Tag: Jon Jones

Breaking Down Jon Jones’ Game Plan for Victory vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 159

Jon Jones will defeat Chael Sonnen on April 27, and he’ll do it in style. The two fighters will headline UFC 159, and this fight has the potential to be one of the best on the card. Sonnen is a tough fighter who always provides a challenge to…

Jon Jones will defeat Chael Sonnen on April 27, and he’ll do it in style. 

The two fighters will headline UFC 159, and this fight has the potential to be one of the best on the card. 

Sonnen is a tough fighter who always provides a challenge to his opponent. He is an excellent wrestler, a dangerous ground-and-pound fighter and is adept at defending against strikers.

He has been fighting professionally for nearly 16 years and has seen everything the sport has to offer, but he has a critical weakness Jones will exploit. 

This is the game plan Jones must follow in order to dominate Sonnen at UFC 159.

 

Goad Sonnen into Takedown Attempts

Jones is an excellent defender against fighters who try and land punches and kicks. He keeps them off balance by using his long legs and countering their strikes with painful strikes of his own.

Sonnen has never been known as a particularly deadly striker, though he does throw a lot of punches from time to time. His strengths come from his wrestling background, and he usually tries to get his opponent down on the mat as soon as possible. 

Jones should take advantage of Sonnen‘s over-aggressive approach and goad him into thinking he has a shot at taking him down.

As good as Sonnen is at taking opponents down, Jones is even better at turning the tables on opponents who try to take him down. 

 

Patience Is Key

Jones likely wants to get this fight over with in a hurry. 

Sonnen has been doing his classic Sonnen thing—trash-talking from sunup till sundown for the past month or so—and Jones can’t stand it. 

After abstaining from responding to Sonnen‘s antagonistic remarks for the past month, Jones went on a rant on Tuesday night’s episode of UFC Tonight, per Yahoo! Sports, accusing Sonnen of being a long-term steroid user—a rant he later apologized for, via his official Twitter account.

Bones Jones is motivated to shut Sonnen‘s big mouth with a resounding victory, but he’d be smart to wear Sonnen out for a round or two before making his big move.

An excellent striker, Jones should make Sonnen chase him around the ring while tagging him with a consistent barrage of strikes to his legs. Sonnen is known for having excellent stamina, and he’s a strong fighter on the ground. 

Once Sonnen‘s legs get sore and he starts to lose his wind a bit, that’s when Jones should strike.

 

Submission 

Sonnen has lost a total of 12 fights in his lengthy career—eight of which have been decided by submission. He’s a terrific offensive wrestler, but Sonnen has never learned how to defend against the top grapplers in MMA.

Jones just so happens to be one of the world’s best wrestlers and is adept at submitting opponents. 

After wearing Sonnen down, Jones needs to take this fight to the ground and work his ground-and-pound game until he finds an opening. 

With Sonnen, the opening will inevitably come, and once it does, Jones will have an easy time of finishing the job. 

 

Prediction: Jones wins by guillotine choke late in Round 3.

 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 

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UFC 159: Trash Talk Will Not Make Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones Fight Exciting

Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones are doing their best to get fans excited for UFC 159. Unfortunately, the pre-fight talk will not mean a thing once the bout starts.Jones started off the trash talk on Twitter by stating how badly he will beat his upcoming opp…

Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones are doing their best to get fans excited for UFC 159. Unfortunately, the pre-fight talk will not mean a thing once the bout starts.

Jones started off the trash talk on Twitter by stating how badly he will beat his upcoming opponent:

Of course, this did not seem to frighten Sonnen when discussing the bout:

In his interview, the American Gangster made some interesting statements about his skill as a fighter:

I’m the best MMA wrestler in the world. I can take Jon Jones down anytime I want to. I’m a two-time National Champion, I got a silver medal from the World Championships…that says I can take Jon Jones down. He’s never had an experience like this.

While this back and forth seemed to be in good fun, things took a more serious turn when Jones accused Sonnen of using performance-enhancing drugs. He said that “people know he’s done steroids throughout his career” (via MMAjunkie.com).

Although Jones later apologized (via ESPN), this type of accusation is something that will stick around for a while.

There were various other examples of verbal assaults towards each other, but it will not matter once the two step into the Octagon on April 27.

Jones is one of the best MMA fighters in the world, and arguably one of the best of all time. He has won 17 of his 18 career matches, only losing once by disqualification.

After earning the Light Heavyweight Championship he has been even more impressive. He has defended the title four times, winning three by submission and easily topping Rashad Evans by unanimous decision.

Meanwhile, Sonnen has been up and down throughout his career. He was unable to top Anderson Silva in his recent title fight, and had a few poor losses at the middleweight division over the years.

It is tough to imagine him being able to succeed at a higher weight class against a much tougher opponent.

Forrest Griffin, who was schedule to face Sonnen a few months ago, questioned why the fighter was able to get this match. According to Dana Becker of Fightline.com, he said Sonnen did not fight his way to this opportunity, but instead “talked his way to the top.”

