Ron Jayson Timbang | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC 165: Will Jon Jones’ Reach Matter Against Alexander Gustafsson?

To be held on September 21 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson features two of the most talented fighters in the light heavyweight division and two fighters who belong in the top list when it comes to tal…

Both Jones and Gustafsson have used their reach advantage against past opponents and posed difficult challenges in the striking department as well as in the grappling area with their reach: Jones with 84.5 inches and Gustafsson with 76.5 inches.

The question come fight night is, who can utilize their reach more? Or will advantage in reach matter in this fight?

The X-factor here would be the style of striking of both fighters. Gustafsson employs a fundamental style of striking, throwing jabs and combinations occasionally. Meanwhile, Jones’ striking is very much unpredictable. The champ loves to throw spinning back fists and elbows out of nowhere. And those usually find their way into his opponent’s face thanks to his long reach.

Given that Gustafsson has huge reach himself, Jones still has the edge in reach with eight inches more. If the challenger is not careful in striking exchanges, expect the champ to land some of his signature strikes. Will we see a knockout? It’s not impossible.

Another factor to consider, which may be the deciding one in this fight, is Jones’ takedowns, which he fully utilized in his last title defense against the skilled wrestler, Chael Sonnen, putting the NCAA Division I All-American wrestler on the ground at will. If the champ can take Gustafsson to the ground, he can throw vicious elbows, which he used to finish Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko and Sonnen. Those elbows are hard to block and time given the length of Jones’ arms.

Submissions are only a second option for Jones due to how effective his ground-and-pound is. Nonetheless, when he sees an opportunity, the champ will surely attempt a submission. His submission wins against Ryan Bader, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort prove this.

Given the number of tools available at Jones’ disposal, including his reach, he might very well win his match against Gustafsson. If he wins, he will pass Tito Ortiz’s record and become the light heavyweight champ with the most number of successive title defenses (six).

With a win, it will also be proved once again that there is currently no one in the light heavyweight division who has the answer to Jones’ reach and skills.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 164: Reliving Frank Mir’s Nastiest Submission Wins

One of the most exciting matchups in UFC 164—Henderson vs. Pettis—is a battle between two ground specialists in Frank Mir and Josh Barnett. Both fighters have held the UFC’s heavyweight strap in the past and are making their way to th…

The question is: who has the edge on the ground?

Both fighters have several wins coming via submission. Barnett has the edge in numbers with 19, but it is interesting to note that majority of Mir’s submission wins happened in the UFC, while the former is most successful in organizations outside of the UFC.

Mir’s submissions are mainstay in every UFC highlight video and never fail to give audience a feeling that an arm or leg will be broken when he fights.

Shall we see a Mir submission win tomorrow?

Let’s relive Mir’s nastiest submission wins in his UFC career.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 162 Silva vs. Weidman: How Each Fighter in the Main Card Is Expected to Win

UFC 162: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman is one of the most highly anticipated cards of this year. It features the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time against the fighter whom most experts dub as the greatest threat to Silva’s title reign. …

The event also features two intriguing fights in the talented middleweight division and the fast-rising featherweight division. The main card is so stacked with gifted fighters that it is hard to predict who will win in each fight.

Nonetheless, predicting each fighter’s way of winning is quite an easy task. Each mixed martial artist in the main card is well-known for a specific skill in which he is more likely to win by utilizing it.

The following slides show my analysis for each fighter.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 161: Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson Showcase Speed vs. Power

This weekend, former UFC champ Rashad Evans will meet Pride’s two-division champ Dan Henderson in a matchup that presents huge implications in the league’s light heavyweight division. Each fighter has his own strengths, and if these are uti…

This weekend, former UFC champ Rashad Evans will meet Pride’s two-division champ Dan Henderson in a matchup that presents huge implications in the league’s light heavyweight division.

Each fighter has his own strengths, and if these are utilized come fight night, fans are bound to witness a classic matchup between two veterans of the sport of MMA.

