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Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Why Jon Jones Is Not Just Hype

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Jon Jones ever since his first main-card bout in the UFC against Stephan Bonnar. At UFC 94, Bonnar was taking on a 21-year-old kid in just his eighth professional fight.Over the course of 15 minutes, it was…

Over the course of 15 minutes, it was easy to see that “The American Psycho” was completely outclassed by Jones. “Bones” manhandled Bonnar, suplexing him, hitting him with unorthodox strikes and even knocking him down with a spinning elbow.

Ever since then, people had been predicting Jones to be the “next big thing” in mixed martial arts. He submitted Jake O’Brien at UFC 100 and then was set to take on Matt Hamill.

Despite the loss due to disqualification, Jones easily battered Hamill, bloodying him up before the bout was stopped.

The loss didn’t hinder Jones’ growth, as he went on to face Brandon Vera, breaking his orbital bone with an elbow and finishing “The Truth” in the first round, winning Knockout of the Night honors.

His next bout with Vladimir Matyushenko is a similar story. “The Janitor” was put on his back and finished in the first round via Jones’ elbow strikes.

Ryan Bader was next in line for Jones. Jones controlled the pace in the first round, proving to be the superior wrestler before putting Bader on his back in the second round, submitting him with a guillotine choke and taking home another bonus for Submission of the Night.

With Rashad Evans getting injured, Jones was next in line to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Jones’ critics claimed that Jones had never been tested by a fighter of Rua’s level. Jones utilized his superior reach and wrestling ability to beat up the UFC light heavyweight champion on the feet and on the ground before finishing him in the third round. Jones looked untouchable.

Despite running through every opponent thrown his way, critics still claimed that Jones had never been hit and that “Rampage” Jackson would finally be the one to test his chin.

Unfortunately for “Rampage,” he never really had much of a chance. “Bones” kept Jackson at bay with his long legs and 84.5-inch reach. Whenever a clinch ensued, “Rampage” was never able to land much, getting out-struck 61 to 16 in significant strikes over the course of the bout according to FightMetric.

While “Rampage” has great boxing, Jones showed that he is the much more complete fighter, picking apart the veteran with unpredictable strikes and making him afraid of throwing leg kicks by threatening with takedowns. When Jones was able to get the fight to the ground, he held a distinct grappling advantage, easily advancing position and mounting Jackson.

Jones has lived up to the hype at this point and his talent can’t be denied. He has simply outclassed every opponent he’s ever faced and has finished all but two of his opponents. To beat the best of a division, like Georges St. Pierre has done, is impressive enough, but to effortlessly finish them is entirely different.

Watching Jones fight, he appears as though he can end the bout whenever he pleases. He keeps completely calm, showing excellent conditioning, patiently waiting for his opportunity to finish the fight. He manages to fight in an intelligent way by not overexposing himself or being reckless, but is so talented that he still finds ways to stop his opponents.

With the run Jon Jones has had, coupled with his ability to keep improving consistently, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t be the best light heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. A fighter cannot be as dominant as Jones in 15 straight fights without being extremely talented. Claiming that he is “all hype” may have made sense at one point, but those days are long gone.

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Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Rampage Out-Classed at UFC 135

It has been nine fights and nine dominant performances for Jon Jones since debuting in the UFC back at UFC 87 against Andre Gusmao.His latest win was his first defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.While Jo…

It has been nine fights and nine dominant performances for Jon Jones since debuting in the UFC back at UFC 87 against Andre Gusmao.

His latest win was his first defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

While Jones was climbing the ranks of the light heavyweight division, his critics were constantly coming up with reasons as to why “Bones” was soon to fall. People claimed he hadn’t been tested, he hadn’t taken a punch, and his stamina was questionable.

Even after winning the belt against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, critics claimed that “Shogun” was coming off of a long layoff and he wasn’t completely healthy.

At this point, however, those questions are no longer valid. Jackson admitted after the fight that this is the best “Rampage” ever. He trained hard and had no excuses—Jones is just the superior fighter.

It’s frightening to see the way in which Jackson was dominated, considering he had spent nearly a decade fighting before “Bones” made his debut in mixed martial arts in 2008.

There are certainly things to critique regarding Jackson’s performance. He abandoned his leg kicks—the only thing that seemed to be effective against Jones—and never pressed the action as he claimed he was going to do before the fight. Instead, he was content to stand back and let Jones pick him apart.

Still, this can be explained by Jackson’s fear of being taken down due to Jones’ amazing wrestling ability and Jones’ 84.5-inch reach.

“Rampage,” along with several other fighters who have been defeated by Jones, mentioned his difficulty in dealing with the severe reach disadvantage.

While “Rampage” could have done a few things differently, it’s hard to argue that the outcome would have been altered. Jones was clearly the superior striker, out-landing his opponent 61 to 16 in significant strikes, according to FightMetric.

He also was able to take Jackson down and mount him effortlessly, showing his clear dominance in the grappling department as well.

The way in which the fight ended—a rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round—was a fitting way to display Jones’ well-rounded talents. Even late into the fight, he seemed completely relaxed, dispelling any belief that his stamina should be questioned.

