Martial Arts master Steven Seagal had the brakes pumped on his MMA parade at UFC 135 by light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.Apparently, Seagal was denied access to Jones’ locker room before his title bout with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.The action movi…
Martial Arts master Steven Seagal had the brakes pumped on his MMA parade at UFC 135 by light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Apparently, Seagal was denied access to Jones’ locker room before his title bout with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
The action movie star was hoping to offer advice and words of encouragement to the 24-year-old champion.
Seagal has been tied to helping several world class MMA fighters in the past such as Black House members Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.
“He called me a few days before the fight and he just told me that he felt I was going to win the fight and that he saw a lot in my skill set and he thought that he could help, and he wondered if he could come and talk to me backstage before the fight and just kind of give me some words of encouragement,” Jones said at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference.
While Silva and Machida welcomed Seagal with open arms, Jones chose to pass on the 59-year-old actor’s advice.
“I didn’t think that would be a good idea,” said Jones. “My training staff works very hard on me and I’m their prodigy and I don’t want to disrespect them by welcoming someone else’s master into our room, into our house, into my family.”
Training out of Jackson’s MMA, Jones works with a multitude of highly-respected coaches including Greg Jackson, Mike Winkeljohn and Phil Nurse.
Seagal may have kicked ass in Under Siege, but when it comes to MMA, Jones did himself a tremendous favor in putting his faith in a coaching staff with a proven track record of breeding world champions.
It has taken UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones only three years to soar to the top of the 205-pound ranks.There are world class fighters that have dedicated their entire lives to being the best in MMA, and Jones swoops in and makes it look like …
It has taken UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones only three years to soar to the top of the 205-pound ranks.
There are world class fighters that have dedicated their entire lives to being the best in MMA, and Jones swoops in and makes it look like a cakewalk.
It takes a special kind of fighter to do the things that Jones has done.
Former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jones’ UFC 135 opponent, is willing to give respect where it’s due, despite weeks of trash talk leading up to Saturday night’s championship showdown.
“You’ve got to show Jon Jones respect. He earned his respect, but I think the problem is MMA has a lot of brand new fans. That’s a good thing, and it can also be a bad thing in terms of what you’re talking about,” Rampage said in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.
“They don’t see Shogun was rusty. He was just coming off an injury. A lot of new fans probably don’t understand that when a fighter takes a year off, coming off of injuries, Jon Jones is a very dangerous opponent for him to come back to.”
After being sidelined for nearly a year, Rua returned at UFC 128 after undergoing major knee surgery to defend his title against the surging Jones.
It’s a rare sight in any sport to see a champion dominated the way Rua was. He didn’t even look like he belonged in the same ring as Jones. Fans watched in awe as the legendary light heavyweight took the beating of his life from the 23-year-old contender.
Seeing Rua’s ring rust as the primary factor behind the outcome of the bout, Rampage isn’t as impressed with Jones as others may be. He believes Rua would’ve been better served taking a warm-up bout than returning to defend his title against someone of Jones’ caliber.
“He probably need to come back and fight somebody that’s, no disrespect to any fighter, but like a Keith Jardine or somebody like that. Honestly, in that weight class, you want to come back and fight somebody like that. You don’t want to come back fighting somebody like Jon Jones, who’s very unorthodox and unpredictable,” Rampage said.
This isn’t about being impressed with Jones’ diverse skill set. Rampage has even said himself in multiple interviews and press conferences that he believes Jones is the future of MMA.
He just feels like Jones hasn’t really faced elite level opposition, and some of the hype surrounding him is undeserved.
“The kid hasn’t fought anybody that’s really tough. He’s fought Vladimir Matyushenko, which is tough, but that wasn’t the same Vladimir Matyushenko that just fought his last fight,” said Rampage.
“Me looking at him as a fighter, I don’t think he’s earned that title and stuff yet. If he beats me on the 24th, then he’s on his way. He can claim all that, but the guy hasn’t defended his belt yet. I think they should wait a little bit before they jump on his jock too much.”
