Jones vs. Teixeira: Nasty Newark Battle for Gold

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New Jersey is going to be a busy venue come Super Bowl weekend 2014. Beyond hosting the 49th annual NFL championship match, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be defending his title against number one contender, Glover Teixeira. This goes down the night before the big game in Newark, NJ and the part that is most saddening – Tony Soprano won’t be around to make an insane pile of green off of anything.

Imagine if the mob boss was around though, he could scrounge up Paulie and Christopher’s guys to make sure that points were as best they were and might even be able to whisper in someone’s ear to “take a fall – do the right thing.” I doubt that Bones or  Glover would agree to diving in this fight but Tony had a way of getting what he wanted. Ultimately, Phil Leotardo would interfere, cause problems and be late to the fight because of issues at the pump.

Fast forward to the cage being locked, gloves touched, Herb Dean gives the green light – what happens next? Jones will look for his range and stay on the outside of Teixeira, coming in straight or cocky will get him clipped and with the power that the Brazillian has, it probably is not wise for Jones to go into this one ill prepared. Utilizing his 8.5” reach advantage, he will be wise to stay outside, leg kicks to take away punching power and moving in with jabs and hooks until he has softened him up enough to get close, or secure a takedown. Engaging in a standup war will not serve him well and could see that waist bling leave for real this time.

On the ground, it will be interesting to see who can secure something in first. Beyond the longer limbs of Jones, they both hold submission wins via guillotine and RNC. Who comes out ahead? Whoever has the better control and stamina, this could be a stalemate since Texieira has the BJJ black belt and submission tournaments on his side, Jones has always proven to be surprising and continues to improve every outing.

If this fight does not end early, we could see another epic battle similar to UFC 165 and since this will be the first five round UFC event for Teixeira, how does he fare? Nobody has seen him in any real danger; Jones had a lot of his game and overall presence exposed in his recent win over Alexander Gustafsson and will be coming in stronger, determined and ready to leave the Garden State as king. John Hackleman will have his homework halfway done if he can process everything that the Swede did correctly and capitalize on them with the challenger.

Looking at the coaching staff for Jones, it would appear that Jackson’s MMA needs to re-vamp their approach to getting the poster boy as perfect as they can. Nearly losing to a Vitor Belfort armbar in 2012, Jones said his camp did not have him drilling BJJ as much as they should. In the Gustaffson fight they looked to lose in some opinions and need to make those changes immediately before this bout is agreed upon. Whereas UFC 165 was Jones’ “toughest fight” in his own words, his biggest challenger will be Teixeira who has the experience, skill, composure, and power to dethrone him and bring the belt back to The Pit.

February will be here before we know it, and everyone should be paying very close attention to this fight. Jones winning will be a true testament to his natural skill and drive. A new champion will bring fresh life and vitality to a light heavyweight division that is becoming a very exciting landscape once again.