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30/07/10 - Card breakdown: Jones vs Matyushenko (UFC live on Versus 2)
by Simon Platt
Lets make no ‘bones’ about it (crap pun thoroughly intended), but when nicknames were being handed out Jon “Bones” Jones caught the rough end of the deal.
For a fighter that is redefining the art of striking with a fearlessness and creativity not seen since the days Anderson Silva was handing out uppercut elbows, “Bones” just doesn’t seem to do the New Yorker justice - If Vitor Belfort was the original ‘Phenom’ then Jones, who only turned 23 this month, is very much The Phenom v2.0.
Fighting out of the world-renowned Greg Jackson Submission fighting camp in Albuquerque New Mexico, Jones is 10-1 in his MMA career and 4-1 since his UFC debut in August 2008 – making him the then youngest fighter on the organisation books.
With the notable scalps of Stephan Bonnar, Jake O’Brien and Brandon Vera acquired since then, his only ‘loss’ to date was the controversial DQ against Matt Hamill. A fight Jones utterly dominated before his over-exuberant use of illegal 12-to-6 elbows, something Jones remains philosophical about ahead of his August 1st clash with Belarusian Vladmir Matyushenko
“I’ve heard that so many times, when you lose, you come back a better, stronger person - Everything happens for a reason.”
Aside from being humble at the loss of an otherwise unblemished record, what really stands Jones out from his peers, and thrills fight fans in equal measures, is the uninhibited audacity of a striking repertoire that is second to nobody – Silva included.
At a time when “lay-and-pray” is becoming an increasingly unfashionable by-product of success, the effortless fluidity with which Jones’ transitions from sublime stand-up to take down offence is a joy to behold. Whether its spinning back elbows (patent pending) or belly-to-back suplexes, when Joe Silva is positively ejector seating with delight Octagon side you can rest assured you’re doing something right.
Yet don’t just take my word it. The respected fightmetric.com shows Jones as holding the modern day UFC record for the widest margin of effective strikes over an opponent (he scored 39 more substantial strikes in his December 2009 clash with Matt Hamill). Throw in a 95% success rate for all UFC takedown attempts, and Jones is both confident and fearless inside the Octagon.
“I try to go in there with the mindset that if your going to be nervous to do it, don't do” he told MMALive recently on the philosophy to his unorthodox striking, “but if you’re going to do it don't be nervous. Just really believe in the techniques you are going to be doing and be explosive”.
Calling Jones explosive is an understatement. In his short career to date he has left a trail of broken and battered bodies in his rise to number eight in MMAWeekly’s light-heavyweight rankings – Vera’s nasty facial fractures indicative of the 205lb’ers raw power.
Somewhat ironically it is the striking prowess of former IFL light-heavyweight champion Matyushenko, not something he is widely renowned for, that Jones is notably cautious of. “He presents a lot of threats with his looping unorthodox punches”.
However of his 24 wins only seven have been by way of T(KO). Instead the “Janitor” (a nickname given to him by 1984 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medallist Dave Schultz) has gone to the judges a total of 10 times in his career, including his last three straight and five of his last seven.
At 39 years of age Matyushenko best days, including a brief 2-3 spell in the UFC during the early noughties, are behind him. However whilst his strong, if somewhat stifling, use of an excellent wrestling base is in complete contrast to Jones’ relentless whirlwind of activity, an experienced pro like Matyushenko poses a very legitimate and serious danger too his much younger opponent.
Whilst comparison between fights and fighters are never entirely fair, one only has to go back to UFC 106 and Josh Koscheck’s victory over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson to illustrate that the dynamic all-action fan favourite isn’t always guaranteed to have his hand raised come the end.
Johnson, much like Jones, cuts a huge amount of weight. Something that was a defining factor as he visibly wilted before our eyes prior to Koscheck’s game-ending RNC.
Whilst Jones’ cut from 231lb down to 205lb isn’t quite as debilitating as Johnson gut-busting 30-35lbs, Jones’ high-octane style can come at a price. As was evidenced in his three rounder with Stephan Bonnar when clear signs of fatigue began to creep in as the fight wore on.
If, and it’s a big if, Matyushenko can weather the inevitable tornado of ferocity from Jones’ and drag the fight into the later rounds then it could very well play into the hands of the man sixteen years the senior - no stranger to going the distance and grinding out a decision.
That said this is Jon “Bones” Jones we are referring too, a fighter leading the way for the next generation of mixed martial artist and a genuine rising star in the sport. Expect this one to end before the 15 minutes are up as Jones collects his second knock-out of the night’ bonus and puts himself firmly into the title-mix.
http://twitter.com/SimonJamesPlatt
Previously published July 23rd
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