Amongst fans and a multitude of media outlets, it was assumed that Brock Lesnar was the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC.The former heavyweight champion was included in the May 2011 issue of ESPN The Magazine, which featured a listing of the highes…
Amongst fans and a multitude of media outlets, it was assumed that Brock Lesnar was the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC.
The former heavyweight champion was included in the May 2011 issue of ESPN The Magazine, which featured a listing of the highest paid athletes in 30 different sports.
Lesnar topped MMA with a whopping estimated earning of $5.3 million for two bouts in 2010. With such a high payout, many assumed Lesnar was the UFC’s biggest draw.
According to UFC president Dana White, this assumption is far from the truth.
“Georges St-Pierre is by far the biggest pay-per-view star in Mixed Martial Arts,” said White on Wednesday.
St-Pierre has come under harsh criticism as of late for failing to finish his last four fights.
Lately, the French Canadian has favored a methodical approach in taking opponents out of their comfort zones and coasting to unanimous decisions, which has brought about scrutiny from a multitude of fans.
Still, St-Pierre has remained dominant in his efforts, and he continues his neck-and-neck race with Anderson Silva in the bid for pound-for-pound supremacy.
As with any sport, people will always have their opinions, but the dollar signs don’t lie.
“For what it’s worth, people want to say (GSP) is this or that,” said White. “By far. By far the biggest pay-per-view star in MMA.”
St-Pierre has managed to attain mainstream sponsorships from notorious brands such as Gatorade and Under Armour. He has achieved more commercial success than any fighter in the history of the sport, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
While excitement continues to grow for Saturday night’s showdown between Quinton Jackson and Jon Jones, some have overlooked the possibility of saying goodbye to two MMA legends at UFC 135.Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former Pride l…
While excitement continues to grow for Saturday night’s showdown between Quinton Jackson and Jon Jones, some have overlooked the possibility of saying goodbye to two MMA legends at UFC 135.
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi are both slated to compete on Saturday against some rather stout opposition.
While Hughes takes on top five welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, Gomi faces “Ultimate Fighter” Season Five winner Nate Diaz.
Fans will be watching closely, as a loss could set in motion the swan song of two brilliant careers.
Hughes has been pondering retirement for quite some time. The talk seemed to die down after he went on a three-fight win streak, picking up victories over Ricardo Almeida, Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie. Unfortunately, the two-time welterweight champion was brought back down to earth at the hands of longtime nemesis B.J. Penn at UFC 123.
In the long-awaited rubber match, it only took Penn 21 seconds to wipe the floor with Hughes and ease back into welterweight title contention.
When considering everything Hughes has done in the sport, he really has nothing left to prove.
He continues to fight simply for his love of the sport. There are few fighters that have dominated their respective divisions like Hughes has at 170 pounds. As a UFC Hall of Famer, he has defeated a who’s who list of world class stars.
There may be a few fights that still interest the Illinois native, but if he gets steamrolled by Koscheck, he can pretty much kiss his welterweight run goodbye.
After remaining competitive at such a high level for so long, it’s doubtful that Hughes would take any easy fights.
Depending on his performance on Saturday night, don’t be surprised if Hughes announces his retirement from the sport in his post-fight interview.
It’s quite a shame that newer fans missed out on Gomi’s Pride run.
Once considered the best lightweight on the planet, fans dreamed about the Japanese superstar bringing his talents to western shores and competing inside the UFC octagon.
Unfortunately, time slipped away, and Gomi didn’t sign with the UFC until the twilight of his career.
Twilight? Didn’t Gomi knock out Tyson Griffin a year ago?
The knockout power is still there, but Gomi is obviously not the same fighter he was four years ago. His gas tank is limited, and he doesn’t have the speed to keep up with the upper-echelon lightweight contenders.
A loss to Diaz would put Gomi’s UFC record at 1-3. His exciting style and legendary name could be enough to keep him around a little longer, but it shouldn’t come as a shock if the UFC decides to part ways with the Kanagawa native.
