Rampage Jackson Vs Bones Jones: AN UNWISE DECISION
By Siri Karri
Recently, light-heavyweight phenom and champion Jon “Bones” Jones all but guaranteed that his next title defense would not be against “Sugar” Rashad Evans, his former teammate with whom he has had a largely publicized feud. No, his opponent would be none other than Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, certified MMA legend and fearsome knockout artist. It’s a mixed reaction; some would like to see Jones and Evans settle their feud while others are happy to see Rampage fighting for the title again.
I love Rampage to death. He is charismatic, funny, and above all he always comes to fight. So I’m happy Rampage got his shot at the title.
But it’s a horrible idea.
The ascent of Jon Jones is reminiscent of the rise of Mike Tyson; he was unstoppable. Many dominant fighters such as Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva had learning curves before winning the title; St. Pierre suffered a submission loss to Matt Hughes and Silva had a couple defeats from Pride. Jon Jones has technically won every single MMA match; his sole loss came when he was disqualified for using 12-6 elbows which was unfortunate as he had utterly dominated Matt Hamill up until that point. He then literally broke Brandon Vera’s face in 3 places, TKO’d Vladimir Matyushenko, choked out Ryan Bader, and absolutely decimated fan-favorite Shogun Rua for the belt.
Part of it is due to Jones’s absurd physique; he is 6’ 4” with an 87 inch reach. Moreover, unlike many tall fighters such as Stefan Struve or ex. champ Tim Sylvia, Jones is a natural athlete. Many tall fighters lack agility and grace, their hand speed and footwork sacrificed in favor of reach and size. Jones meanwhile moves like a ninja, reaping all the benefits of his long gangly limbs without any of the drawbacks.
Rampage, on the other hand, seems to be in the decline of his career. His last three fights have consisted of lackluster decisions against Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, and Matt Hamill. He went 2-1 in those fights, getting utterly outwrestled by Evans while stalking and picking apart Machida and Hamill. Certainly not fan friendly, but showing his growth as a tactical and patient fighter. Still, it seems as though the knockout power has left his hands as he landed powerful punches on both Machida and Hamill without so much as staggering them.
The most telling sign, however, is that Rampage has stated he wants to retire at 35. While this is perfectly reasonable, there are only three reasons a fighter retires.
1) He is too injured and must do so for his own safety
2) He has accomplished all he can in the sport
3) He has lost the drive to fight
Rampage is a superb athlete, and he has shown it against much younger and stronger opponents. He has been mediocre in his last 3 fights, and until he reclaims the light-heavyweight belt there is no way he can “retire on top”. So that leaves us with option 3. This actually makes a lot of sense. In the post-fight interview at UFC 130, a reporter asked him what he was fighting for. Rampage sheepishly asked Dana White if he could be honest, and replied something to the effect of, “I’m all about that money”.
An exciting fighter who is waiting for the end of his successful career while cashing in his paychecks? Not unheard of, and certainly understandable. But this is not the man you want fighting for the title. Not against the lanky juggernaut Jon Jones.
Please don’t misconstrue my words; I am a diehard Rampage fan. It’s just that I want him to have one impressive fight before he faces the goliath. Maybe match him against the winner of Forrest and Shogun, allow him to avenge one of his famed losses and perhaps build up his momentum before he attempts to take the light-heavyweight belt. Maybe knocking out Forrest or slamming Shogun while light a fire under his ass and bring out what remains of the Rampage of old.
I admire Rampage for swinging for the fences and successfully getting a fight with Jon Jones. If this fight really materializes, I’ll be cheering for him all the way. Should he win that fight, it will be not only his greatest victory but shatter the armor of Jones’ invincibility and derail the hype that surrounds him.
But as it stands, the UFC needs to do the responsible thing and tell Rampage he still needs to prove that he is ready to break some Bones.