Trash talking is part of the sport and it is important to promote the pay-per-view. However, that alone will not make this a better match than it is.

Jones is the overwhelming favorite to win at -800, according to Bovada. He will likely continue his impressive streak against Sonnen and it probably will not even be close.

It is truly a shame that this sport has to resort to making headlines before the event to try to make money.

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Nike Releases Jon ‘Bones’ Jones Signature Shoes and Shirts on Friday

In August 2012, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones signed a landmark, worldwide deal with Nike—the first of its kind for a mixed martial arts athlete. Now Jones’ first Nike apparel is set for release on Friday with a line of shirts and shoe…

In August 2012, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones signed a landmark, worldwide deal with Nike—the first of its kind for a mixed martial arts athlete.

Now Jones’ first Nike apparel is set for release on Friday with a line of shirts and shoes hitting Nike.com as well as NikeTown in New York and Las Vegas, according to manager Malki Kawa, who confirmed the news to Bleacher Report on Thursday.

Jones sent a picture of his new signature shoe out via Twitter on Thursday with a Friday release date for his new line of apparel with the company.

While other athletes in the UFC—such as middleweight king Anderson Silva—have signed deals with Nike as well, Jones will be the first to have his own line released in the United States.

The release coincides with Jones’ next title fight, which happens next Saturday at UFC 159 in New Jersey when he clashes with Chael Sonnen in the main event.

Jones’ deal with Nike was brokered through manager Malki Kawa along with famed agent Ari Emanuel, head of William Morris Endeavor. Emanuel, who was the basis of the popular TV character Ari Gold from the HBO series Entourage, was also an instrumental figure in the UFC’s television deal with Fox in 2011.

Kawa spoke to MMAWeekly.com about the Nike deal last year:

I’ve always said that if we can do the right thing for Jon, and help Jon get there, it’s going to open doors for everyone else. So now Jon gets the first deal in MMA like this, well tomorrow there might be another type of guy that comes along that’s not Jon Jones, and that’s going to open up opportunities for them.

The Nike brand is synonymous with sports clothing. The company is currently valued at over $10.7 billion, according to Forbes.

Jones now joins athletes such as New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Miami Heat forward LeBron James as Nike branded athletes with signature lines of clothes and shoes being released.

Kawa also confirmed with Bleacher Report on Thursday that the initial run of his client’s first Nike shoe will be limited in numbers so sales are expected to go fast in the first hours after the release on Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.

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UFC 159: Trash Talk Adds Intrigue to Fight Between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen

With just over a week remaining before Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones fight at UFC 159, the pair have taken their trash talking to another level. While some see the pre-fight chatter as foolish, it adds quite a bit of intrigue and hype for the fight.The tr…

With just over a week remaining before Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones fight at UFC 159, the pair have taken their trash talking to another level. While some see the pre-fight chatter as foolish, it adds quite a bit of intrigue and hype for the fight.

The trash talking has heightened as Sonnen has decided to use his Twitter to provide a daily countdown to the fight. In some posts he’s talked himself up, while others have been directed at Jones.

Here are some of the best posts from Sonnen‘s countdown:

For the most part, the tweets aren’t very serious. Most are just general fluff with bits of humor, including Sonnen‘s incorrect use of hashtags.

Jones had a few things to say about them as reports have stated (via Yahoo! Sports):

I have seen some of Chael‘s countdown Twitter feed, but I think I stopped reading it at about day 27. It doesn’t fuel me anymore. It’s foolishness really.

While Jones denied that the tweets and trash talk have gotten to him, his recent statements regarding Sonnen bring this into question. Jones got involved in the media frenzy by bringing up steroids (via Yahoo! Sports):

Chael Sonnen is a guy, people know he’s done steroids throughout his entire career. Probably the reason why his testosterone is low now.

Sonnen‘s use of testosterone replacement therapy has been a hot-button issue in MMA. Regardless of whether or not fans agree with the treatment, the use of the word “steroids” is sure to bring about attention. In the age of performance-enhancing drugs, that’s a weighted-word.

With plenty of time before the actual fight, it will be interesting to see what Sonnen comes up with next in his countdown. Will he respond to Jones’ steroid quote? Will Jones engage in further trash talk?

While the extent of the dislike for each other can definitely be questioned, the perceived bad blood is great for the UFC and its fans. The more fans think the fighters dislike their opponent, the better. The constant chatter—including tweets—is a nice way to make fans anticipate the fight even more.

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Quote of the Day: “It Doesn’t Make Sense” for Lyoto Machida to Fight Alexander Gustafsson


(I’ll never let go, Lyoto. I’ll never let go…)

We’re of two minds about the latest interview snippet from Lyoto Machida’s manager, Jorge Guimaraes, in which he all but sealed the door on the potential of a Machida/Alexander Gustafsson fight following the Swede’s call out of Machida some weeks ago. On one hand, Machida was promised a title shot with a win over Dan Henderson at UFC 157, and to his credit, he was able to do so (albeit in rather tepid fashion). On the other hand, Dana White then promised Gustafsson a title shot with a win over Gegard Mousasi before that all fell apart.

