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Friday, Aug 17, 2012

Full Contact Fighter’s “The Daily Takedown:” Will Jon Jones Be Fighting When He’s 42 Yrs Old? Rousey vs. Kaufman Predictions

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones

By Joshua Molina

Does it seem like UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones is becoming more unlikable every day?

Although his DUI arrest and conviction is not the worst offense in the world committed by a professional athlete, his attitude in recent days sounds a lot more aloof than the Jones from a year ago.

First he says this about MMA great Dan Henderson:

“He doesn’t offer problems, but challenges to rise up to and it’ll be exciting,” Jones told Yahoo! “He’s got strong wrestling and a good overhand right, but nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Pretty certain that Henderson will be the hardest puncher Jones has faced and that could be a problem for Jones.

He also said: “I’m very confident I can be the first guy to KO him. . .  It’s no secret that Dan Henderson’s a little bit of a one-trick pony.”

What noble talk about a guy 17 years older than him. Jones should try saying something like this: “Henderson is a legend and I am honored to step inside the cage with him. He’s knocked some of the sports greats. He’s a tough fighter, but I have the all-around skills that it takes to beat him.”

Jones should defeat Henderson because he’s younger, quicker and more athletic at this stage of their careers. Jones is 25 years old. Henderson will be 42 when he walks into the cage against Jones.

Who thinks Jon Jones will be fighting when he’s 42 years old?

That Nike deal doesn’t help Jones cause. A lot of other MMA fighters are probably envious. Or not.

“Look, Nike has a history of signing dorks, and it looks like it just got one more,” UFC fighter Chael Sonnen said recently. (Jones Nike contract, according to some media reports, is worth about $20,000 annually).

Then Jones starts sounding off on Sonnen, days before his fight with Henderson.

“The things you say about me hold absolutely no weight,” Jones tweeted. “You disrespected Anderson (Silva) and his country but fought like a child. If you’re going to disrespect me out of nowhere, at least disrespect me to my face like a man. And you call me a punk, I’m more man than you’ll ever be.”

Everybody knows that when Sonnen talks, he’s in character, trying to sell fights. It’s funny. The way Jones has been talking lately, he sounds like a bully.

Strikeforce Saturday night

The world will finally get to see Ronda Rousey, the celebrity, step into the cage Saturday night. The last time she fought against Miesha Tate, she was simply Ronda Rousey, the trash-talking former Olympian who tapped out four opponents by armbar.

Now, she’s a legitimate crossover mainstream star. Will it last?

Here are the keys to the fight for both fighters:

For Kaufman to win she needs to keep the fight standing up and tire Rousey out. If she gets Rousey into the third round, she will knock her out or win by a decision. Kaufman must be willing to stand, jab, kick and punch for the first two rounds. She can’t listen to fans booing live who want more action. She needs to have the mental discipline to wait – and be patient and use her cage experience to her advantage. She can’t make the same mistake as Tate.

For Rousey to win, she must rush Kaufman earlier and take her down. If she gets Kaufman on the ground, she can certainly tap her out. Kaufman’s only loss came to Marloes Coenen – by armbar. It can happen again. In fact, Rousey, if she takes her down early, could probably tap Kaufman out within the first minute, a result that would further fuel her incredible rise.

Contact reporter Joshua Molina at jmolina@fcfighter.com. Or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JoshuaMolinaMMA

posted by FCF Staff @ 3:00 pm
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