MMA Access: The Future Has Arrived – Jonny “Bones” Jones
BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
12/14/2011
The Future Has Arrived – Jonny “Bones” Jones
By Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester
If Saturday’s UFC 140 was supposed to be a litmus test to determine whether Jon Jones would stay dominate at the Light-Heavyweight division, then he passed the test with flying colors. Jon Jones came into the bout with Lyoto Machida with a stigma that he could not take a punch; a stigma that Jones believes was made up by the media. That part of the riddle that is the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight Champion is what makes Jon Jones so good. And that riddle was solved this weekend and then some.
The first round started out looking like Lyoto Machida might pull off the upset. Machida came into the fight with his typical counter and close the distance style of fighting. With his blitzkrieg of striking straight up the middle, he was solving the distinctive daunting reach advantage that Jones has over his opponents. Several shots landed flush against the defending champion’s face. And for the first time it appeared that Jon Jones had lost a round decisively. However, surprisingly, only one judge scored the round 10-9 for Machida.
The second round started looking the same, but there was a different look of determination in Jon Jones eyes. A takedown and a couple of elbows by Jones changed the landscape of the bout. Now bleeding by Jones’ devastating elbows, Machida just never looked the same after that. Machida was able to make his way back to his feet but soon after, he uncharacteristically left his neck exposed against Jones in the clinch. Without hesitation, Jones flawlessly sunk Machida’s neck into a standing guillotine and choked the former UFC champion unconscious. If anything, this showed that Jones could overcome adversity and had the mettle of a true champion.
2011 has been great for Jon Jones. He started 2011 on February 5th with a victory over Ryan Bader that earned him an opportunity to step in for an injured Rashad Evans to take on the then current champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for title. Jones took the championship bout a month later, and would defeat the champion by TKO in round 3. Jones became the youngest UFC champion on March 19th.
Although a fight against former training partner Rashad Evans was lined up for UFC 133 in August, Jones was pulled from the fight because of a hand injury. His first title defense came on September 24, against former champion Quinton Jackson. The fight appeared mainly one-sided, with Jones using his length to keep away Jackson’s primarily heavy-handed boxing style at bay. Jones would eventually submit Jackson by rear naked choke in the 4th round.
Now, after defeating the likes of Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, and Lyoto Machida, Jones has defeated three former champions in one year. Not only that but he is the first UFC Light-Heavyweight champion to successfully defend the title at least twice since Chuck Liddell’s reign as champion ended on May 26, 2007.
After successfully defending his title twice, the MMA world is beginning to wonder who has the talent and the chance to actually dethrone the champion. Come January 28, 2012, UFC on Fox 2 has a pivotal match-up between former champion Rashad Evans and Phil Davis that will decide a contender for Jon Jones’ next title defense. But these two aren’t the only ones who are rumored to have a chance to fight the champion. Dan Henderson, who just came off an exhausting and tough decision victory against Mauricio Rua, is currently campaigning to test Jones’ chin with his fists. The former and last Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight champion hopes to put his patented right-hand on Jon Jones soon but UFC President Dana White is unsure who will fight Jones’ next; simply saying, “We’ll see what happens.”
And it’s probably the best answer at the moment. After such a long and successful year for Jon Jones, Dana White has awarded him the vacation he deserves. At the UFC 140 post fight press conference, Jones said he would like to take a four or five month vacation. Dana White later admitted that he would honor the vacation that Jones would want.
But that’s not the only reason to be skeptical on giving a direct answer on who will face the Light-Heavyweight champion. Everything about the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight division is about timing. UFC On Fox 2 is little over a month away, and it is no telling if the victor of the bout will walk away unscathed. If a medical suspension is given, or someone is injured from that fight, a fight against Jon Jones may seem like a pipe dream. Dana White has confirmed on numerous occasions that the Evans vs. Davis bout is a title eliminator match-up. But injuries have afflicted contenders before. So that’s where Henderson comes in. If someone is injured from the Evans/Davis match-up, Henderson should be healthy enough by then to take the fight.
There is a fight to be made for Jon Jones, but only time will tell who his opponent will officially be. Even if a fight for Jones is made, it will likely not be scheduled until the end of first quarter or possibly the beginning of the second quarter of 2012. Despite scheduling conflicts, this last question still remains. Is there anyone in the Light-Heavyweight division who can stop Jon Jones?
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
