Jon Jones is one of a kind.
Following his victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126, no one would of imagined the 24-year-old emerging as the new perennial contender to challenge for the light heavyweight title, but he did. And when the opportunity presented itself six weeks later, Jones made the most of it and put on one of the most dominant performances in UFC history.
Now, as champion, Jones will face a stiff challenge in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his first title defense at UFC 135.
In Jackson, he faces an aggressive striker with technical boxing, knockout power, and good wrestling skills, but has since been touted as one-dimensional since his transition to the UFC in 2007. Most people are expecting the champion to walk away from this weekend unscathed, and quite possibly, to have a lengthy title reign.
But leading up to the event, Jones’ persona and image has taken a considerable hit with some fans and media, as they have questioned his mentality. Fellow adversaries like Jackson and Rashad Evans have publicly stated on many occasions that Jones isn’t what he’s made himself out to be—a humble, respectful and classy fighter—and rather an arrogant, disrespectful and inexperienced champion. And while he has remained true to himself, there have been glimpses in recent interviews where he has come off as cocky, and at some points, weird, to say the least.
It is a true fact that a champion isn’t a real champion until he successfully defends his title and Jones has yet to achieve that accomplishment. The light heavyweight division has been plagued with bad luck as of late and has not seen a successful title defense since Jackson held the belt, dethroning Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson in 2007.
So when he faces Jackson this weekend, Jones will be under more pressure than before, considering the amount of the hype and attention surrounding him. Not to mention, he will be facing an opponent who has seemingly rededicated himself to the sport and motivated to reclaim the title, a rare sight not seen since he captured it from Liddell.
Blessed with talent, strength and athleticism, Jones has all the potential to make his tenure at light heavyweight a lengthy one and make him one of the greatest fighters of all-time. But if he is unable to withstand the pressure and expectations that come along with being a successful champion, we could be witnessing one of the biggest collapses in mixed martial arts history.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com