Evans is known for his speed and combinations which he often utilizes to set up takedowns. His fights against Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson are some of the classic examples of how he uses this game plan. In those fights, Evans was able to land some shots against his opponents and use his wrestling to nullify his opponents’ punching power.

Meanwhile, Henderson made a name for himself for knocking out opponents using his punching power. At UFC 100, Michael Bisping became one of the victims of Henderson’s trademark punch dubbed as the “H Bomb.” After the Bisping knockout, three more MMA veterans found themselves on the receiving end of a KO loss courtesy of Henderson’s punching prowess: Renato Sobral, Rafael Calvante and Fedor Ermelianenko (the list goes on).

With that said, the winner of Evans vs. Henderson should be determined through the extent in which one of them could be able to maximize his strengths against the other.

For Evans to win, he should time his takedowns by using his fast combinations. He should be aware that standing too long with Henderson presents a huge amount of risk no fighter in the light heavyweight division would like to take.

If he couldn’t take Henderson down, Evans should circle away from his opponent’s right hand by using his quick footwork. While doing so, Evans should aim to land jabs and ultra-quick combinations for him to get a nudge on the judges’ scorecards, because we know that Henderson has a solid chin and is difficult to stop (see his fight against Shogun Rua).

Oppositely, Henderson’s chance of winning this fight depends on how he can time Evans coming in and land his overhand right on his opponent’s chin. Evans is not known to have a durable chin so it is pretty much a fact that if Henderson lands one punch at the right place, the fight would be probably over.

His only trouble is Evans’ takedowns. Avoiding them will be a tough task for Henderson. What he should do is punish Evans with powerful strikes every time he attempts a takedown. If he can do this, he should be able to make Evans think before ducking and hesitate in his takedown attempts.

Destroying each other’s game plan by utilizing their strengths should be the aim of both fighters. At the end, determining who wins between a fighter who has power and someone with admirable speed still depends on who will be able to properly execute his game plan and exploit his opponent’s weakness.

My prediction: Henderson knocks out Evans in the second round.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 161: Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson Showcase Speed vs. Power

This weekend, former UFC champ Rashad Evans will meet Pride’s two-division champ Dan Henderson in a matchup that presents huge implications in the league’s light heavyweight division.

Each fighter has his own strengths. If they are utilized come fight night, fans are bound to witness a classic matchup between two veterans of the sport of MMA.

Evans is known for his speed and combinations, which he often utilizes to set up takedowns. His fight against Thiago Silva is one of the classic examples of how he uses this game plan. In the fight, Evans was able to land some shots against Silva and use his wrestling to nullify his opponent’s punching power.

With these said, the winner of Evans vs. Henderson should be determined through the extent in which one of them is able to maximize his strengths against the other.

For Evans to win, he must time his takedowns by using his fast combinations. He must be aware that standing too long with Henderson presents a huge amount of risk no fighter in the light heavyweight division would like to take.

Henderson’s chance of winning this fight depends on how he can time Evans coming in and land his overhand right. Evans is not known to have a durable chin, so it is pretty much a fact that if Henderson lands one punch at the right place, the fight would be over. Also, if he can avoid Evans’ takedowns, this fight is surely his to win.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

What Mark Hunt Should Look at in Junior Dos Santos’ Fight with Roy Nelson

Mark Hunt is scheduled to fight Junior Dos Santos at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013. Hunt—in spite of his punching power and accuracy, which he exhibited in his last four bouts—is labeled as underdog between the two. Many experts think that his matchup with the former heavyweight champion will turn out to be like Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson, which ended via unanimous decision in favor of Dos Santos.

Indeed, Hunt resembles Nelson in size, speed and striking style, although the former may possess the stronger punch. If Dos Santos’ fight with Nelson will be the basis, Hunt may as well end up on the losing side at UFC 160.

But this should not derail Hunt in his quest for a victory. Instead, he should take the time to study the fight and learn some useful pointers.

Begin Slideshow