It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to fight in front of thousands of screaming fans, but there is definitely a fine line between confidence and cockiness—and some believe that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has crossed that li…
It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to fight in front of thousands of screaming fans, but there is definitely a fine line between confidence and cockiness—and some believe that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has crossed that line.
The dominant kid from New York has quickly risen through the ranks in the UFC in a way no other fighter has accomplished before. He not only completely dominated every fight he has been in for the organization, but at 24 years old, he is also the youngest fighter to ever hold UFC gold.
Along with the meteoric rise of his career, however, many believe that Jones’ demeanor has also changed.
Critics would say he has transformed from being a humble, green fighter, who was thankful for the opportunity to fight in the UFC, into an arrogant individual who has lost all sense of what it means to be humble and believes that he is unstoppable.
But as cocky as Jones can be at times, he is still growing into his place as one of the cockiest fighters in UFC history. There are others who have actually been more obnoxious than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
These are the 10 cockiest fighters in UFC history.
The UFC’s middleweight division is crying out for new contenders and, this Saturday at UFC 135, Tim Boestch and Nick Ring have the chance to make some big waves in the 185lbs. weight class.Boetsch has recently reinvigorated his career by making the mov…
The UFC’s middleweight division is crying out for new contenders and, this Saturday at UFC 135, Tim Boestch and Nick Ring have the chance to make some big waves in the 185lbs. weight class.
Boetsch has recently reinvigorated his career by making the move the middleweight from light heavyweight and, so far, the move have proved fortuitous. He made his 185lbs. debut at UFC 130 and dominated Kendall Grove en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Nick Ring was cast member on the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter and was never defeated during his time on the show, but was forced to pull out of the tournament with an injury. In fact, Ring has never been defeated and boasts a perfect record of 12-0.
While Ring’s record looks much better than Boetsch’s on paper, he has not competed against the same level of competition that Boestch has faced.
The difference in this fight will likely be the size of Boetsch.
Boetsch wasn’t a big light heavyweight, but in the middleweight he is enormous.
The enormous middleweight’s biggest weapon is his wrestling and I believe his size and grappling will be enough for him to hand Ring his first loss.
I expect we’ll see Boetsch bully and smother Ring for three rounds, earning himself a unanimous decision victory.
Ring does have solid jiu-jitsu skills, but I don’t see him catching Boetsch, who has only been submitted once, in anything.
Prediction: Tim Boetsch via Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three judges scorecards)
The UFC’s heavyweight division is one of the divisions weakest and so any fighter has the potential to become a prospect with a just a couple impressive wins.At UFC 135, Travis Browne has the potential to become a prospect, if he can defeat Rob Brought…
The UFC’s heavyweight division is one of the divisions weakest and so any fighter has the potential to become a prospect with a just a couple impressive wins.
At UFC 135, Travis Browne has the potential to become a prospect, if he can defeat Rob Broughton in spectacular fashion.
Broughton, even if he beats Browne, will likely have some more work to do before he can make any big waves in the heavyweight division. This is just his second fight in the UFC and the first time he’s fought in almost a year.
This match up will be featured on the main card, so both men should be extra motivated to win.
That said, only one man can walk out of UFC 135 the victor.
Who’s going to take it?
My money is on Travis Browne.
At this point in his career, Browne has faced tougher competition than Broughton and, arguably, deserved a more well-known opponent, considering that he’s coming off a knockout victory over Stefan Struve and a draw with Cheick Kongo.
Despite Browne weighing in four pounds lighter than Broughton, he should have the size advantage. Broughton is a chubby 261lbs and Browne isn’t exactly shredded at 255lbs, but he has a more solid build.
Browne has better striking and trains with Jackson’s Submission Fighting, so I expect him to come in with the better game plan.
Broughton does have a background in wrestling, but I don’t think his grappling skills are good enough to control Browne.
Travis Browne is heading into UFC 135 undefeated and he’ll leave the same way.
Thank goodness the MMA world has fighters like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. I enjoy the technical aspect of the sport as much as anyone. but every once in a while, it’s nice to see a fighter who can just scrap. Rampage is that dude, and he has the pers…
Thank goodness the MMA world has fighters like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. I enjoy the technical aspect of the sport as much as anyone. but every once in a while, it’s nice to see a fighter who can just scrap. Rampage is that dude, and he has the personality and charisma to match.
On September 24th, Rampage will bring that into the Octagon to face the sport’s best young star in Jon “Bones” Jones in a highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout. Here are five predictions for this clash.
When there is a fight as big as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, many forget that there are other fights on the card.There are a multitude of intriguing matchups at UFC 135, with the most interesting of all be…
When there is a fight as big as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, many forget that there are other fights on the card.
There are a multitude of intriguing matchups at UFC 135, with the most interesting of all being on the main card.
Nate Diaz versus Takanori Gomi
The pay-per-view broadcast starts with a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz, from Stockton, California, and Japan’s Takanori Gomi, the first and only Pride lightweight champion.
Both fighters are skilled in the striking department, but in different ways. Gomi has superior power, but Diaz has better combinations and throws far more punches.
In terms of grappling, Gomi has more credentials on paper, but his abilities have been proven to be extraordinarily overrated. He was once touted as one of the greatest lightweights of all-time, but his skills were no match for those of Kenny Florian and Clay Guida.
