackson has lost his warrior spirit. For a while it seemed that Jackson was going to retire and become an actor, which didn’t sit well with many fans. It seemed that Jackson was losing interest in fighting.

Jackson’s interview with Bas does a great job of showing us where he currently stands in the sport. Fighting is something that Jackson loves to do, and it pays his family’s bills as well as his own. 

When asked how he wants to be remembered, Jackson says that he wants to be remembered as “Jackson the Entertainer.” He wants people to remember him as a man who didn’t take himself too seriously, but who always came ready to fight and entertain the fans.

If that’s how Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would like to be remembered, he’s already accomplished that in the hearts of many fight fans.

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UFC 135: Are the Expectations for Jon Jones Unreasonable?

Jon Jones has exceeded people’s expectations in every fight he has been in. Perhaps no fight exemplifies this fact more than his last fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Jones dominated Rua in every moment of that fight. So are the expectatio…

Jon Jones has exceeded people’s expectations in every fight he has been in. Perhaps no fight exemplifies this fact more than his last fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Jones dominated Rua in every moment of that fight.

So are the expectations for Jon Jones unreasonable? Absolutely not.

Jones is an awesome specimen of a fighter, and a puzzle that will not be solved for quite some time. His incredible reach advantage makes it incredibly hard for strikers to get inside and hit him, though a few shots have gotten through.

Because of his physical advantage, and his performances in the past, fans should have the highest expectations for Jones until he gives us reason to believe otherwise.

There’s been a lot of talk about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson being Jones’ first “real” test, but that’s what people were saying about Rua. After Rua’s sobering loss to Jones, many people have been offering up excuses on behalf of the former champ—degrading Jones’ dominant performance in the process.

The truth of the matter is that us fight fans demand a lot of a fighter before we can believe they’re one of the greatest ever. In the short history of this sport, there have been so many fighters that were touted as the future of the sport, but ended up disappointments.

We know Jones is a strong fighter, but we don’t yet know if he has the mental capacity to be a champion. Perhaps the biggest question isn’t whether Jones will lose, but, “how will he respond when he finally does lose?”

It’s completely reasonable to have high expectations for Jon Jones. He made defeating Rua look easy—and Rampage isn’t near the level of fighter that Rua is.

Jackson is, sadly, a one-dimensional fighter. Unless he comes out with a surprising game plan, Jones and his trainers won’t have much trouble preparing for this UFC 135 fight. This isn’t Jones’ first “real” test in the cage, but it is his first fight that will go towards cementing his legacy.

There is no limit to Jones’ potential, and the expectations for him could never be too high. Will Jones be the great fighter that we all want him to be? Or is he lacking the wisdom and patience to be one of the greatest fighters to have ever lived?

The picture that is Jones’ future will become more clear after this Saturday. Make sure you tune in.

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