While Jones’ career is still blossoming at just 24 years old, he already has made his claim as one of the best mixed martial artists on the planet.

In addition, he has the potential to be one of the greatest ever, especially if he continues to improve at his current rate.

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UFC 135 Jones vs. Rampage: Dana White Video Blog, Day 1

Dana White gets behind the scenes for UFC 134, UFC Fight Night 25, and a press conference for UFC 135 in his latest video blog.First we get to see White’s enthusiasm for the upcoming card and the sportsmanship shown during the latest events.The Brazili…

Dana White gets behind the scenes for UFC 134, UFC Fight Night 25, and a press conference for UFC 135 in his latest video blog.

First we get to see White’s enthusiasm for the upcoming card and the sportsmanship shown during the latest events.

The Brazilian crowd is ridiculously loud as Dana White enters the arena and Dana sits cage-side, complaining about the late stoppage on Luis Cane.

Next, we get to see the entrances of Yushin Okami and Anderson Silva for the main event of UFC 134: Rio. The crowd erupts as Anderson retains his title. Dana congratulates Anderson backstage on his win, then thanks Okami for a great fight, knowing that “Yushin always comes to fight.”

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira gets confirmation of his Knockout of the Night bonus, picking up Dana White in excitement and promising Erick Silva $5,000 for his knockout of Luis Ramos. Big Nog is very complimentary of Brandan Schaub, saying he “is strong with heavy hands.”

Next, the video jumps to UFC Fight Night 25 where Matt Riddle is being attended to after his fight with Lance Benoist. Despite the loss, Riddle is incredibly complimentary of his opponent, congratulating him on being 6-0.

Shamar Bailey asks to come train with Evan Dunham after his loss, to which Dunham replies, “You’re always welcome.”

Cody MacKenzie is angry after his submission loss to Vagner Rocha, barely willing to sit down to be attended to by the doctors.

Jake Ellenberger and Jake Shields enter the arena.

Shields is being attended to backstage and complains about the stoppage in his knockout loss. The commission official tells him he was “glazed over,” and then encourages him to get a CAT scan. Shields expresses concern over the radiation.

Jake Ellenberger hangs out drinking water, confirming that he has been paid and is in no pain after the fight.

Next, the video jumps to the UFC 135 Press Conference, where Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Jon Jones exchange a few insults and “Rampage” mocks Jones for his staredown technique.

It’s always nice to get a behind the scenes look—particularly when they involve these moments of amazing sportsmanship—at the fighters we cheer for and support. As Dana White states, “it makes me proud to be in this sport.”

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UFC Fight Night 25 Results: Jake Ellenberger Shows the Dominance of UFC Fighters

Despite an extremely impressive run outside of the UFC, Jake Shields has been a disappointment upon entering the organization. Shields compiled 14 straight wins, becoming the EliteXC welterweight champion, as well as the Strikeforce middlewei…

His run includes wins over the likes of Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and Dan Henderson.

Needless to say, there were extremely high expectation for Shields when he finally signed with the UFC and fought Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. Although he got the win via split decision, most were disappointed with his performance and some even felt he deserved the loss.

Still, Shields got his long awaited shot at long-time No. 1 welterweight Georges St-Pierre. Again, Shields didn’t put on the most entertaining performance. GSP dominated the fight, despite getting poked in the eye.

Even with the loss, Shields was still ranked in the top three. The performance against Martin Kampmann was explained by a poor weight cut and, well, who doesn’t lose to Georges St-Pierre?

Jake Shields was going into his bout with Jake Ellenberger as solid favorite and despite the passing of his father, most felt he was going to pick up the win and move towards another shot at the title. After all, the Cesar Gracie fighter has never lost two in a row.

Jake Ellenberger, however, proved to be a recipe for failure for Shields. Ellenberger showed his wrestling ability, able to easily shrug off his opponent’s take-down attempts. On his first shot, Shields was tossed aside like a rag doll. On his second, Ellenberger easily got his under-hooks and remained on the feet.

Without being able to get to the ground, Shields was now going to have to deal with the immense power of Ellenberger. Despite being relatively unknown to the casual fan, “The Juggernaut” has knocked out four of his last five opponents. His only loss in the UFC came via split decision to perennial contender Carlos Condit in a bout that Ellenberger nearly finished.

Fifty-three seconds into the first round and the referee jumped in to stop the fight. Shields claimed he “still had some fight left,” but his head was being beaten into the canvas with vicious shots that necessitated the merciful stoppage.

Just like that, Shields joins a long list of fighters that “couldn’t make it in the UFC.” Guys like Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva.

Jake Shields doesn’t deserve to have his talent questioned because of a couple of losses, but it does prove that the top talent is in the UFC. Highly-touted fighters that are now entering the UFC from Strikeforce, like Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz, may very well suffer the same fate.

People easily forget that Diaz lost three straight in the UFC earlier in his career. Alistair Overeem was finished in five out of seven fights just before his most recent run. Fans get mesmerized by long win streaks and spectacular knockout finishes, but they ignore the level of competition.

