Author: Jeremy Botter

Jon Jones Says He Plans to Test Rashad Evans’ Chin at UFC 145

Wednesday’s UFC 145 pre-fight press conference was nearly devoid of the kind of intense trash-talking we’ve seen between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans over the past year, and for good reason.It’s been over a year since Jones and Evans were first scheduled…

Wednesday’s UFC 145 pre-fight press conference was nearly devoid of the kind of intense trash-talking we’ve seen between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans over the past year, and for good reason.

It’s been over a year since Jones and Evans were first scheduled to hook up in the cage. Back then, the split between the fighters was fresh. The animosity was easy to conjure up. The wounds were new and the hurt feelings still at the forefront of their minds.

The chances are pretty great that, if they’d faced off in August 2011 when they were originally scheduled to, the level of pre-fight banter between the two light heavyweights would be at an all-time high.

But so much changes in a year, and with three days before the fight, Jones and Evans are simply tired of talking. They’re much more interested in the actual fight at this point. Jones seems to realize that Evans presents a stern test, but he still sees weaknesses that he believe he can exploit.

“I feel stronger and my technique’s getting better and cleaner. I realized the power of flexing your abdominals when you try to strike. I definitely feel as though I’m hitting harder,” Jones said in a press scrum after the conclusion of the press conference.

“And I’m excited. I wobbled Rampage a little bit when I hit him, and I wobbled Lyoto when I hit him. And I think out of all those guys, Rashad has the weakest chin. I think he has the weakest chin of anyone I’ve fought since 2010, and I think I’m going to exploit that.”

Jones has a valid point. If I had to point out one weakness in Rashad’s game, it would be his chin.

This is not to say that Evans has a weak chin because I don’t think that’s the case. It held up pretty well against Chuck Liddell and other lethal strikers. It’s just the one thing you can point to when discussing areas in Rashad’s game that Jones might be able to exploit.

We haven’t seen true knockout power from Jones. At least not yet. But we have seen a drastic improvement in power since he entered the UFC with a tough fight against Stephan Bonnar. And we know Jones would love nothing more than to finish Evans by knockout on Saturday night.

I guess what I’m saying is this: Nothing Jon Jones does on Saturday night will surprise me because I’ve learned not to be surprised by anything he does.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Another Dreary Day in Atlanta, but at Least We’ve Got Open Workouts

If you found yesterday’s pre-fight press conference to be a bit of a bore – and let’s face it, I wouldn’t blame you if you did – today’s activities should at least get you more hyped up for Saturday’s fights.Jonathan and I are heading over to Georgia S…

If you found yesterday’s pre-fight press conference to be a bit of a bore – and let’s face it, I wouldn’t blame you if you did – today’s activities should at least get you more hyped up for Saturday’s fights.

Jonathan and I are heading over to Georgia State University, where we’re attending today’s open workouts. Open workouts, typically held on Wednesday or Thursday, are a way for us media folk get some footage of the guys training and then conduct one on one interviews. I’ve attended countless open workouts and they’re all pretty much the same, but they still fascinate me each and every time.

Today’s open workouts features the following fighters: Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Rory MacDonald, Che Mills, Miguel Torres, Michael McDonald, Matt Brown and Stephan Thompson. Brown and Thompson are preliminary card fighters this time around, but they’re being featured because they’ve got a nasty feud that’s getting plenty of play in southern states.

You never know what you’re going to get when it comes to the actual workouts. Some fighters use it as a legitimate training session and go full bore for their allotted thirty minutes. Some half-heartedly punch a few mitts or shadowbox for 3 minutes. And some skip the workout entirely and go straight to the interviews.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report throughout the rest of the day for updates on this diary and our video interviews.

UFC 145: Is Rory MacDonald the Next Georges St-Pierre?

The Rory MacDonald hype train hasn’t quite left the station, but it’s getting close. The engine is smoking, the passengers are on board and it’s about to depart.MacDonald is getting plenty of attention these days. He’s in the semi-main event of UFC 145…

The Rory MacDonald hype train hasn’t quite left the station, but it’s getting close. The engine is smoking, the passengers are on board and it’s about to depart.

MacDonald is getting plenty of attention these days. He’s in the semi-main event of UFC 145 in a bout that seems designed to give him a dominant win and showcase his skills. He’s young, he’s talented and he’s mowing through good opponents at a rapid pace.

He’s also getting plenty of comparisons to Georges St-Pierre, his TriStar teammate. Those comparisons even come from UFC president Dana White.

“This kid’s awesome,” White said in a recent press conference. “Even Georges St-Pierre says he’s the next Georges St-Pierre, so that’s pretty impressive.”

I understand the need to make comparisons between young fighters and established stars. It helps us, as media and fans of the sport, to establish a baseline. It gives us a vision of what their potential might be; where they might be three or five years down the road.

It’s prevalent in all sports, not just mixed martial arts. As a matter of fact, much of the statistical revolution in Major League Baseball over the past 10 years came about because a few really smart people developed methods of comparing current players with the careers of superstar players in the past.

MacDonald is a good fighter; the sky is the limit for the kid. But here’s the thing: Comparing him—or any other young fighter, for that matter—with Georges St-Pierre is incredibly unfair.

St-Pierre is a fantastic fighter—one of the best the sport has ever known. Despite many injury problems, he’s had a great career by any measure. It’s not a stretch to say that he’s the best welterweight in the history of the sport, and he’ll be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the very moment he decides to walk away.

