One Man’s View: A Real Threat to ‘Bones’

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Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had but a few fleeting moments to bask in the glory of his dominant victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 on Saturday in Denver. Then, Rashad Evans stepped into the cage.

For the UFC, it was all about getting the hype train rolling for Jones’ next title defense against his former Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts teammate. It was not a difficult task. Few fighters ooze disdain for each other the way Jones and Evans do.

“I’m sure he’s got a lot to say,” Jones said. “He’s gonna be doing a lot of talking. He’s ruined my special night twice now.”

Ruining Jones’ night for a third time would certainly be the charm for Evans, because it would likely mean that the former Michigan State University Spartan would have the 205-pound belt for the first time since he lost it to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.

Jones’ constantly evolving skills make it reasonable to envision a lengthy championship reign, but it is worth noting that one title defense has been as good as it gets at light heavyweight since 2007. Machida was the last champion to be tagged with the “unbeatable” label, but, after winning the belt, he looked mortal in his two subsequent bouts against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Whether the competition can catch up to Jones as quickly as it seemed to with Machida is debatable. What is clear is that Evans -- physically and mentally -- will be a more dangerous foe than was Jackson.

Jackson may very well have been in the best shape of his life at UFC 135, but it does not change the fact that his skills have stagnated over time. While Jones displayed a versatile arsenal that included elbows and kicks from all angles, takedowns and submission attempts, Jackson was reduced to the role of a one-dimensional slugger. Several times in their bout, Jackson swung from his heels, hoping to cash in on the proverbial puncher’s chance that even an overmatched underdog has in his fists. Though Rampage connected on more strikes than any Jones opponent since Stephan Bonnar, none of the really serious haymakers landed. After a little more than 16 minutes with Jackson, “Bones” still looked fresh and ready to go another five rounds if needed.

Evans possesses one key ingredient that Jackson was sorely lacking: speed. Jones, as usual, will be the taller and stronger fighter in the matchup, but Evans has the ability to string together the rapid-fire punching combinations Jackson could not. Moreover, while Jackson usually allows his underrated wrestling skills to remain dormant, Evans is not afraid to put his Div. I pedigree to use. Jones has already throttled many a decorated wrestler -- Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko and Ryan Bader immediately come to mind -- but none of those adversaries was able to complement their backgrounds with the quickness and movement that Evans can demonstrate.

Training out of his Florida-based camp at Imperial Athletics, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 winner looked rejuvenated against Tito Ortiz. While Ortiz may be on the downside of an iconic career, few recent opponents have dominated the former 205-pound champion like Evans did in scoring a second-round technical knockout at UFC 133.

Do not discount the familiarity factor, either. By the time Jones and Evans meet sometime in 2012, both will have likely changed quite a bit from when they sparred together in Albuquerque, N.M. Still, Evans claims he has seen enough of the 24-year-old to believe he has his number. Familiarity has bred contempt between the two, but it also allowed Evans to see Jones’ unpredictable creativity on a day-to-day basis. It is an advantage that no other Jones opponent has carried into the cage.

Perhaps more significant than Evans’ skill set is his ability to play the mental game. Rampage did his best to fluster Jones in that area, but his Octagon embrace with the champion after their fight suggests that much of his bluster was in the interest of selling the drama. Nobody took Jackson’s spying accusations seriously, and why would they? The former Pride Fighting Championships veteran does not have many secrets at this point in his career. As for calling out Jones for being fake, well, let’s just say that Jackson is good at jumping on the bandwagon of a sentiment already expressed by Evans, as well as a legion of hardcore fans.

As was evidenced by the wry smile on his face as he was greeted by a cascade of boos at the Pepsi Center, Evans has grown comfortable in his bad-guy skin. Negative public perception has swirled around Evans since his days on “The Ultimate Fighter.” After being publicly called out by Matt Hughes on the reality show, many fans were turned off by his antics in back-to-back victories over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. It did not help that Liddell and Griffin were at the peaks of their popularity at the time. It appears now Evans has made peace with the fact that he cannot always make everyone happy.

Jones, while far from a heel in the traditional sense, seems to be acutely aware when his approval rating takes even the slightest hit. A pending showdown with Evans will bring all the bitter feelings from the former champion’s split with Jackson’s MMA to the national spotlight once again. Greg Jackson’s tightly-knit team in New Mexico often refers to itself as family. For years, Evans was a part of that family, and when he speaks poorly of Jones, it carries more weight than when someone like Rampage simply claims he dislikes the champion.

Understandably, Jones sidestepped most of the Evans talk as he prepared for UFC 135. Dredging up bitter feelings was not going to help him deal with the task at hand, which was beating Jackson. Now that Evans is the task at hand, Jones will have to rise above the mudslinging that could eventually ensue. At UFC 135, Evans’ post-fight comments regarding the matchup with Jones were relatively bland.

“I thought Jon Jones looked impressive,” he said.

At the moment, there was not much else he could say. If things do get ugly between the two men again, Jones cannot let it affect his mental state. Inside the cage, Evans will be enough of an obstacle.