Sure, B.J. Penn is only 16-7-2 overall, but there’s a reason why he’s the favorite going into his bout with Nick Diaz. Mixed martial arts fans need to place less value in wins and losses and more value in good performances against good competition.

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UFC Fight Night 25 Results: Court McGee Outlasts Dongi Yang

Following a lackluster bout between Jonathan Brookins and Erik Koch at UFC Fight Night 25, Court “The Crusher” McGee and Dongi “The Ox” Yang got off to a slow start of their own.The first round was fairly even. Yang landed some solid leg kicks and McGe…

Following a lackluster bout between Jonathan Brookins and Erik Koch at UFC Fight Night 25, Court “The Crusher” McGee and Dongi “The Ox” Yang got off to a slow start of their own.

The first round was fairly even. Yang landed some solid leg kicks and McGee landed a good right hand that wobbled his opponent, but it was a largely uneventful otherwise. Neither fighter absorbed much punishment as most of the round was spent judging distance and moving in and out of range.

The second round started out with both fighters swinging a bit more wildly before settling down. McGee attempted a takedown, but Yang showed his impressive Judo pedigree and avoided it.

Court “The Crusher” McGee got tagged a couple of times, but circled away and shook it off. Yang was starting to slow down and McGee began working for another takedown, but the fight remained on the feet. Yang started to telegraph his punches and lower his hands.

McGee’s stamina was impressive, and he was barely breathing heavy. Both fighters traded shots, but nothing much is landing. Yang landed a huge shot that rocks McGee and sends him to falling towards the cage. “The Ox” landed a huge flying knee chasing after him.

Yang managed to get the fight to the ground, but missed an opportunity to take the back, neglecting to put his hooks in. McGee got back to his feet, with Yang looking exhausted.

McGee finally got a takedown and momentarily mounted Yang but, after a scramble ensued, they got back to their feet. McGee got another takedown with less than 20 seconds to go. He attempted a guillotine that nearly finished the fight as the round closed.

Overall, this was an extremely close bout that simply came down to “The Crusher’s” superior conditioning. He looked exactly the same four minutes into the third round as he did at the start of the bout. “The Ox”, however, was still breathing heavy, waiting for the judge’s decision.

Court McGee won by decision (30-27, 29-28 and 30-28).

This fight doesn’t mean all that much for the middleweight division, and wasn’t decisive enough to prove that McGee is a force at that weight, but it was a decent performance from The Ultimate Fighter winner, showing that he may be ready for someone along the lines of Dan Miller or Jason MacDonald.

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Strikeforce Grand Prix: How Daniel Cormier’s Broken Hand Impacts the Tournament

When the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix was initially announced, it seemed like Strikeforce was finally launching something to compete with the UFC. Dana White didn’t seem to have an answer for it and the fans believed that the winner of the tourna…

Almost immediately, the Grand Prix faltered. There were issues with fight delays and their biggest draw, Fedor Emelianenko, was eliminated in the first round.

Then, Alistair Overeem, after a lackluster win over Fabricio Werdum, was subsequently released from the organization.

So now it’s down to Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett.

Barnett is a proven top heavyweight, finishing both of his opponents in the tournament—Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov—with arm-triangle chokes.

Cormier, on the other hand, is fairly unproven, coming in as a replacement for Alistair Overeem that managed to make it to the finals by knocking out Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. However, he also broke his hand in the process.

According to Cormier’s Twitter account: “Just got done seeing Dr. Hand is broken will be on the shelf 4 a while. Still looking forward to finishing tourney. Thx 4 support. DC”

USA Today reports his management has stated that the former Olympic wrestler will be out approximately six to eight weeks before resuming training.

Cormier’s injury is just another problem in a long list of issues with both the Grand Prix and the Strikeforce brand altogether.

At this point, the fight between Cormier and Barnett could prove that Cormier is a serious contender at heavyweight or that he’s not quite ready for that level of competition. Coming out of such a great camp at the American Kickboxing Academy couldn’t hurt, as he gets to train with No. 1 heavyweight Cain Velasquez frequently. Cormier is surprisingly similar to his AKA teammate with his ever-improving striking, strong wrestling pedigree and 9-0 record.

Either way, Strikeforce does have an interesting heavyweight matchup ahead of them. While it doesn’t have the attraction of an Emelianenko versus Overeem bout, it does have serious implications for the division. At the very least, both fighters would make great additions to the constantly deepening UFC heavyweight roster.

With Cormier’s broken hand, the fight will likely be delayed until 2012, but at this point, it’s really the single greatest thing attraction for Strikeforce. Much of their top talent, including the heavyweight and welterweight champions—Overeem and Nick Diaz—have already jumped ship for the UFC. The lightweight and light heavyweight champions—Gilbert Melendez and Dan Henderson—don’t seem far behind.

Daniel Cormier is one of the last remaining hopes of a Strikeforce product to make an impact in mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, a broken hand will delay that possibility, but it’s still worth waiting to see.

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