UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage

[INDYjon22]

[YOUTUBE]whL67C9y6u4[/YOUTUBE]​

Main Card

• Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson
• Middleweight Bout: Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck
• Heavyweight Bout: Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton
• Lightweight Bout: Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
• Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

• Middleweight Bout: Tim Boetsch vs. Nick Ring
• Lightweight Bout: Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley

Preliminary (Facebook)

• Bantamweight Bout: Cole Escovedo vs. Takeya Mizugaki
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Ricardo Romero vs. James Te Huna
• Featherweight Bout: Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin

Finally the time has come for Jon Jones to put the Light Heavyweight championship of the world on the line against the Pride! legend, Quinton Rampage Jackson. However, this card doesn't stop there. Matt Hughes finally stops ducking AKA and will fight the returning Josh Koscheck. Nate Diaz will try to do what his brother did before him and pull off an upset against Takanori Gomi. Mark Hunt will attempt to continue his winning ways when faces Ben Rothwell. And Todd Browne will continue to establish his name as someone to watch in the Heavyweight division.

Jon Jones won the Light Heavyweight title in devastating fashion when he TKO'd Mauricio Rua back in March. Since then he has come under fire for supposedly ducking Rashad Evans by faking an injury. He now is faced with Rampage Jackson instead. Jones is younger, has better ground skills, and is an unorthodox striker. But, Rampage should not be overlooked. He has some decent wrestling credentials and is one hell of a boxer. He only needs one to hit Jones flush to win the fight. Jones may be coming into the fight with the advantage but I personally will be pulling for Page.

Matt Hughes is looking to bounce back from his loss to BJ Penn. He has also finally decided to nut up and take on an AKA fighter. Both Hughes and Koscheck usually make for fun fights and I think the shit Kos has talked will inspire Hughes to come out swinging. Hughes can definitely still hang so this should be a close fight. I think Koscheck takes this one via TKO round 2.

Nick Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi at Pride 33, his younger brother Nate Diaz will look to do the same Saturday. Gomi isn't the same fighter he was in Pride but he has shown some signs of that guy still being in him deep down. Diaz is a wizard on the ground, something Gomi has shown to have some problems with. However, if this fight stays standing Gomi should light Diaz up. Both men are in need of a win, big time, but I think Diaz needs to win more. Unfortunately for him, I don't see that happening. Gomi by KO.

Todd Brown will continue to make his push for the top if the Heavyweight division. I have no idea who his opponent is so I don't really see that changing at all.

And, Mark Hunt will try to remain a winner when he faces Ben Rothwell. Hunt is a terrific striker but has shown that his wrestling isn't all that great. It sucks because Rothwell is a pretty good grinder. If Hunt can keep it standing he will likely KO Big Ben, but if it goes to the ground Rothwell can either grind out a decision or get a submission.

The undercard isn't really that special or interesting, to me at least. I'll be interested to see if Cole Escovedo wins or not, but that is about it. Should be a very fun and exciting main card though. Can't wait to see Page vs. Jones and Takanori Gomi in action. It also doesn't hurt that my boy Kos is finally returning. Saturday can't come soon enough.

 

[Pedigree1]

As much as i love Matt hughes Josh takes this one easily!! Better standup and Matt is just too old to compete in the upper echelon!! I hope Quinton clocks Jon Jones Jones as of lately is acting like a dick!! Cocky arrogant and thinking hes the shit i dont respect taht at all unless ur name is anderson Silva!!! I got Bones via TKO round 3 he is just too much for the Pride legend to handle!! It seems Rampages heart isnt in fighting anymore despite what he says!! Nate Diaz should beat Gomi he just a little bit better all around!! Mark Hunt if he can keep it standing will ko rothwell easily!!

 

[snakedr7]

Jones is a beast and will stomp rampage I hav eit over early round two after they feel each other up ....I mean out....and If Silva stepped up to light heavyweight and challenged Jones I think that you would see Silva get ate up pretty bad....Now to Hughes yes he is old but he knows his wrestling better than most I think how well he trained will show at the outcome of the fight If Coschek..(asshole) can't get you down he can't win proven time and again so I think it should be a good match ...not unless hughes gets his rocked again early......Good post pedigree I'm new to the sight and look forward to interesting posts again...

 

[JWGunslinger]

Decent card overall but the main and co main events are going to be spectacular. We've got three cards in three weeks so let's start off this this marathon of upcoming MMA with some 135 analysis.

Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin: The last time we saw the older of the Assuncao brother's in the octagon he had a rough run going 1-2 with submission losses to Kurt Pellegrino and Nate Diaz. Now he's back riding a 6 fight win streak with a shit load of confidence, but in his return he faces a solid threat in "The Filipino Phenom". Yagin may not be a well known fighter, but he's a solid well rounded guy who's battled with the likes of Rich Clementi and Diego Saraiva. This should be a good brawl but I see Junior going to the ground to avoid Yagin's standup and scoring a submission in the second round. Assuncao by Submission(Kimura)

Ricardo Romero vs. James Te Huna: Two guys who found success in their debuts but had a rougher going in their second UFC fights. Romero came into the UFC to weather an early dominant onslaught from Seth Petruzelli only to come back in the second round and score a brutal armbar finish. However in his second outing he was overwhelmed by Kyle Kingsbury and suffered a TKO loss. Te Huna began his UFC career with winning ways by winning a hard fought battle against Croatian fighter Igor Pokrajac but did not find the same luck in his fight against Alexander Gustaffson where he was submitted early. Both of these men need a win here, Te Huna is the better man on the feet and Romero on the ground. I believe if Te Huna can control the distance and keep the fight standing he will finish Romero in the third or win a decision.
Te Huna by TKO

Cole Escovedo vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Both of these WEC vets are tough as nails and have fought the the best, but they've been having a hard time staying consistant. Mizugaki has been on a win lose rinse and repeat most recently losing to Brian Bowles at UFC 132 and Escovedo lost his UFC debut to Renan Barao at UFC 130. Both are going to push the pace but I see Mizugaki being the stronger presence in the cage and taking Cole to the judges for the win. Mizugaki by Decision

Tim Boetsch vs. Nick Ring: Former Light Heavyweight Tim Boetsch seems to have found new life since his drop to 185 lbs, at UFC 130 he dominated Ultimate Fighter season 3 winner Kendall Grove and made a statement that he should not be looked past by anyone. Nick Ring doesn't seem too worried, the TUF season 11 vet is ready to go in and hand "The Barbarian" his first loss at Middleweight. Undeafeated in 12 pro fights and riding a 2 fight win streak in the octagon Ring looks to continue his streak by notching a win over Boetsch. I however do not see this happening, Ring won a BS decision over Riki Fukuda and scored a submission win over James Head, while Boetsch has fought much tougher opponents. Ring will look to stand and keep the distance but look for Boetsch to close that distance and control Ring on the ground and either score a TKO with Ground N Pound or win a decision. Boetsch by TKO

Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley: This is one that I am very much looking forward to, the most recent winner of The Ultimate Fighter will take on one of the most seasoned vets at Lightweight as Tony Ferguson and Aaron Riley go to war. Riley is a salty vet who isn't known for big wins but for being in many classic wars and being a hardnosed brawler, but that is not going to help him when he steps in the octagon with Ferguson. Tony Ferguson is scary, the guy has beautiful but deadly technical striking and there is no doubt in my mind that he takes this one, should be a good time to show that "El Cucuey" is going to be a force in the division and score another KOTN worthy finish. Ferguson by KO

Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt: Mark Hunt is a big tough sonofabitch, I mean you have to be if you have wins over the likes legends Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop. Ofcourse anyone who knows Hunt would know soon after that he went on a 6 fight losing streak that shook his career. But since then he has reinvigorated himself, he lost a ton of weight and showed his new life by scoring a Knockout of the Night over Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127. But it's going to take alot for him to knock his next opponent out because he will be facing none other than IFL verteran Big Ben Rothwell. Rothwell had a rocky start to his UFC career losing to current Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez back at UFC 104, but at UFC 115 he put on a fantastic performance against Pride vet Gilbert Yvel and scored a Unanimous Decision. In this fight I see Big Ben being too......big for Hunt, Rothwell will take Hunt down and finish him there with a sub. Rothwell by Submission(Keylock)

Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi: This is a painful one for me to call, both guys are very talented on the feet and in the stand up and most guys who face them end up going to sleep. Diaz has the reach advantage but Gomi has the power in his hands, both are top notch on the ground but i'd give the edge to Nate on the ground. Gomi is coming off his submission loss to Clay Guida back at UFC 125 in January and Nate is coming off two decision losses to Rory MacDonald at 129 and Dong Hyun Kim at 125. Nate obviously needs the win more but I think that he is going to try standing with Gomi which will be a bad idea. Gomi will go right through Nate's 6 inch reach advantage and put his fist in his face. Gomi by KO

Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton: Who the hell is Rob Broughton? A big english guy with punching power, kind of like a James Thompson but better since he's knocked out Thompson twice. It's going to be a big dirty brawl between two massive heavys and it's going to end in someone hitting that canvas very hard. Broughton seems tough but you really can't tell when his biggest win is James Thompson and his biggest fight was when he got Kneebarred by Ricco Rodriguez. But I can tell you that Travis "Hapa" Browne is riding a major high after his exciting knockout win over Stefan Struve at UFC 130, he holds wins over James McSweeney and Abe Wagner and after a hard fought war he Drew with a tough UFC vet in Cheick Kongo. What does all this mean? Travis Browne is a stud and I see him ending Broughton's second UFC appearance quickly and viciously. Browne by KO

Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck: Oh man, this fight is literally going to kill me. I love both of these guys but Matt Hughes was the first fighter I was a true fan of after seeing him beat GSP at UFC 50. The man is the ultimate welterweight legend and I want to see him end his career on a high note, and that would be more likely if he scores a win over Kos. Before the GSP era there was the ever dominant Hughes era where he crushed all his competition and he did so in exciting fashion every damn time, he may be more weathered as a fighter than he was a few years ago but make no mistake, the man is still alive and well. Before suffering a knockout loss to BJ Penn, Hughes was riding a 3 fight win streak over names including Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra and Ricardo Almeida and even though the loss to Penn was vicious I believe it will fuel him to come back stronger than ever. Koscheck is going to be coming in ready to kill as well, after an embarrassing loss to champ Georges St. Pierre it is going to be scary seeing Josh take out his frustration in the octagon. Before that loss Koscheck was on a 3 fight win streak as well, scoring wins over Frank Trigg, Anthony Johnson and Paul Daley. Both men coming of a streak followed by one loss, both would prefer to get back to winning but who will it be. I'm torn and i'm not too sure on what will happen but i'm going to go with my heart and say Hughes will end up in a position on the ground where he can submit Kos and that's how it'll end. Hughes by Submission(Arm Triangle)

Light Heavyweight Championship Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson:
It is now time for us to see Jon "Bones" Jones defend his new Light Heavyweight title for the first time against a former LHW champion in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Jones has taken the division by storm, winning 7 UFC bouts and 1 stupid DQ loss where he hit Matt Hammil with an "Illegal Elbow", so really he's 8-0 in the UFC and 14-0. He's taken out the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Brandon Vera, Ryan Bader and Maurico "Shogun" Rua, but now it's time for him to face in my opinion his toughest opponent yet. Rampage Jackson is the former Light Heavyweight Champion of the UFC and I believe it's time for him to hold that title once again. Since losing his title to Forrest Griffin he has defeated Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida and Matt Hammil, his only loss was to former champ Rashad Evans where Rashad held him against the fence the whole fight. Rampage is coming in to kill this cocky young champion and I believe he will do it, as long as he closes the distance and doesn't let Bones use his reach I see a knockout and a second UFC title reign for Rampage. Rampage by KO

Bonus Predictions

Fight of the Night: Takanori Gomi vs Nate Diaz
Submission of the Night: Matt Hughes
Knockout of the Night: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

 

[MisterRob]

I personally think Koscheck is underestimating Matt Hughes. How anyone can do that is beyond me. Koscheck will do the same thing he's done many times, just like the last fight, talk shit and talk shit and then get in the Octagon and get beaten. I really think Koscheck's going to be outclassed by Hughes, and I'm hoping for a submission.

I also think Bones Jones is overhyped. UFC seems to constantly do this; a fighther has a good streak and wins the title and they're suddenly praising him as the Messiah. Jones is a great fighter but I think he's overhyped, he's not what UFC is trying to market him as being, and he's still got a lot to learn. It'll be those reasons, and the fact Rampage is determined and really looking like a focused beast, that I think Rampage is going to win. I might be wrong, but I would absolutely love to see Rampage knock Jones out and regain the title.

Gomi's also going to win, although it'll likely be a war. The rest of the fights really don't have much interest to me.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Well there were some highs and low from last night, pretty solid night though.

Highs
I called Ferguson finishing Riley in the first, killer win for El Cucuey.

Great wins for Te Huna, Assuncao, Mizugaki and Boetsch.

Major props to Nate Diaz for my favorite performance of the night and his best win in his career, makes me proud to be a Gracie fighter.

