In some ways, it could be argued that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was the Jon "Bones" Jones of his day. After all, in 2005, Rua, possessing raw athleticism, great muay thai and overall toughness, came from virtual MMA obscurity to defeat 4 top Light Heavyweights (including current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem and former UFC 205 lb. kingpin Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) and secure the Pride Grand Prix that year. At just 23 years old, great things were expected from him, and more often than not people were comparing him to another high octane, athletic tough brawler (his former teammate and friend Wanderlei Silva).
6 years and a few knee operations later, Shogun finds himself at the top of the 205 lb. landscape...and a blue chip prospect in his cross heirs. Jon Jones has gone from virtual MMA obscurity (remember he took up the sport just 3 years ago, and Rua won the Grand Prix while Jones was still in High School) to rack up an 12-1 record and secure a title shot against the champion Saturday night. At just 23 years old, great things are expected of Jones, as the UFC is no doubt banking on Jones' Lebron-esque qualities to secure sanctioning in the state of New York.
Many, many people have debated over who'll win this fight. Oddsmakers have Jones as a 2 to 1 favourite, though despite what he's said in interviews He's maintained a low key profile. Rua has taken the high road and says he's "motivated" at the thought of being the underdog, and neither his knee or ring rust will be a factor. So torn people are about this fight that "Showdown" Joe Ferraro of SportsNet resorted to a coin flip to register his prediction.
I won't be that much of a wuss. Look, the fact is that while Shogun doesn't possess the athleticism or youth that he once did (or that Jones possesses) the truth is that his "game" experience will come into play. Jones has gone through his opponents with little to no opposition, but that list includes 2 overrated gatekeepers (Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar) and a Wendel Clark lookalike (Vladimir Matyushenko). Ryan Bader was the credible opponent he took on, and he went through that with little difficulty. Jones has never been tested, which I'm sure Shogun will no doubt do. It will be an exciting, entertaining affair, and it will leave the fans what they want. But i see it going a little more like the first Matt Hughes-Georges St. Pierre encounter. Consider it a learning experience for Mr. Jones
The Pick : Shogun by (close) unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, a #1 contender slot as well as a possible coaching gig on the next season of "TUF" opposite bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz are on the line as former WEC standouts Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber (who was the face of the sister promotion) make their UFC debuts. While Wineland is game and would no doubt like to face off against Cruz, I expect the "California Kid"'s athletic ability and wrestling to be the difference in this fight, and I expect a Cruz/Faber title fight later in the year.
The Pick : Faber by submission.
On the main card, Jim Miller fresh off derailing the hype machine behind BJJ prospect Charles Oliveria in his last fight, takes on tough as nails lightweight and WEC graduate Kamal Shalrous, who's coming off a victory in his last fight against Bart Palaszewski last December. Miller's only 2 losses come against really good wrestlers (Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar), and while I think he may get a submission attempt or 2 on the Iranian, the man I call "Baby Fedor" will ultimately walk away with the victory.
The Pick : Shalrous by decision.
The second fight from the bottom features Nate Marquardt taking on Jim Miller's brother, Dan who's replacing Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama due to the current situation in Akiyama's home country. Miller hasn't been left with much time to prepare, but I do expect him full well to give the Greg Jackson product Marquardt all he can handle, only to fall short.
The pick : Marquardt by decision.
I was going to pick the Brandon Schaub - Cro Cop fight, but hasn't Cro Cop suffered enough?
-In other news, It appears Bobby Lashley has now signed on to fight John Ott for Titan Fighting Championships next week Friday, who's replacing James Jack (who's apparently gone MIA). You see people, this is why promotions like the UFC rarely work. If Dana White had Brock Lesnar main eventing a fight and he went MIA, Dana would cut him from the organization. Wait a minute, he's fighting Junior Dos Santos in June. It might not be too late.....
-Nate Marquardt told MMAJunkie earlier this morning that British fighter Michael Bisping is an "ass" and a "total punk (with) no respect. I don't like those people." He went onto say that the spitting incident between him and Jorge Rivera's corner was "disrespectful. That's not what a martial artist does and not what a sportsman does."
I said in my re-hash following that fight Bisping was another win away from calling for a title shot (even though I acknowledged like most, he'd get outclassed by Anderson Silva). Although I don't think of Marquardt as much of a contender, would it be too quick to assume that he'll get the next crack at the Brit?
Questions? comments? get back to me mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
until next time, fight fans!
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