Even though UFC 135 did not have any surprise upsets in the main card matches, it did not disappoint. Although it momentarily quenched our MMA hungry appetite, it made us yearn to bear witness to the future Jones vs Evans match up that we’ve been promised. Let’s feed our anticipation even more by analyzing 3 things we learned from the Jones vs Rampage fight and the Post-Fight Press Conference:
3.) Jon Jones Isn’t Afraid to Pull Guard
“Bones” has probably pulled guard in at least 2 fights prior to UFC 135, but pulling guard against a powerful slammer and devastating ground and pounder in Rampage means that he is VERY confident in his ground game. Now that Jones has racked up 4 submission wins, I have a feeling his camp is going to improve his BJJ game and make him even more of an all around fighter.
2.) Jones’ Stand Up Defense Needs Improvement
Jones is said to be “the future of MMA” by fighters, fans and commentators. One of the reasons why he’s proclaimed to be the future of MMA is the speed in which he has evolved as a fighter. In order for a fighter to evolve he needs to be constantly improving whatever weaknesses he has. In the post-fight press conference Jones admitted to “running away like a little girl” when evading Rampages’ dangerous swings. He admitted that his defensive techniques needs improvement and this goes to show that Jones isn’t all that cocky and isn’t afraid to admit his weaknesses.
1.) Rashad Does Not Have Jones’ Number
In the post-fight press conference Jones mentioned that Rashad sparred against him only a few times. Seeing how that was a while back and that Rashad is now at another training camp, neither fighter has each other’s number. But considering that Rashad isn’t in a training camp with a high winning percent that Jacksons Submission Training (Rashads’ old training camp and Jones current one) has, and bearing in mind that Rashad has only fought once this year compared to Jones 3, I would say that ones already has the slight advantage.
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