No matter who light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is matched against, many fans and fighters alike give him a distinct advantage.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans or Dan Henderson.
Jones is a phenomenal fighter, but he can’t overlook his surprise UFC 152 opponent, “The Phenom” himself, Vitor Belfort.
All of the people I’ve talked to have given Belfort little to no chance against the champ. Jones holds an edge, but underestimating Belfort is not the right move.
Belfort is a very dangerous opponent for Jones, whether people think so or not. Belfort has been around the fight game for a long time. He’s a true veteran of the sport.
Belfort’s skills should not be taken lightly. He has lightning fast hands and holds black belts in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
His most lethal weapon as we all know, is his powerful striking game. It has helped him amass 14 KO/TKO finishes out of his 21 wins. That is a respectable 67 percent.
In order to utilize that to the fullest, he must successfully use movement and fake his way in, do some damage quickly and retreat.
Many forget Belfort also has some championship experience. He was the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament winner, as well as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
He was also defeated by Anderson Silva when he fought for the Middleweight title.
Belfort has all the tools to win this fight. He has an excellent striking game, great ground-and-pound and slick submissions.
If he comes prepared with a great game plan and uses all his skills to their fullest, I believe he has as good a chance as any of taking the light heavyweight title.
Jones may be the massive favourite in terms of odds here, but don’t forget what happened when Matt Serra fought Georges St. Pierre.
Odds meant nothing and he pulled off a huge upset.
Belfort may be the underdog, but he’s a motivated and very dangerous opponent for Jones. Make no mistake, this will be a great fight.
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