"Bones" the next big name in MMA

Jon "Bones" Jones, UFC future?

At UFC Fight Night on August 1st, Jon Jones is scheduled to fight Vladimir Matyushenko, in what should be an entertaining fight to say the least. But this blog's focus will not be on the fight itself, but rather, the future MMA superstar, Jon Jones.
Making his UFC debut only 2 years ago, on Aug. 9, 2008, beating Andre Gusmao, by unanimous decision. In his 2nd fight in the UFC, match maker Joe Silva, pitted Jones against Stephan Bonnar, in a fight that became an instant classic, and again Jones prevailed the winner, with another Unanimous decision. Then, at the most historic UFC ppv to date, UFC 100, Jones scored a 2nd round submission win over Jake O'Brien. Jones went on to fight Matt "the hammer" Hamill in his 3rd fight at the ultimate fighter season 10 finale. Jones was dominating Hamill, when he unfortunately landed an illegal elbow, and was disqualified, earning him his one and only career loss. I think it is saft to assume however that had it not been for the illegal elbow, Jones was on his way to another great victory. Jon Jones' last fight in the UFC was against veteran Brandon Vera, where Jones rebounded with 1st rd TKO victory, due to elbows and punches. So there is no denying Jones has been tested, and passed each with flying colors.
At the next UFC fight night, on August 1st, Jones takes on Vladimir Matyushenko, in an attempt to move one step closer to that prestigious UFC light heavyweight title, a title i believe Jones will be wearing by this time next year.
Jon Jones is blessed with the longest reach in the UFC, spanding at 84.5 inches, topping that of even 6 ft 11 Stefan Struve. Aside from his freakishly long reach advantage over all oponents, Jones has a great wrestling pedigree behind him for he was a 2005 state wrestling champion as a senior in High School, and a Junior wrestling champion in College. Despite his wrestling background however, Jones has been dominant on his feet as well, showing some of the most unorthodox strikes in all of MMA, using spinnig elbows, kicks, and back fists, mixed with amazing footwork that produces some angles never seen used in the UFC. Jones' fight with Bonnar displayed some of the best standup we have seen in MMA, and Jones was able to hurt Bonnar multiple times, with multiple techniques. Then went on to out wrestle the wrestler in Matt Hamill, before dropping that fight to a DQ. Regardless of the result, there is no overlooking how dominant Jones was in the wrestling department. He showed that same wrestling dominance against Vera, dismantling Vera in the first round on the ground.
The 6 ft 4 inch fighter from New York, seems promising, especially considering that he is only 23 years of age! To think that such a dominant fighter, with such an extraordinary pedigree, would be such a young age, is intimidating, meaning this guy has lots of years ahead of him, and will further improve! Wow!
If his wins over some of the best fighters is not enough evidence of a bright future, and the fact that he has the longest reach in UFC and knows how to use it isn't enough, or his great wrestling background is not enough, tune in August 1st, to watch him dismantle Matyushenko, and you will see for yourself, this guy is the real deal. I can say in complete confidence, that this will be Jones' last fight on a Fight Night card, for he is going on to fight on the main card of PPVs after this. Jones will fight his way into contention, and in time, capture that UFC light heavyweight title. Mark my words here, Jones is one of the brightest stars right now, and he will be shining in no time!

UFC 117

UFC 117

On August 7th, we are going to witness an exciting event, full of fights that should be extremely exciting. Possibly the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, headlines UFC 117 with a title defense against #1 contender, Chael Sonnen. The co-main event is a rematch between John Fitch and Thiago Alvez, and the winner of that fight will likely get a title shot against George St. Pierre. The card also features the legendary Matt Hughes, going up against one of the top guys in the division, Ricardo Almeida. If that's not enough for ya, Ultimate Fighter winner, Roy "big country" Nelson, squares off against the dangerous up and coming heavyweight, Jr. Dos Santos. And fan favorite, Clay Guida will go to war with the always exciting Rafael Dos Anjos. without doubt this will be one of the most exciting cards of the year. In this article, I'm going to do my best to break some of these fights down for you, and predict a winner.

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen-
This should be a bit more action packed than some of Silva's recent fights, because without doubt, Sonnen will be applying all types of pressure here. He has openly stated he guarentees a win, and will retire Silva. He is confident that he will be able to take Anderson down, and "pound a hole in his head". However, I'm reluctant to agree. I believe Anderson will be peppering Sonnen with punches and will get him off balance, pounce and finish this fight. Anderson's speed and footwork are going to prove too much for Sonnen, and I'm expecting a 2nd round TKO.

Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alvez-
A real battle of styles here, when Fitch's amazing wrestling is pitted against Alvez's outstanding standup. These 2 have met once before at UFC Fight Night 5, and with up kicks and punches, Fitch scored a 2nd round TKO victory. Fitch seems to think it's going to happen again, and is looking forward to a title shot afterward. I'm going to have to say he's right. His wrestling will prove to be too much for Alvez, and he will beat the pitbull again. I expect this to go to the judges though, as Fitch will grind through Alvez and win by decision. Don't be fooled, Alvez can end this by KO at any point, but given Fitch's nearly unstoppable takedown skills, and his good chin, I'm not worried about that happening.