But on the third hand, Machida was offered a shot against Jon Jones on short notice at UFC 152, then turned the goddamn thing down. Throw in the fact that Jones already choked Machida unconscious at UFC 140 and couldn’t care less if he ever fought Machida again, and it would appear that the Brazilian isn’t exactly in the position to be making demands. Regardless, Guimaraes told Lancenet that Machida would prefer to sit on the sidelines until this whole Jones/Sonnen nonsense is finished (translation via FightersOnly):

Lyoto is on stand-by list waiting for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen. I think it is almost impossible for Chael to win this bout, but anything may happen. A fight is a fight, but it has already been scheduled, there’s no history about it.

Lyoto is the number one contender and he is only waiting to see who is going to be the winner of this fight. He is not convinced about Jones…he is not convinced from that loss.


(I’ll never let go, Lyoto. I’ll never let go…)

We’re of two minds about the latest interview snippet from Lyoto Machida’s manager, Jorge Guimaraes, in which he all but sealed the door on the potential of a Machida/Alexander Gustafsson fight following the Swede’s call out of Machida some weeks ago. On one hand, Machida was promised a title shot with a win over Dan Henderson at UFC 157, and to his credit, he was able to do so (albeit in rather tepid fashion). On the other hand, Dana White then promised Gustafsson a title shot with a win over Gegard Mousasi before that all fell apart.

But on the third hand, Machida was offered a shot against Jon Jones on short notice at UFC 152, then turned the goddamn thing down. Throw in the fact that Jones already choked Machida unconscious at UFC 140 and couldn’t care less if he ever fought Machida again, and it would appear that the Brazilian isn’t exactly in the position to be making demands. Regardless, Guimaraes told Lancenet that Machida would prefer to sit on the sidelines until this whole Jones/Sonnen nonsense is finished (translation via FightersOnly):

Lyoto is on stand-by list waiting for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen. I think it is almost impossible for Chael to win this bout, but anything may happen. A fight is a fight, but it has already been scheduled, there’s no history about it.

Lyoto is the number one contender and he is only waiting to see who is going to be the winner of this fight. He is not convinced about Jones…he is not convinced from that loss.

The fight between Jones and Sonnen is going to happen now, it doesn’t make sense to fight Alexander. We’re almost there. If it were a little before, this fight could have already happened, but he just fought… and Dana White has made it clear that Lyoto is the number one. We’ll be waiting. 

First off…not convinced? For a guy who has been on both ends of some questionable decisions in his career, you’d think Machida would at least give due credit to the guy who was responsible for turning him into the human water urine balloon pictured above. And secondly, Machida’s reasoning seems to hinge on the fact that Jones will come out completely unscathed from his fight with Sonnen on the 27th. Actually, that one seems about right.

In either case, we think it’s safe to say that the promos for Jones/Machida II are going to suuuuuuuck. 

–J. Jones

Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen: Trash Talking Adds More Intrigue to UFC Title Fight

While the trash talking hasn’t been overwhelming during the build to Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen’s UFC Light Heavyweight Championship battle at UFC 159, the banter from the defending champion has added a sense of realism in this verbal war.T…

While the trash talking hasn’t been overwhelming during the build to Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen’s UFC Light Heavyweight Championship battle at UFC 159, the banter from the defending champion has added a sense of realism in this verbal war.

The way the two fighters interacted on The Ultimate Fighter 17 was not the way most MMA fans expected it to happen; even letting a very vocal minority down.

As much as trash talking adds intrigue to this title fight, Jones told Forbes.com how Sonnen‘s ever-increasing chatter does not bother him leading into their fight:

He’s a guy who has a good takedown ability with pretty good boxing. The one thing I know for sure is that he loves to promote a good fight. After being on the show together, I have a better understanding of Chael and it’s going to help me in this fight. With this fight, I learned ‘don’t get emotions involved.’ Chael likes to try to draw emotions out of his opponents.

Sonnen loves to cut pro-wrestling style promos on his opponent and has no problem dragging their name through the mud in order to get inside someone’s head. Not only does this technique typically frustrate his foes, it builds serious hype around his fights.

More hype equals more pay-per-view buys, and that’s what the UFC wants from its top fighters.

If Jones is the new face of the UFC, Sonnen was brought in to be the bad guy in this well-publicized battle, just as he was for his fight against Anderson Silva. Dana White knows what Sonnen can do in and out of the Octagon, and that’s make money.

While Jones will claim that he isn’t talking trash, the confidence that he carries and the way he speaks to the media oozes with self-assurance. The defending champion may not say he believes he will win at UFC 159, but his tone and mannerisms scream it for him.

That is the type of real chatter that makes trash talking so exciting. Sonnen is loud and aggressive with his words, but just like Teddy Roosevelt said, Jones speaks softly and carries a big stick.

Sonnen is in for a serious battle, but he already knows that; he learned from his loss to Silva and will do his best to avoid making the same mistakes in the Octagon this time around.

Jones has the size and skill advantage, but in the sport of MMA, no ending is too far-fetched.

 

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