The Target Center in Minneapolis will be rocking on Saturday night, April 28 as CFX returns for perhaps the biggest MMA fight card to ever take place in the state, CFX 33: Minnesota vs. Japan.The fight card is a unification of numerous promoters from a…
The Target Center in Minneapolis will be rocking on Saturday night, April 28 as CFX returns for perhaps the biggest MMA fight card to ever take place in the state, CFX 33: Minnesota vs. Japan.
The fight card is a unification of numerous promoters from around the state as they came together to deliver an incredible fight card for the fans, featuring a total of 21 fights which will feature some of Minnesota’s best against international stars from Japan.
With UFC 145 now in the rear-view mirror, the Internet remains buzzing about the dominance of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, as he picked apart Rashad Evans in Saturday night’s main event on his way to a one-sided decision victory.Many believed …
With UFC 145 now in the rear-view mirror, the Internet remains buzzing about the dominance of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, as he picked apart Rashad Evans in Saturday night’s main event on his way to a one-sided decision victory.
Many believed that Evans’ game would bring a serious challenge to Jones, especially given the two fighters’ history of training together. But that wasn’t the case. Evans looked just as lost in the cage against Jones as all others who preceded him.
The scariest part? At 24 years old, “Bones” hasn’t even reached his prime. He’s still getting better.
Using his long limbs and innovative striking, Jones held Evans at a distance throughout the fight, rarely allowing Evans an opportunity to even lay a hand on him. One of the top ranked light heavyweight fighters of all time barely even challenged Jones.
… And yet, he still has room for improvement.
There are some things that cannot be taught. Jones’ natural physical gifts would make him an exceptional mixed martial artist even if he wasn’t learning from arguably the best coaches in the sport today. But when you consider that Jones has the benefit of working with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that he seems to get better by leaps and bounds with every performance.
At UFC 145, Jones showed more innovation as he repeatedly tagged Evans with standing, lightning-fast, jab-like elbows that the challenger had absolutely no answer for. But seemingly dissatisfied with himself—despite dominating round after round—Jones could be heard conversing with his corner between frames, very calmly asking them what he should look to do in the next round. They gave him their advice and then, like a machine, he executed with perfection.
His unpredictability and physical stature has carried him this far, but it’s his insistence on learning more and gaining experience both inside the cage and in training sessions that will make Jones a legend in this sport well before he even reaches his 30s.
Argue all you want, but Jon Jones is already the greatest light heavyweight of all time. Now he’s going to run up the score.
It has only been a day since Jon Jones successfully defended his light heavyweight championship against Rashad Evans at UFC 145, and yet we already know the next challenger. UFC president Dana White wasted no time, announcing shortly after the eve…
It has only been a day since Jon Jones successfully defended his light heavyweight championship against Rashad Evans at UFC 145, and yet we already know the next challenger.
UFC president Dana White wasted no time, announcing shortly after the event that it would be Dan Henderson who will earn the next shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship, as the MMA legend will do battle with “Bones” later this year.
Without hesitation, many fans have already done what they did with Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans before, predicting that this time, Jones is really going to be challenged. Certainly the Vegas odds will be in Jones’ favor for the fight, but that doesn’t mean it’ll come easily.
As many have pointed out, Dan Henderson lives up to his nickname, as he could be the most “dangerous” opponent that Jones has ever faced. It’s that reality which makes this fight so interesting. Jones is going to have to change up his fighting style or risk dropping his title against a 41-year-old man who many wrote off as being over-the-hill over four years ago when he was submitted by Anderson Silva in their UFC 82 bout for the middleweight title.
Henderson is known for his world-class wrestling, but in a sport where wrestling has seemingly taken control, Henderson has defied the odds as his tremendous punching power has been the key to the majority of his recent wins.
It’s this punching power which is likely Jones’ biggest threat going into the fight. While Lyoto Machida, Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans all possess knockout power, none come close to the lights-out, one-punch power that Henderson packs in his right hand.
Jones’ UFC 145 performance against Evans was excellent, but it did expose flaws in his game, as he was seemingly staggered several times in the contest by Evans despite rarely being hit with a clean shot. Needless to say, if Jones doesn’t play things more cautiously and the “H-bomb” connects with his jaw, we could see a recreation of the infamous Michael Bisping knockout.
The truth, though, is that while Jones does have to be weary of Henderson’s knockout power, he is otherwise fighting a guy who should be, in theory, tailor-made to make him look good.
At just 5’11”, Henderson’s is a natural middleweight, where he spent much of his career being one of the top fighters in the world. It’s not that he hasn’t been successful in the light heavyweight division—he has—it’s that his frame is not suited to fight a guy like Jon Jones, who could arguably compete as a high-level heavyweight in the UFC.
Jones will go into the bout with an incredible 13.5″ reach advantage. Not only that, but if Henderson struggled with his conditioning against Shogun Rua, just imagine what Jones’ incredible speed and endurance would do in the championship rounds versus Hendo.
If he can avoid being caught by the right hand of Henderson, Jon Jones should walk through him like a bulldozer. But that’s easier said than done.
With UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans in the books, Fuel TV has created a highlight reel from the five-round fight which ended in a unanimous decision victory for Jon Jones.Jay Glazer joined Jones’ current and Evans’ former Jackson-Winkeljohn teammate Brian St…
With UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans in the books, Fuel TV has created a highlight reel from the five-round fight which ended in a unanimous decision victory for Jon Jones.
