While Jon Jones’ recent performances have left fans in awe of his dominance, the 24-year-old has never had a tougher challenge in front of him than Lyoto Machida. Jones is expected to defend the title against the Brazilian at UFC 140 in December.
Machida previously held the light heavyweight title in 2009, when he was seen as an unbeatable champion. However, fast forward two years later and Machida will now challenge for the title. While the elusive Machida does pose as a legitimate challenge, Jones feels like he has “The Dragon” figured out.
In an interview with TheFightNetwork.com, Jones spoke about the opportunity to face the former champion and said he is confident in his abilities to hand Machida the third loss in his career.
“We feel comfortable, we feel as if there’s been some blueprints laid out,” Jones said.
After Machida suffered back-to-back losses to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jones’ blueprint could not be any clearer. Although Jones intends on looking at Machida’s recent losses, he won’t necessarily rely entirely on their respective strategies.
The champion recognizes that Machida no longer carries the same mystique as before, but he does see the same qualities in him that made him champion just a short time ago. Regardless, Jones is willing to to accept the bout.
“We’re excited. We’re up for the challenge,” Jones said.
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