MacDonald is still just 22 years old. Yes, he’s good. Yes, he has plenty of potential. And yes, he may ultimately surpass St-Pierre’s accomplishments. But let’s give him time to develop, come into his own and establish himself as a contender in his own right, before we start trying to compare him to St-Pierre.

Fighters live under enough pressure as it is without having to deal with being compared to one of the legends of the sport.

Jeremy Botter is a Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bjorn Rebney to Decide If He’s Going to Allow Hector Lombard to Sign with UFC

Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard is the hottest free agent of the moment. It has long been expected that he would seriously entertain offers to jump ship from Bellator and head to the UFC, and we now know that Lombard has received a UFC co…

Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard is the hottest free agent of the moment. It has long been expected that he would seriously entertain offers to jump ship from Bellator and head to the UFC, and we now know that Lombard has received a UFC contract.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told Sherdog.com that he’s received Lombard’s UFC contract offer. Bellator doesn’t have a champion’s clause in their standard contracts, but they do have the right to match any offer one of their fighters receives from another organization. Rebney told Sherdog that he’s going to sit down very soon and decide Lombard’s fate:

“Out of respect for Hector, I think we will turn [the UFC contract] around very quickly,” said Rebney. “Obviously, we have a huge event coming up Friday [Bellator 66]. As soon as that is over, we will sit down with our partners and go through the UFC contract line-for-line and make a strategic decision whether we’re going to match it or pass. [If we pass, we will] wish him the best and let him go knock out everybody in the UFC.”

If I had to put money on Lombard’s next landing destination, I’d put down money on the UFC. Lombard doesn’t have many real challengers at this point in Bellator, and he’s openly discussed the idea of facing the best his weight class has to offer. If that’s what he wants to do, he’ll need to go to the UFC.

Bellator can obviously opt to keep Lombard. They might do it. We don’t know what kind of offer the UFC made Lombard, and we likely won’t know for quite some time. But even if Rebney chooses to match the UFC’s offer, I still think there’s a chance Lombard could tell Rebney that he wants to leave and try his hand in the Octagon. 

And knowing Rebney, he’ll probably let him go. 

So who should Lombard face for his debut match? They’re not going to give him an immediate fight with Anderson Silva, but he should get a top middleweight for his first fight in the UFC.

Brian Stann is a name that springs to mind. Stann is a credible middleweight and would serve as a tough test for Lombard. A win over the American hero would give Lombard plenty of steam for a title fight.

Mark Munoz is another viable option, though I suspect they’ll want to keep Lombard away from strong wrestlers in his first fight. With Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch already locked in for a summer fight, Stann is the best option for a meaningful bout that could elevate both guys into the title picture.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Documentary Highlights His Upbringing and Fight Against Rashad Evans

Our friends over at HeavyMMA have posted an excellent three-part documentary called “The Real Jon Jones.” It features a deep look at his childhood and upbringing, along with the early parts of his career in mixed martial arts.Jones faces challenger Ras…

Our friends over at HeavyMMA have posted an excellent three-part documentary called “The Real Jon Jones.” It features a deep look at his childhood and upbringing, along with the early parts of his career in mixed martial arts.

Jones faces challenger Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 145 on Saturday night. It’s one of the most-anticipated fights in UFC history, featuring a grudge match between two former training partners who are now bitter enemies.

HeavyMMA Fight Day host Dave Farra traveled to Jones’ camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico to sit down with the reigning light heavyweight champion. Farra also talked to Jones’ trainer Greg Jackson and other people in the champ’s support system. It’s a wide-ranging interview, with a look into Jones’ childhood and family that has never truly been seen before, and it gives you better insight into who Jon Jones truly is when he’s outside the cage and the glare of the media spotlight.

There’s also a ton of exclusive photos of Jones as a kid that you absolutely must see, including a look at Jones’ church in New York and his high school wrestling days.

You can watch the first part of the documentary in the video embedded above, and then catch parts two and three over at HeavyMMA. 

Remember to stay tuned to Caged In for on-the-ground coverage of UFC 145 from Atlanta.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Grudge Match Gone: UFC 145 Main Event Fizzles at the Press Conference

Jonathan Snowden: It’s not often you get to say “I told you so” in this life. For one thing, it’s tacky and fairly reprehensible behavior. People love to tell you when you are wrong, but no one wants to hear some gasbag bragging about the one time h…

Jonathan Snowden: It’s not often you get to say “I told you so” in this life. For one thing, it’s tacky and fairly reprehensible behavior. People love to tell you when you are wrong, but no one wants to hear some gasbag bragging about the one time he was right. You have to pick your spots—and I’m picking one now.

The time for Jon Jones-Rashad Evans was last year. It was maybe even January, when the two men missed crossing paths by just a little more than a month. It isn’t here and it isn’t now. The magical moment has passed. And I called it last October:

…by the time the fight does take place, it will be a pale shadow of the feud that has captivated UFC fans this year. Evans, despite knowing how to sell a fight like no one else in the modern UFC, is trying to say all the right things. Through a spokesman, he told the press that he doesn’t even care if Jones is his next fight. He’ll fight whoever the UFC wants him to fight, whenever they want him to fight.

…The time to make Jones and Evans is now. Every delay, every interview, every need to let fans in on the behind the scenes machinations, is hurting the fight at the box office. Dana White takes great pride in making the fights fans want to see. This is that fight.

At today’s Press Conference, the two men who once went back and forth with the best of them could barely even pretend there was any animus. It’s been talked to death. If there was any doubt before, the grudge match is now just a match. And that’s too bad.