Lyoto Machida proved to be an excellent opponent for Jon Jones at UFC 140. He fought very intelligently by moving constantly, feinting and being elusive. Although Lyoto didn’t win the match he showed us some kinks in Jones armor that future Light Heavyweight title contenders can take advantage of before he fixes them, I’m talking to you Dan Henderson and to you Rashad Evans.
As Jones is excellent in all categories you need to beat him mentally before you can beat him physically. I believe this is something Machida understood and that is why he was able to put on a show for us on Saturday. Machida had Jones confused and hesitating, and the below is a partial formula on how he did it:
1.) Fight Southpaw: Jones mentioned in the post-fight press conference that he had never fought a southpaw before and how that added to the difficulty in fighting Lyoto Machida. If you are right-handed then it would make sense to learn to fight southpaw so that you can switch up your stance on the fly as to keep Jones guessing and hesitating.
2.) Blitz and Pressure: Machida did what Joe Rogan called the “karate blitz” multiple times during the UFC 140 main event match against Jon Jones. Machida stormed Jones with quick flurries that made him retreat and press his back against the cage. Jones has the habit of backing away in a relatively straight line and prefers to cover up instead of counter punch if the punches are coming in quick combinations with aggressive forward movement.
Jones extends his hand out as to keep his opponent from coming in too close while retreating and leaves his body open. Machida landed multiple body kicks to Jones, this is a great way to attack if you can’t close the distance while blitzing as Jones hands will be high. Jones is usually good about moving to the left or right when his back is to the cage. If he has his arm extended then use overhand strikes to the opposite side of his extended arm to catch him as he move away. Jones is great at attacking but his defense can use a lot of improvement, so make sure that you are the one putting on the pressure.
3.) Stuff/Reverse Takedowns: This is a great way to demoralize Jon Jones as he scores so many points with takedowns and with the nasty elbows followed up after takedowns. Jones is dangerous standing up but is downright deadly on the floor. By stuffing or reversing takedowns you would be taking away a huge part of Jones game. Jones said his confidence skyrocketed after he scored the takedown and opened up Machida with an elbow. In order to beat Jon Jones, you need to beat him mentally; you need to take away his confidence.
