What does all of this mean and why should I care?
If you are an MMA fan this is your dream. UFC now controls probably around 90% if not more of the best talent around the world. Not only will we (the fans) be given more “must see” fights but there will be more fights in general. With such a large roster bolstering a plethora of talent, there will definitely be an increase in the number of shows and events. Every year UFC pushes to get mixed martial arts legalized in more states and thus far they have been marginally successful to an extent. The more states that legalize the sport, the more shows they can have in various places, the more fans get to see live events, the more overall exposure the sport gets. On paper, it’s a win-win for everyone. Dana White has already expressed interest in having two pay-per-view events per month or having two televised events on the same night in different locations. White has also said that he envisions a UFC channel in the near future. UFC is currently under contract with SpikeTv but in my opinion the company has outgrown the channel and I have a feeling Dana White feels the same way. It appears the foundation is set for UFC and Mixed Martial Arts to take off to the level not only nationally, but internationally as well. For those reading this in excitement, just as I was when I first read about the Strikeforce-UFC merger, I’d recommend you hold your excitement for a while. Even though Zuffa now has the rights to Strikeforce, Dana White has publically said that Strikeforce will act as a separate company for now. Showtime currently has a multi-year deal with Strikeforce and White said they will honor that deal. It appears White doesn’t see any reason to rush the merger so he is taking the patient route. For now, just imagine the WWE after if purchased ECW but acted like ECW was still its own company and brand. Just like that experiment ended with a merger, UFC and Strikeforce will ultimately merge rosters and produce any MMA fans dream product.
Okay, so you got me excited about something that isn’t going to happen for a while. What was the other thing you wanted to say?
Glad you asked. Now that we have the business side of this out the way, time to focus on the actual action. Saturday night, UFC hosted UFC 128. The main event featured a seasoned veteran Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and the very young and electrifying Jon “Bones” Jones. Rua came into the bout as the Light Heavyweight Champion and had yet to defend his title. His most recent win was very impressive as he completely dismantled Lyoto Machida’s defense and KO’d him in the first round. Jon Jones put together a remarkable resume, with a 12-1 record (side note, only two of his fights have ended in decision) in just his first three years of action. He has signature wins over Stephan Bonner, Brandon Vera, and Ryan Badar. His one loss was to Matt Hamil and it was a fluke disqualification for an illegal elbow. After Rua’s total domination over Machida many questioned if Jones would be able to handle the savvy veteran, even with Jones superior athleticism. Well to keep this short Jones put every question that anyone had to rest. The only question left was who is next? The fight was a colossal beat down. In the past, Jones has displayed his incredible ground game and ability to control a fight but I doubt many people expected the all-around domination that occurred on Saturday. Surprisingly Shogun looked like an amateur in this fight. He fought like he knew he lost before Bruce Buffer did his long-winded introductions. Jon Jones beat Rua up for two rounds and some change before finally putting him out his misery and knocking him out. The final hit count was 13 for Rua and 87 for Jones. There are no stats or scorecards that can show how ugly and dominant this fight was. It is truly something you must see with your own eyes.
If you’r
e reading this and feel this is a totally biased article from a Jon Jones band wagon rider, well your partially right. I assume if you feel that way you probably didn’t watch the fight because as much as I’m hyping Bones Jones, he was really that dominant. And yes, I am officially riding the Jon Jones band wagon, as should anyone that saw that fight. As for Rua, I truly thought he would be the Light Heavyweight Champion for awhile. Maybe even a year. In his first bout against Machida he got robbed by the judges and in the rematch he didn’t give the judges a chance to play a role in the fight. At the time I would have argued Machida had one of the best strike defenses in the UFC and definitely in his weight class. After witnessing Shogun dominate Machida, I saw a potential long-term champion in Rua. In fact, if he had defended his title against Rashad Evans or Rampage Jackson like he was initially supposed to, I think Shogun would still be the champion. Unfortunately, he ran into something he was not prepared for in Bones Jones and if there were a rematch this could potentially go differently but after that beat down I don’t see a rematch anytime soon. For those who still aren’t sold on Jon Jones I want you to remember a few numbers…He is 6’4 with an 84.5” reach (the longest in MMA history). He currently has a 13-1 record and is just 23 years old. The sky is the limit for this guy.
Image above provided by Getty Images
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