After yet another dominant performance put on by the young defending champion even his latest victim in Rampage Jackson doesn't know who is capable of dethroning Jones. Rampage did look good in the fight, and came in undoubtedly great shape. His game plan was extensive and Rampage was successful in avoiding damage, but didn't full execute on the elevated level that was required to beat the seemingly invincible champion. He slipped a serious amount of punches, got inside on numerous occasions, and defended the takedown well, yet these were all assets for Rampage's defense. Once the fight went down, it was an aggressive, yet patient Jones who maneuvered his way to Rampage's back and sunk in the choke for his first successful title defense.
Great fighters will often employ tactics that simply flaunt their comfort in the sport. Sometimes fighters will pepper their opponent with leg kicks then open up an open high kick. Other times, strikers will change levels with their punches and kicks to set up knockout combinations. Jones cutting Rampage over his right eye with an elbow took Rampage's concentration away from maintaining a good position and allowed Jones to have his way with the former champion.
Jones was able to use a number of neutralizing tactics to keep Rampage playing defense, and not having a chance to attack. He threatened with takedowns in a strongly held clinch game and nullified Rampage's back-stepping hook that he has used to end fights in the past. Kicking with such lengthy legs served Jones as a jab mechanism to keep Rampage at a comfortable distance for the young titleholder. Side kicks, and front kicks landing from Jackson's knees to his face kept the fight right where the 24 year old wanted it. Although Jones has never experienced championship rounds in his UFC career he looked more than comfortable late in the fight. The way that Jones was composed in finding his way to victory in this fight was perhaps the most impressive aspect of his performance.
Even after victory, athletes must find what they did wrong in order to improve. In MMA, there are always areas that need strengthening, and not many are better at this than the UFC light heavyweight champion.
First off, Jones can learn from the man he just beat. Rampage was slipping punches better than he had ever before. His head movement was slight but highly successful in evading a big percentage of Jones' strikes. If Jones can learn to recognize and react to standing attacks he will be even harder to "test" and will remain unhurt in his future bouts.
Another impressive performance on UFC 135's card came from the rejuvenated lightweight Nate Diaz. His striking was extremely advanced as he picked apart the Japanese superstar Gomi. His quick and precise punches were more than enough to drop Takanori Gomi numerous times. Diaz's successful flicking jabs gave glimpses of the Middleweight Champ.
This is another example of homework than Jones can do to push towards perfection. Imagine Jon Jones (who possesses a reach advantage similar to Diaz and Silva) with the lethal sniping jabs that reach directly up the middle. The champion already knows how to stay at a seemingly harmless distance, yet still reach his target. He could stalk opponents, keep them guessing, then attack swiftly with the front stiff jab and stun his opponent. Jones has an ever-evolving striking attack, and this refinement would only deepen his freakish arsenal.
The last significant upgrade to the Greg Jackson project would be the ability to counter leg kicks. The six-foot jones has very long and slender legs that sooner or later will be targeted. There are a number of tactics for beating leg kicks. Learning to catch a kick and trip the leg will definitely get some "Ooh's and Ahhs" and put serious doubt in a fighters ability to land kicks. Once again mentioning the Spider, in his fight with James Irvin, Silva caught a leg kick and his straight right landed, knocking Irvin out of the fight. When kicking, the focus is often on turning the hip over for a sharp leg kick, which can result in their leg getting trapped. Once Bones comes across a fighter that thinks they have found an effective attack for the champion, he will again be one step ahead.
Rashad Evans is the next test for the young and undefeated light heavyweight champion. Evans was impressive in his finish of Tito Ortiz at UFC 133 but there is some real doubt that he is ready for the Jon Jones experience. If Rashad has any hope to control the fight instead of fending off attacks the whole fight, he will need to take Jones down. Will he be able to? Probably not, but if he can it will present a very interesting position for Bones. "Suga" will have his hands full if Jones upgrades his game for this next fight. Being one of the most dedicated students of the game, I believe that Jon Jones still hasn't reached his potential.
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