Matt Hughes vs Ricardo Almeida
The hall of fame status Matt Hughes goes against "the big dog" in what will be a real chess match. Almeida has a chance of catching Hughes in a submission in this fight, but most likely, Hughes will prove to be too much. In Hughes' last fight against Renzo Gracie, Hughes showed great boxing, and was able to avoid going to the ground against the jiu-jitsu wizard. I expect Hughes will do the same here, and win by decision. If Matt decides to take this fight to the ground, he should be strong enough to control Almeida and stay out of trouble.

Roy Nelson vs Jr. Dos Santos
Big Country, winner of the Ultimate Fighter heavyweights, is going up against one of the best up and coming heavyweights in the decision. This fight will produce fireworks for sure. Nelson's experience gives him what you would think would be an edge here, but I'm going to put my money on JDS here. Junior has been on a tear since his October 2008 debut at UFC 90, polishing off top heavyweight contender, Fabricio Werdum. He has since went on to fight some of the toughest guys in the division, winning all but 1 of his UFC fights in the first round. Dos Santos has put away Stevan Stuve, Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Cro-Cop, and Gilbert Yvel, with Cro-Cop being the only one escaping the first round, in a fight he tapped out due to punches in the 3rd round. Dos Santos, at 6 ft. 4, is an incredibly strong striker, and will be able to end this fight by TKO. You can't count Big Country out, but it's fair to say he will be biting off more than he can chew in this fight, for he is fighting a big, strong, striker, who will likely land a big punch in the first round, drop Nelson, and TKO him. Very fun fight to watch though.

So there you have it. UFC 117. Don't let the lack of huge names dissapoint you, because this event, aside from having Anderson Silva, and Matt Hughes, showcases your Ultimate Fighter winner, and some of the best fighter's up and coming, like Dos Anjos, and Dos Santos, as well as Almeida and Struve. And don't forget the always exciting Clay "the carpenter" Guida, who never dissapoints. Not to mention 2 top fighters lookin for a title fight in Jon Fitch vs Thiag Alvez. Top to bottom, this event has the potential to blow the roof off the building on August 7th. This is one your not going to want to miss, I can promise you that!

Jake Shields makes UFC debut

Jake Shields Makes UFC Debut

Finally, Jake Shields is set to fight in the UFC! His stardom and winning record has pointed toward an oppurtunity to fight in the UFC for quite some time now, and it has been announced recently, that it is official, he is finally making his ultimate fighting championship debut against Martin Kampman, at UFC 121. But the question is, how will Shields fair out in the proving grounds that is the UFC?
In the last 5 years, Jake Shields has not tasted defeat, winning 14 straight fights, winning the Strikeforce welterweight championship along the way. He is also the last Rumble on the Rock champion, and trains with Ceasar Gracie's "scrap pack" wich includes fighters, Nick and Nate Diaz, Dave Terrell, and Gilbert Melendez. So it's fair to say that the 31 year old from Mountain Ranch California has the background. And in his 30 fight career, he has only lost 4 fights.
So given that kind of background and record, Shields should be an automatic star in the UFC right? Not so much. when you take a closer look at that record, you will find a one dimensional fighter with more decision wins than anything. Nearly half of his fights went the distance, where he just wrestled his opponent around for the length of the fight, and did minimum damage.
Sure, he has wins over some top fighters, such as Dan Henderson, Carlos Conditt, Robbie Lawler, and Dave Menne. However, he has yet to show an impressive standup game, taking all his opponents down and smothering them, usually winning by decision. Shields lacks the power in his hands to stand with opponents, and is too predictable to be a force in the UFC.
Now don't get me wrong, Jake Shields is a great fighter, but he is only great at one thing, and that is wrestling, and being a pure wrestler in the UFC does not cut it, unless your Brock Lesnar. The level of competition in the UFC welterweight division is just a little bit out of Shields' league. With the belt holder being George St. Pierre, owner of the best takedown defense in MMA, you need more than pure wrestling. And top contenders such as Thiago Alvez, Josh Koscheck, and John Fitch, are too well rounded for Shields. Koscheck is equally as good at wrestling as Shields, but has better hands, giving him the advantage against Shields. Fitch, would likely get Shields down before Shields could get him down, and would punish Shields. And Alvez, well ask Matt Hughes what happens if wrestling is all you bring into a fight against Alvez.
I like alot of the MMA fan community, am a Jake Shields fan. I just don't see how he can compete at the highest level. His debut fight against Kampman is a good fight to see where he stands, because Kampman is a well rounded fighter, with power in his hands, and submission skills. Shields will have to win, and win convincingly, to prove he belongs at all. Kampman, without doubt has the KO power to beat Shields though, so a classic Jake Shields fight is likely here, Jake Shields gets the takedowns and wins by decision. He will have to do so however, without getting clipped by kampman, and without getting caught in a submission by Kampman.
I'm looking forward to this fight, and am leaning toward Shields, but it could go either way. The thing is though, after this fight, what is Shields to do? The top welterweights in the division are too much for him, so a title shot is unlikely. Expect to see Jake Shields lose his 2nd fight, and finish his career fighting at UFC Fight Night Live events.