Even on a Small-Time Card, Jon Jones Gets Big-Time Exposure

Filed under: UFCAfter dismantling Vladimir Matyushenko in just under two minutes at UFC on Versus 2 last night, Jon Jones woke up early this morning, put on a nice suit, and sat down for a quick chat with ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Nothing spectacular came…

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After dismantling Vladimir Matyushenko in just under two minutes at UFC on Versus 2 last night, Jon Jones woke up early this morning, put on a nice suit, and sat down for a quick chat with ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Nothing spectacular came out of the appearance. He came off as humble, yet confident – the always elusive down-to-earth pro athlete. He cracked a smile while admitting that a UFC ban on elbows would wreak havoc on his game plan, and, when asked who he’d like to fight next, he even resisted what must have been an overwhelming urge to tell James Toney exactly what would happen if the boxer attempted to follow through on his plan to slap Jones in the face.

Jon Jones Wants to Face Top 3 Fighter Next

So if you decided yesterday that the MMA pundits were morons for having Jon Jones as such a heavy favorite, and consequently, threw some dough down on Vladimir Matyushenko pulling off the upset last night in San Diego…look at this way, at least it’s Monday and you can get back to earning some cash right?
Yes, […]

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So if you decided yesterday that the MMA pundits were morons for having Jon Jones as such a heavy favorite, and consequently, threw some dough down on Vladimir Matyushenko pulling off the upset last night in San Diego…look at this way, at least it’s Monday and you can get back to earning some cash right?

Yes, if you missed the fight last night on Versus you likely know by now, that Jones quickly took “The Janitor” to the mat and promptly began cleaning the floor with his head via a flurry of elbows. As most expected, Jones cruised to victory over the accomplished decade plus vet, and today the hype spotlight is more scalding bright than ever before. Case in point, everyone wants to know who Jones wants to fight next, and speaking after the bout he reportedly stated (thanks to MMA Weekly for the quote):

“There’s the champion. He’s the toughest guy right now. He’s very well-rounded and is a great striker. Just the top three contenders that I really want to push myself against,” said Jones. “I really feel that needs to happen.”

The report furthered that Jones was referring to Shogun Rua (obviously), Lyoto Machida and “Rampage” Jackson. What about Rashad Evans? Jones trains with “Sugar” so that’s apparently in the ‘don’t go there’ category. What did Dana White have to say? After the “dust settles” in the upcoming schedule, Jones will reportedly take on someone in the top eight. Cool beans. And oh yeah, Jon, the post-fight “stay classy San Diego” bit was gold…

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on Versus 2

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If you’re among the people who think Vladimir Matyushenko was the victim of an early stoppage in his loss to Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 last night, perhaps you should go back to the video and take a look at the expression on Matyushe…

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If you’re among the people who think Vladimir Matyushenko was the victim of an early stoppage in his loss to Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 last night, perhaps you should go back to the video and take a look at the expression on Matyushenko’s face after the bout was halted. What you see there is disappointment, but not indignation.

The fight may have been just under two minutes long, but that was long enough for Matyushenko – and referee Herb Dean – to see where it was headed. Matyushenko had no answer to Jones’ flurry of elbows, and he knew it. Taking a few more of them would have proved nothing, except perhaps the Belarussian’s willingness to take an unnecessary beating for his cash.

The win was a fairly predictable one for Jones, but still impressive. There’s simply no one quite like him in the light heavyweight division right now. That’s the good news. The bad news is, any more fights against outmatched opponents and fans are going to start getting bored. The guy’s so exciting to watch, it’d be great to see him in a televised bout that goes longer than a few minutes.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to the winners and losers from last night’s fights:

‘Jones vs. Matyushenko’ Aftermath — End of Night Bonuses, ‘Fighting American’, and the Bones vs. Toney Dream Fight

(That reminds us, if you’re ever sitting next to Jon Jones on an airplane and his elbow is crowding your armrest, you’d better just let him have it. Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com.)
— $40,000 performance bonuses were handed out to some very …

Jon Jones Vladimir Matyushenko UFC Live MMA photos
(That reminds us, if you’re ever sitting next to Jon Jones on an airplane and his elbow is crowding your armrest, you’d better just let him have it. Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com.)

— $40,000 performance bonuses were handed out to some very worthy recipients after last night’s UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko event. Scoring the Knockout of the Night bonus was Takanori Gomi, who starched Tyson Griffin 64 seconds into their fight with a sledgehammer right hook. The Submission of the Night went to Charles Oliveira, who owned Darren Elkins with a masterful triangle-armbar in another dramatic quick finish during the prelims. Fight of the Night bonuses went to Brian Stann and Mike Massenzio for their unaired preliminary bout. Stann battled back from an early deficit to finish Massenzio via third-round triangle choke. It was the first submission win of Stann’s career.

— Despite his through ass-kicking of Vladimir Matyushenko, Jon Jones is doing his best to stay humble and not let his ever-growing hype influence him. As he said during the post-event press conference:

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UFC on Versus 2 Live Blog: Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko Updates

Filed under: UFCThis is the UFC on Versus 2 live blog for Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko, the main event of tonight’s televised UFC card in San Diego, Calif.

Jones is a rising star and heavy favorite coming into this fight against the former IFL c…

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This is the UFC on Versus 2 live blog for Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko, the main event of tonight’s televised UFC card in San Diego, Calif.

Jones is a rising star and heavy favorite coming into this fight against the former IFL champion Matyushenko. Matyushenko will look to utilize his experience advantage to derail Jones.

The live blog is below.



Jon Jones TKOs Vladimir Matyushenko With Vicious Elbows

Filed under: UFC, NewsJon Jones has found a winning formula, and he’s sticking with it: He takes down his opponents and lands vicious elbows on the ground until the referee has to stop the fight.

That’s what Jones did to Matt Hamill in December (when …

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Jon Jones has found a winning formula, and he’s sticking with it: He takes down his opponents and lands vicious elbows on the ground until the referee has to stop the fight.

That’s what Jones did to Matt Hamill in December (when Jones actually lost the fight by disqualification because one of the elbows was ruled illegal), that’s what Jones did to Brandon Vera in March, and that’s what Jones did to Vladimir Matyushenko on Sunday night.