Anything can happen in a fight. For Chael Sonnen’s sake, let’s hope that saying holds true tonight.Sonnen’s climb toward becoming a UFC champion at UFC 159 is a steep one to say the least. Jon Jones is one of the greatest fighters that MMA has ever see…
Anything can happen in a fight. For Chael Sonnen’s sake, let’s hope that saying holds true tonight.
Sonnen’s climb toward becoming a UFC champion at UFC 159 is a steep one to say the least. Jon Jones is one of the greatest fighters that MMA has ever seen, and it’s his skill set that makes him that way.
His long reach, diverse striking and incredible wrestling skills make him unique. And because of his well-rounded abilities, he’s dominated every man who’s stepped in front of him inside the Octagon.
For Chael P. to become the first man to solve this puzzle, he must execute his game plan perfectly. His game plan is the following…
Chael Sonnen will fight an uphill battle tonight at UFC 159 when he challenges Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship.Jones is on track to becoming the greatest light heavyweight champion of all time, and he’s ranked behind only Anderson …
ChaelSonnen will fight an uphill battle tonight at UFC 159 when he challenges Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Jones is on track to becoming the greatest light heavyweight champion of all time, and he’s ranked behind only Anderson Silva (the G.O.A.T.) in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
So this leads to the question of the night—does Sonnen actually have a chance tonight against Jones? The optimistic part of me wants to say yes, but the reasonable side is simply saying no.
Sure, it’s a fight and anything can happen, but styles make fights. Quite frankly, this stylistic matchup does not favor Sonnen.
Think about it. What’s Sonnen‘s key to victory tonight? It’s his double-leg takedown and ground-and-pound. See where I’m going here? Jones is the best in the UFC in takedown defense, as his percentage is a perfect 100 percent.
As that statistic suggests, getting Jones down will be much easier said than done. Odds are that Jones will stuff Sonnen‘s takedown and keep this fight standing.
That should make for quite a long night for Sonnen. Sonnen‘s boxing is underrated, but Jones’ striking is on a whole different level. Jones will use his distance and pick Sonnen apart from the outside. This could lead to an eventual stoppage for Jones.
If Jones doesn’t stop the fight early though, Sonnen‘s chances will increase.
Sonnen‘s conditioning is unmatched in the light heavyweight division, and after all, Jones’ conditioning has always been his seemingly only weakness.
Should Sonnen drag Jones into deeper water, this could be a different fight entirely. Will that happen Saturday night?
Could we actually see Sonnen win his first UFC championship?
Don’t bet on it, friends. Sonnen is as tough as they come, but he always seems to blow the big fights. It all seems to be mental with Sonnen, as submission defeats haunt his championship dreams.
Before Jones locks in that eventual submission, look for him to keep this fight on the feet and batter Sonnen with shots.
Because of Jones’ patience and Sonnen‘s durability, Sonnen should survive the first round. Entering the second round, Jones will continue his offensive attack on the feet until he gets Sonnen to the ground and works his top position.
There, Jones will find a choke from the top position somewhat similar to the one he applied on Ryan Bader. And still the light heavyweight champion of the world…
Odds: Jones (-800), Sonnen (+500) according to Bovada
Prediction: Jones wins by Submission (Choke) in the 2nd Round
Jon Jones will likely dominate Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159.Jones’ reach, athleticism and takedown defense could lead to him forcing Sonnen to engage in a standup battle. Sonnen’s striking is nowhere near the level of Jones, and that shoul…
Jon Jones will likely dominate ChaelSonnen in the main event of UFC 159.
Jones’ reach, athleticism and takedown defense could lead to him forcing Sonnen to engage in a standup battle. Sonnen‘s striking is nowhere near the level of Jones, and that should make for a one-sided main event.
This begs the question—which fight on the main card will be the show stealer? There’s only two viable answers to this question.
Pat Healy versus Jim Miller could be an excellent fight, but Miller has too much UFC experience to go along with his superior striking for that fight to remain competitive for three rounds. Vinny Magalhaes and Phil Davis could turn into a fun grappling affair, but as long as it remains on the feet, boredom may be the only emotion this fight induces.
Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo
So that leaves us with a heavyweight tilt and a middleweight grudge match. Let’s begin with the clash at heavyweight, shall we?
From an outside perspective, Roy Nelson versus Cheick Kongo looks like a comedic bout. The uneducated fan mumbles a remark such as, “really, this monstrous looking guy is going to fight this fat dude? He’s going to kill him.”
Not so fast my friend.
This “fat dude” can fight, and actually, he’s the favorite in this fight. Nelson brings it every time he steps foot in the Octagon. Despite his physique, he pushes the pace and takes an incredible amount of punishment. After all, he’s the MajinBuu of the UFC.
He seems to always turn his bout into a brawl, and that should happen again tonight.
Hopefully, he can cure this clinching disease that Kongo has gotten “hold” of. Kongo, a dynamic kickboxer, has become somewhat of a boring fighter lately with his latest scraps turning into hugging competitions.
Nelson will fix that tonight. He’ll lure Kongo into a striking battle, which could turn into the best bout of the night. Will it though? It will if the co-main event doesn’t steal the show after…
Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher
Do you like grudge matches between two high-level strikers? See Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher in the co-main event.
Bisping and Belcher have a lot of animosity between them because Belcher has called out Bisping for the past few years. Bisping‘s ego was damaged, so trash talking ensued.
Finally, two of the middleweight division’s best will go at it with emotions running high. Will this grudge match fail to deliver an entertaining fight like most grudge matches? Nope.
Both of these fighters are well-rounded, but both are at their best when they stand and trade strikes. That gives reason to believe Belcher versus Bisping remains on the feet.
If you’ve never seen Belcher before, he’s an entertaining striker with great kicks, solid knees and a remarkable jab. Bisping‘s no slouch on the feet either.
The best part about this matchup is both men have great cardio and can push the pace on their opposition. Who will break first? Who’s ego will be crushed?
Get ready, this has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
Fans will tune into UFC 159 to watch Jon Jones defend his title against Chael Sonnen, but don’t get it twisted—that’s not the best bout of the night.Sonnen will sell the fight with his mouth and Jones will excite fans with his intriguing style…
Fans will tune into UFC 159 to watch Jon Jones defend his title against ChaelSonnen, but don’t get it twisted—that’s not the best bout of the night.
Sonnen will sell the fight with his mouth and Jones will excite fans with his intriguing style, but you’re delusional if you believe this is going to be a competitive fight. Bought into the hype of all of those wonderful promos by Sonnen, ay? You poor naive soul.
Sonnen vs. Jones won’t be the show-stopper, so that means the fight of night is wide open Saturday night.
With that being the case, which matchup is the best of the night?
Uriah Hall is the most devastating striker in the history of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.Devastating knockouts have become Hall’s forte, and none was better than his knockout on Adam Cella in his first bout of the season.So when a discussion ar…
Uriah Hall is the most devastating striker in the history of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.
Devastating knockouts have become Hall’s forte, and none was better than his knockout on Adam Cella in his first bout of the season.
So when a discussion arises about the nastiest fighters in UFC history, Hall’s name will be mentioned. But is he the nastiest in the history of the UFC’s reality show?
The nastiest fighters in the house built a reputation by dominating fights, throwing flashy strikes, putting fear in their opponents and presenting some of the best skills in the tournament. Here’s where Hall ranks among the nastiest fighters in the history of TUF.
A long and seemingly unending rivalry ended in March.With a victory over Nick Diaz, Georges St-Pierre has overcome the “dark place” in his career, so is he the biggest winner of March?Well, he would have easily been if Wanderlei Silva hadn’t defeated B…
A long and seemingly unending rivalry ended in March.
With a victory over Nick Diaz, Georges St-Pierre has overcome the “dark place” in his career, so is he the biggest winner of March?
Well, he would have easily been if Wanderlei Silva hadn’t defeated Brian Stann. With the win over Stann, Silva’s career still has a beating pulse.
So this brings up a compelling question: Which man is worthy of being called March’s biggest winner in MMA?