Lows
Matt Hughes is probably done, Dana says he's 99 percent sure he is. One of my favorite fighters of all time and my first favorite fighter, i'll miss seeing him fight

Having to watch those goddamn heavys go for 3 rounds each was unbearable.

Jones took out Rampage, props to Page for being a tough SOB though, when he was stopping those TD's I was very impressed.

Some good, some bad but a pretty good night of fights and can't wait for more this coming weekend.

 

[Ryman]

Jon Jones is just amazing, i dont see anyone taking his title. Which is kinda boring in one way. Rampage actually looked good but was outclassed, i hope Rampage continues to train in the same way for his next fight.

Its sad to see Hughes end like this, i have never been a fan but he is a legend and one of the best fighters of all time. Koscheck looked solid, i want Ellenberger-Koscheck next.

Browne-Broughton was not very good, did not expect much either.

Mark Hunt via armbar? That would have been awesome. You can only match Hunt up with strikers or he will lose, i want Pat Barry-Mark Hunt next if Pat wins against Struve.

Diaz looked great, the strenght training he did when he was at 170 has helped him with his power in his hands. Gomi is sadly done, what happend to the fireball kid?

The undercard was not that good but Mizugaki-Escovedo should have got the fotn and not Jones-Rampage. Oh yeah Ferguson looked good.

 

[CH David]

I really didn't care for either heavyweight fight. All four guys looked gassed by the 2nd round of their respective fights, to me anyway. Besides, nobody wants to see heavyweights go all three rounds, they are supposed to be the heaviest hitters to knock them out. Yes I know that is in fact a fallacy.

Hughes vs. Koscheck was interesting. I was upset that Hughes got knocked out so close to the end of the round, and also that Koscheck won. For a solid portion I thought Hughes looked really good, and had a good plan going against him. But Koscheck was the one to win, and he looked good doing it. Damn it.

BONES!!! Enjoyed this fight, though moreso for Jones than anything. Rampage looked way too apprehensive in the Octagon. I was expecting Rampage to come out swinging, keep the distance close so Jones couldn't use his damn near FOOT reach to his advantage. But he didn't, and while he got a few decent shots in, Bones was just the man in this fight.

 

[The Crock]

I really enjoyed most of this event, but specifically these two key points:

- Nate Diaz demolishing Takanori Gomi. Look, I like Gomi a lot, but Diaz looked EXCELLENT in this fight. His boxing and his jabs are just plain unfair at Lightweight. He was sharp throughout the fight and he can really build himself up with this win. This was the best I'd ever seen Nick Diaz and with one or two more solid wins in the division, I can see him challenging for the Lightweight Title. He has the submission ability, a good chin, and he has the stand up game, as long as he can keep it together with the takedown offense/defense and on the ground, he's legit.

- Jon Jones absolutely steamrolling Rampage was also an awesome thing to watch. Jones does it with such ease and he never seems to be in trouble. He looked dominant in all facets of his fight game and I just can't see him losing for quite a long time. He's too rangy, an excellent striker, great takedowns, he's a freak, basically. I would have never thought he'd do that to Rampage for four rounds, ever. I was stunned. Awesome fight by Jones, the guy's for real.

 

[INDYjon22]

Overall I enjoyed UFC 135. Not the greatest show ever, but not the worst by any means. Here is my quick rundown. I love Rampage but he was outclassed in every way. The really sad thing is that Page looked awesome anyways. Jones is just that damn good. I've been a fan of the kid since his debut in the UFC, but something about him recently has rubbed me the wrong way. I thought it was really curious that Evans didn't say anything during the post fight stare down, but Jones was kind of talking out of his ass. Oh well, I hope that fight is a good one as well.

I love Koscheck. Sad to see Matt Hughes lose, it was likely his final fight and it would have been nice to see him go out on top. I guess we can't all be like Chris Lytle. Koscheck looked good. I want to see him fight Ellenberger next, could easily go either way.

Hunt vs. Rothwell was hilarious to watch. I love Mark Hunt and I love fat guy fights. Rothwell got messed up fairly bad. Hunt vs. any striker in the UFC is a fight I would pay to watch.

No interest in the other Heavyweight fight.

Very sad to see Takanori lose so badly, but Nate Diaz looked awesome. If he keeps doing what he is doing now I could definitely see him making a run at the Lightweight belt. I still want to see him tested against an elite wrestler, that seems to be his kryptonite.