Phil Davis in No Rush to Make Jon Jones Fight a Reality

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsAt the UFC 126 post-fight press conference, Urijah Faber said he was looking forward to one day seeing Jon Jones fight Phil Davis for the light heavyweight title.

He’s not the only one.

Since Jones won the b…

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At the UFC 126 post-fight press conference, Urijah Faber said he was looking forward to one day seeing Jon Jones fight Phil Davis for the light heavyweight title.

He’s not the only one.

Since Jones won the belt on Saturday, and to a degree even before UFC 128, media, fans, and even fighters have pegged Davis as the man who could give the unstoppable Jones trouble inside the Octagon.

That’s a huge compliment for a 26-year-old who only made his MMA debut in October 2008.

But Davis (8-0), who faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event of UFC Fight Night 24 this Saturday, says he isn’t concerning himself with anything other than what’s next.

Greg Jackson Staying Out of It, but Disagrees With Jones-Evans Fight

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveThe way MMA trainer Greg Jackson sees it, it’s sadly ironic that his phone should be ringing off the hook a few days after adding a new UFC champion to his stable of fighters, and yet so few people are interested in …

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The way MMA trainer Greg Jackson sees it, it’s sadly ironic that his phone should be ringing off the hook a few days after adding a new UFC champion to his stable of fighters, and yet so few people are interested in talking about the fight.

Yes, Jon Jones dominated “Shogun” Rua to become light heavyweight champ, and yes, it would be nice if Jackson got a day or two to savor his fighter’s victory. But that’s not how it works this time. Not after Rashad Evans, a former UFC champion from the Jackson team, agreed to fight Jones just before declaring himself “done” with Jackson’s team altogether.

After inter-squad drama like that, all anyone wants to know is what exactly happened between Jackson and Evans to bring them to this point. The trouble is, Jackson isn’t entirely sure.

Jon Jones Is More One-Man Revolution Than MMA Evolution

Filed under: UFCThere is a constant meme that gets passed around regarding how mixed martial arts will look 10 or 20 years from now. In that crystal ball version of the future, all the athletes are bigger, stronger, faster, better. They are more creati…

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There is a constant meme that gets passed around regarding how mixed martial arts will look 10 or 20 years from now. In that crystal ball version of the future, all the athletes are bigger, stronger, faster, better. They are more creative, have better technique and are more thoroughly schooled in the various disciplines utilized in fighting.

It’s mostly BS.

Don’t get me wrong, advances in training and the increased availability of coaching will mean a better crop of aspiring fighters over time, but the difference will be marginal and result in no net change from the parity we see today. And that will mean a freakish athlete with a sharp intellect, confidence and and a fighting heart will always separate himself from the pack.

That brings us to Jon Jones.

Keith Jardine Points to Jon Jones for Rift at Jackson’s

The process of mining anyone who’s been a training partner of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for their opinion on the former teammates budding feud, has begun full swing. It’s a ‘hot button issue’ right now, and of course, we’re totally on board (until extremely odd Youtube videos surface from either dude, or they begin […]

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The process of mining anyone who’s been a training partner of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for their opinion on the former teammates budding feud, has begun full swing. It’s a ‘hot button issue’ right now, and of course, we’re totally on board (until extremely odd Youtube videos surface from either dude, or they begin using a catchword like ‘winning’, which quickly saturates every medium known to man).

One of the pivotal players in the Jackson Team’s success has been Keith Jardine, who long before Jones became a member, was working his way up the UFC rankings alongside Evans. In fact, Jardine and Evans were two of the first notable competitors to annoy Dana White by saying they wouldn’t fight each other. Well, in an interview with ESPN, Jardine was quick to compliment Rashad for what he did for the Jackson Team, and pointed to that now ‘infamous’ interview Jones had with Ariel Helwani, for the sh-tstorm that is now unfolding.

“It all started from that interview that Jon did, talking about the possibility of fighting with Rashad [with Ariel Helwani on Versus],” Jardine said. “That’s just something that doesn’t need to be said. Of course they could have been made to fight, and they both knew it. But for Jon to go out and say that made Rashad look like a punk, and that’s kind of what happened to start it all. It was already sensitive, so it blew up after that.”

Jardine qualified that comment by saying “Jon’s just a kid,” and that the new champ probably “regretted” what he had said to Helwani afterwards. Perhaps…perhaps not (cue sinister music). Plenty more to come on this no doubt.

MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: Jon Jones Surges

Filed under: UFC, Rankings, OverallThe last time I ranked the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, I heard from a lot of readers who thought it was too early to have Jon Jones on the list.

No one is going to say that now.

After Jones smashed “Shog…

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Jon Jones wears the UFC light heavyweight belt at UFC 128.The last time I ranked the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, I heard from a lot of readers who thought it was too early to have Jon Jones on the list.

No one is going to say that now.

After Jones smashed “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128, the question isn’t whether Jones is one of the sport’s Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters — everyone agrees that he is. Now the question is just how high Jones belongs on the pound-for-pound list.

I think Jones is doing things we haven’t seen before, and dominating his opponents in ways that few fighters can equal, and so I have Jones among the truly elite on my latest list, which is below.

Jon Jones Opens as Huge Favorite Over Rashad Evans, Fans Bet Him Up Further

Filed under: UFC, NewsAwe over Jon Jones’ UFC light-heavyweight championship win continues to dominate the post-UFC 128 headlines.

Fresh off his third-round TKO over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones already knows who he’s fighting next: former teammate Ra…

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Awe over Jon Jones‘ UFC light-heavyweight championship win continues to dominate the post-UFC 128 headlines.

Fresh off his third-round TKO over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones already knows who he’s fighting next: former teammate Rashad Evans.

According to oddsmakers and fans, Evans — a former champion himself — is an underdog. A very big underdog.