UFC 135 promises to deliver plenty of thrills and memorable moments. Could this be the final time we see Hughes and Gomi step into the UFC octagon?
History has been set in motion, and every diehard fan will be chomping at the bit to watch it unfold.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may be the future of MMA, but he could be in for a rude awakening when he meets Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135.Jackson, a former UFC champion, has gone to great lengths in his preparation to defeat Jones a…
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may be the future of MMA, but he could be in for a rude awakening when he meets Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135.
Jackson, a former UFC champion, has gone to great lengths in his preparation to defeat Jones and recapture the world title.
Since entering the UFC, Jones’ path of destruction is well-documented. He has throttled opponents in every aspect conceivable without experiencing even a lick of danger.
At UFC 128, Jones became world champion after decimating top light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who is widely considered as one of MMA’s all-time greats.
Now, he faces another legend in Jackson, the first man to unify the UFC and Pride titles.
While Rua is the more efficient Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai practitioner, Jackson’s game is more boxing and wrestling oriented. Jones has never faced a boxer with the stand-up prowess and devastating power of Jackson, who has put the lights out on a multitude of world-class names throughout his career.
As intriguing as the stand-up battle is, the most interesting aspect of this fight will be the wrestling.
Jones is likely the better grappler, but Jackson has proven to have the wrestling chops to outperform some of the best grapplers in the world. Takedowns can’t be telegraphed or rehearsed for Jones, who could eat a fight-ending uppercut or find his shot stuffed when he changes levels.
The factors that many people haven’t stopped to consider are the relative unknowns about Jones’ overall game. Can his cardio hold up for a five round fight? How good is his chin? How well does he deal with adversity?
Jackson is a tough and gritty veteran that can possibly bring out the answers to these questions.
We’ve seen Jackson go the distance on multiple occasions, including a couple of five-round championship bouts. Jones’ ability to work at a fierce pace for extended periods of time will be tested by the ever-aggressive Jackson.
The ability to take a punch can make or break an entire career. If you are skeptical, you can go ask Andrei Arlovski. From a technical perspective, Arlovski remains one of the best heavyweights in the world, but his inability to absorb punishment has put a damper on his career.
Jones’ tremendous boxing defense typically keeps him out of danger from full-on punches, but if given a chance on the feet, Jackson will eventually land. It’s going to tell a lot about Jones after seeing how he reacts to that first big shot.
Will he panic and get overzealous in working for a takedown? Would he struggle to recover if he gets dropped?
These are all legitimate questions heading into Saturday night’s bout.
We have never seen Jones have to deal with adversity in a fight. Every fight won’t resemble his championship bout with Rua. There will be times when Jones gets tired, hurt and things in general won’t go his way.
How is he going to react to these situations?
Despite being a world champion, Jones is still 24 years of age with only 14 fights to his name, which is a far cry from Jackson’s 40 bouts.
“Bones” will enter UFC 135 as the rightful favorite, but it would be ignorant to discount Jackson’s chances. It only takes one punch to change the course of a fight, and Jackson certainly has the power to deliver.
Win or lose, Jackson will be Jones’ toughest test at UFC 135.
According to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a video on the UFC’s Facebook page, Jake Shields is probably the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.The former Strikeforce middleweight champion stood toe-to-toe with the French Canadian for fi…
According to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a video on the UFC’s Facebook page, Jake Shields is probably the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion stood toe-to-toe with the French Canadian for five grueling rounds in their championship bout at UFC 129.
Before facing Shields, St-Pierre hadn’t even lost a round in four years.
He wasn’t able to come away with a victory, but Shields proved that he was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world and certainly worthy of a UFC title shot.
Fans have come to expect dominance from St-Pierre, who has virtually destroyed every upper-echelon foe thrown his way.
Even with his everlasting dominance, there have been moments in St-Pierre’s UFC career where he’s faced adversity.
Join Bleacher Report as we reminisce on Georges St-Pierre’s toughest opponents.
Martial Arts master Steven Seagal had the brakes pumped on his MMA parade at UFC 135 by light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.