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.”
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