Diaz’s grappling isn’t the greatest either, but it’s still quite good. He shouldn’t have a problem submitting Gomi.
The prediction: Diaz via submission late in the first round.
Travis Browne versus Rob Broughton
This is one of the more intriguing matchups on the fight card because the two competitors are very evenly-matched competitors.
The fight seems like a classic striker-versus-grappler match. Browne has a primarily striking-based attack, and Broughton’s base is in wrestling (a Brit with a wrestling base!? Amazing!).
So how will the fight play out?
Broughton will almost definitely try to clinch Browne, and Browne will look to stay on the outside to exploit his height and reach advantage, which are both considerable. Broughton may keep it competitive in the beginning, but he may well struggle to get it to the ground against the powerful Browne.
Thus, look for Browne to earn a TKO victory after many failed takedown attempts from the Brit.
Ben Rothwell versus Mark Hunt
Ben Rothwell and Mark Hunt are two of the most overrated heavyweights of all-time.
Many thought Rothwell was a future heavyweight champ, but his record was full of wins over subpar fighters. When he fought good fighters, he folded.
Hunt was also talked up a lot after wins over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva (both in their primes) but was ultimately a letdown. He has the distinction of being the only below .500 fighter currently signed with the UFC, with a record of 6-7.
So who wins the battle of the stars that weren’t?
Rothwell was overrated, but he can at least strike and grapple, whereas Hunt’s grappling has always been deficient. Rothwell will initially try to trade with Hunt, get the worst of it, and then move to take the New Zealander down.
Rothwell will keep up the grinding attack for the remainder of the fight. He will win via decision or submission.
Matt Hughes versus Josh Koscheck
Former UFC welterweight champion Hughes is one of the all-time greats, but his time has long since passed.
Koscheck is younger, faster, stronger and better; Koscheck is basically Hughes, but better at everything Hughes is good at.
This fight won’t make it past the first round. Hughes will fail to take Koscheck down and proceed to get laid out by a right hand.
Jon “Bones” Jones versus Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
How will the main event go down? Likely with a whimper rather than a bang.
Rampage Jackson had trouble dealing with the reach of Forrest Griffin and the wrestling of Rashad Evans. How will he deal with a fighter like Jones, who has a bigger reach and better wrestling technique?
In addition, Jackson rarely diversifies his attack and prefers to just headhunt. If he does this against Jones, he’ll be taken down and beaten up.
The fight likely won’t be very competitive. Jones will pepper Jackson with jabs and unorthodox strikes from the outside to set-up an eventual takedown, and he’ll finish the fight any way he wants from there, although it may take him a few rounds to finally do it.
The time for talking is over, and it is finally time to see who the true heir to the light heavyweight throne is. Is it the legend or the future?The world will have its answer in the main event of UFC 135 when light heavyweight champion Jon Jones meets…
The time for talking is over, and it is finally time to see who the true heir to the light heavyweight throne is. Is it the legend or the future?
The world will have its answer in the main event of UFC 135 when light heavyweight champion Jon Jones meets former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
The story of Jones’ rise to superstardom is pretty well-known by now.
The 24-year-old phenom took the light heavyweight division by storm, dominating highly-touted stars in Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Ryan Bader, Brandon Vera, Matt Hamill and Vladimir Matyushenko. UFC 128 still stands out as Jones’ true arrival in the sport, as he decimated Shogun to become the new UFC champion.
There is a myriad of hype surrounding Jones. He could possibly be the most complete fighter this sport has ever seen. There are also a few question marks.
How good is his chin? Does he have the cardio to go the distance in a championship fight? How well does he handle adversity?
While many underestimate his chances, Rampage has the ability to answer some of these questions.
Coming off back to back wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill, Rampage has taken this challenge very seriously. All indications point to the former Pride superstar enduring one of the best training camps of his career.
For most fighters, this type of talk would be meaningless, but for Rampage, motivation and training have been serious problems in the past.
Apparently, all of that is behind him for this fight, as he’ll be forced to deal with one of the greatest young talents this sport has ever seen.
On the feet, Jones’ lanky frame gives him a nice reach advantage over any opponent in the 205-pound division. His standup is pinpoint and methodical, but the biggest hurdle opponents face in the cage with him is his awkward angles and unorthodox maneuvers.
Arguably the best pure boxer in the light heavyweight division, Rampage has the skill set to present Jones with some unique problems.
There are few fighters in any division with the devastating knockout power of Jackson. His ability to roll under and throw the hook has been practiced to perfection, and it has been proven lethal against a laundry list of world class names.
The deciding factor of this fight will probably be Jones’ ability to secure takedowns and maintain top position.
Jones may be the better wrestler, but people tend to forget that Rampage’s base for MMA is also wrestling. He has the core power and takedown defense to keep things interesting if Jones decides to change levels.
Fans should get a fun scrap, but Jones’ seemingly unending arsenal of skills makes him a very attractive pick. Rampage could provide a scary moment or two for the young champion right out of the gates, but Jones’ well-rounded blend of striking and wrestling will be too much.
In the end, the future will become the present as Jones picks up a second round TKO.
When there is a fight as big as UFC light heavyweight champion