Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort will step into the octagon in the UFC light-heavyweight championship bout. Virtually everyone except half of Belfort‘s extended family are picking Jones to win, so I chose to take a different approach.
I am going to outline how and at what point in the bout Jones will finish off Belfort. I’ll add in a bit of analysis to make it official and then challenge the readers to predict Jones’ finishing move and time.
Of course, anyone that would like to take Belfort or a full-time bout will get bonus points if they are right.
My biggest issue with The Phenom is some fans still think he exists. One hears references to the “old” Belfort or which Vitor is going to show for his fights.
The answer is pretty basic. There is only one Belfort, and it isn’t The Phenom. It isn’t the Belfort of old.
It is simply the same old Belfort.
He’s still a great puncher, but the lighting-fast attacks aren’t enough to overcame his lack of diversity. He doesn’t have the arsenal needed to counter an elite fighter, and each time he attacks Jones he will get corralled, taken down and occasionally contorted.
It will be interesting to see how Jones approaches this fight. He may be content with evading Belfort early and taking a few well-timed shots at the former champion. His reach advantage will offset Belfort‘s speed.
Belfort will also struggle to defend Jones’ kicks. Bones will land several punishing blows in the first round.
As tempted as I am to predict a win via submission, I don’t see Jones settling for such a subtle end to the fight. He will work in several throws and a barrage of punches and kicks.
I see the bout ending 65 seconds into Round 2 via TKO. The deciding blow will be a fierce elbow after Belfort fails to land an attack.
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