Jay Glazer joined Jones’ current and Evans’ former Jackson-Winkeljohn teammate Brian Stann in analyzing the one-sided contest.
Jones and Evans used to train with one another, but had since traded in the gloves and spent the majority of the past year sparring through Twitter and in the media. While Evans has been considered the No. 1 contender for quite some time, various injuries to both men had put this fight on hold until Saturday night’s main event.
All the trash talk led to a highly anticipated fight and it certainly lived up to the hype, as both Evans and Jones landed big shots that staggered the other throughout the 25-minute contest. It was the first time that Jones had ever been taken to the championship rounds in a fight, while Evans had gone the distance in a five-round non-title fight just under three months ago against Phil Davis.
Though Jones didn’t finish the fight in quite as destructive of a fashion as he did against Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson or Ryan Bader in 2012, he started off his 2012 campaign in the right way with perhaps the biggest win of his young career.
Taking advantage of his UFC-record 84.5″ reach, Jones picked Evans apart, keeping the challenger at a distance and never allowing him to get comfortable on his feet.
The end result was the third successful championship defense for Jones and the second loss of Rashad Evans‘ professional mixed martial arts career.
Just when we thought that UFC champion Jon Jones was the perfect athlete, reality comes back to smack us in the mouth with a hilarious and borderline embarrassing video involving the champ and current Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford.In the video, Jones…
Just when we thought that UFC champion Jon Jones was the perfect athlete, reality comes back to smack us in the mouth with a hilarious and borderline embarrassing video involving the champ and current Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford.
In the video, Jones stands with the former third-overall draft pick from 2007 and attempts to touch the rim of a regulation sized NBA basketball hoop. Though he is easily one of the most physically gifted mixed martial artists on the planet today, Jones’ inexperience on the court stuck out like a sore thumb as he looked like an uncoordinated second grader when he attempted to dunk the ball.
The ball even fell off the backboard and smacked him in the face for added shame.
“We’ve got a ways to go, man,” Horford told the camera for NBA.com while Jones laughed in the background. “We’re gonna get him right.”
Jones’ 6’4″ frame makes him one of the tallest athletes in the sport today, however it’s his tremendous 84.5 inch wingspan that makes him the longest fighter in the history of the UFC. But even given that natural physical gift, Jones certainly won’t be making the transition from the Octagon to the hardwood anytime soon.
For now, it’s probably best that he sticks to what he’s good at, which is exactly what he’ll do when he battles his former teammate and sworn enemy Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 145 on Saturday evening, April 21st. This time he’ll be looking to be the one dealing out the humiliation instead of the other way around.
The main event at UFC 145 will feature a true grudge match as light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title against his his former friend and teammate Rashad Evans. Given Jones’ dominance in the cage against other top opponents in recent …
The main event at UFC 145 will feature a true grudge match as light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title against his his former friend and teammate Rashad Evans.
Given Jones’ dominance in the cage against other top opponents in recent bouts, it should come as no surprise that the champion currently sits as a betting favorite to walk out of Saturday’s fight card with another win on his record and the title secured around his waist. Vegas odds-makers are playing it safe by picking Jones to win, but the disrespect they are showing to Rashad Evans is shocking.
BetOnFighting.com first opened the betting lines in late January at minus-600 in favor of Jon Jones.
For those who are unaware of how betting lines work, this would mean that for someone to win $100 by betting on Jon Jones, they would need to wager $600. In other words, Jones was a six-to-one favorite.
The odds have since leveled out some, but with just days remaining before these two battle in the center of the cage, Jones is still listed at as much as a five-to-one (-500) favorite on sites such as BetUS.
As great as Jon Jones is, this number is completely outlandish.
The truth is that Jones is as good as it gets in the sport today. His incredible combination of power, technique and innovative striking make him a nearly impossible opponent to prepare for. But if there is someone who has a chance of beating Jones, it has to be Rashad Evans.
Evans’ history of training with Jones gives him the kind of insight that no other opponent has had against him. The innovative striking and long limbs that Jones possesses are something that Evans has firsthand experience working against.
And it’s not just that he has trained against Jones—Rashad Evans is also the most skilled fighter that Jones has ever battled.
Since winning the heavyweight division on The Ultimate Fighter in Season 2, Evans has put together an absolutely amazing resume of wins in the 205-pound division.
Victories over the likes of Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Thiago Silva, Rampage Jackson and most recently Phil Davis prove that not only is Evans’ 17-1-1 career record impressive on its surface, but it has been accumulated against a who’s-who at light heavyweight.
Had it not been for his one career loss, a brutal second-round knockout to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in his first and only UFC title defense, Evans would very likely be considered one of, if not the greatest 205-pound fighter in the history of the sport.
So when odds-makers such as SportsBetting opt to make him as high as a plus-415 underdog, those who are placing money on the fight should take notice of the opportunity.
This isn’t the first time that Evans will come into a fight as the underdog, and it likely won’t be the last. But those who are willing to put $500 on Jon Jones for the measly payoff of $100 are certifiably insane.
Meanwhile, a small investment in Evans as the underdog could yield huge profits for someone willing to take a chance on a guy who has only ever lost one fight in his entire career.
The main event at