Lamont Peterson Sucks, Tests Positive For Performance Enhancing Drugs

Chad Dawson and Bernard Hopkins squared off in a rematch, and for the first time it looked like the ageless Hopkins had legitimately lost a fight on the cards since losing to Roy Jones Jr. back in 1993. Though we wanted to see Manny Pacquiao in the ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th, Miguel Cotto stepped in and put on a gutsy performance and kept pace with Mayweather all night. And just when we thought things were turning around in the world of boxing, Lamont Peterson tests positive for performance enhancing drugs (testosterone pellets) on May 8th, and gets his rematch with Amir Khan cancelled.

After suffering a first round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott back in 2008, Amir Khan polished off eight quality opponents and moved up in weight, winning titles in the lightweight and light welterweight divisions. With an impressive streak and no signs of slowing down, a few more wins had him eying big pay per view money with possible fights against Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, and the cash cow in Floyd Mayweather. But of course, he had to get pass his newest contender, Lamont Peterson.

Going into the fight in December 2011, most ringside observers had Khan as the obvious favorite. Despite being able to knock Peterson down twice in the first round, Peterson was able to weather the Khan storm and walked away with the decision victory; as well as Khan's WBA and IBF light welterweight title belts. Khan was adamant in saying that he won the fight and thought he was cheated immediately after the decision was rendered. But hey, no one was really screaming foul play on the part of the judges. Peterson's slick boxing skills proved a tough task for Khan and he'd have to make good in a rematch.

In this Yahoo! Sports report, it is said that Peterson actually admits to having taken performance enhancing drugs as far back as a month before his first fight with Khan. It's bad enough that he tested positive on May 8th, but to make matters worse, this admission of guilt calls into question his victory over Khan. While the title of this post says Lamont Peterson "sucks", we're not talking about his boxing skills. Performance enhancing drugs didn't give it to him. The man can actually box. Yet, this new development will bring his entire career under scrutiny. Peterson boasts an impressive professional record with 32 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw with 15 knockouts. But Khan said, "I put him down twice in the first round and not many people come back from that. The way he came back was just unbelievable - and now we know why. ...The truth has come out now and it just proves that Lamont Peterson was a cheat."

With Peterson's admission, it is likely that he will be stripped of the titles and they will be returned to Khan. "We have informed the Washington commission and I suppose they will invalidate the result [of the fight in December]," Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said. "It's certain we would have been doing so had it taken place in Las Vegas. I suspect the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation will strip Mr. Peterson of his titles." The decision will likely be overturned and called no contest and Kahn will be able to return to business as usual, toting his title belts into a new fight as early as July. Peterson will likely have his license revoked and find it difficult to get another opportunity for a shot at a big title in some time. He could be out of the fight game for two years depending on how harsh sanctions are and if he can get other state commissions to approve him to fight. Less fights mean less money. That coupled with a fighter approaching thirty is not the best of scenarios. Boxing isn't always kind to aging fighters and this rematch could have catapulted him into star status had he won the day. Too bad it wont happen.

Well, that's another loss for boxing fans but another signature on the petition Floyd Mayweather has going around boxing circles for Olympic style testing in all fights. Hey Floyd, you've got our vote here at Ring & Cage.

Until next write...

Comment and check out A.S. Washington's debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

A UFC Monopoly Is Good For MMA

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known as the UFC has come a long way since the inaugural tournament took place at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 12, 1993. That tournament, which allowed groin strikes, hair pulling, strikes to the back of the head, and even eye gouging; was won by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, Royce Gracie.

Between 1993 and now, there were dozens of promotions jockeying for position as the premiere mixed martial arts promotion. There was much conversation between fans, fighters, and promoters alike, about which promotion featured the best fighters. Over time the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships eventually emerged as the two primary promotions. Other notable promotions like Strikeforce, EliteXC, M-1 Global, WEC, DREAM, and Bellator Fighting Championship emerged as well. However, none were able to match the UFC's ability to sign some of the best fighters in the business and slowly become accepted by most state athletic commissions in the United States. Slowly, as the UFC brand continued to grow, MMA became synonymous with the UFC.

As the UFC rose in popularity,  it began to absorb other promotions. Its first conquest was of its closest competitor, Pride; which featured some of the best fighters in the world. This acquisition swelled the ranks of the UFC. But not just with fresh bodies. It increased the UFC claim of, "The best fighters fight here." By April of 2011, the UFC had absorbed WEC and Strikeforce, each bringing a new slew of big named fighters. The WEC merger brought the UFC fighters in the lower weight classes like Jose Aldo and Dominic Cruz. While the acquisition of Strikeforce brought more top tier fighters in the higher weight classes and the two biggest names in female MMA; Chris "Cyborg" Santos and Gina Carano.

Today the UFC boasts a reality television show called The Ultimate Fighter, which began in 2005 on Spike TV. The show has turned out a number of UFC champions and title contenders, but more importantly it helped continue to push the UFC into the mainstream. Now with a 7 year deal inked with Fox, there will be even more UFC events on prime time television. UFC programs air on Fuel TV and FX.

The word monopoly in the United States either takes the mind to the popular board game Monopoly or to its original roots when a "specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity." Thus most governments looks to eliminate monopoly, because fair play and business competition is good for the consumer. I wont argue that, but the UFC isn't a monopoly in a true sense. There are other promotions out there still carrying out and putting on fights. However, the casual fan likely never sees them and is only aware of the UFC. Ultimately, the UFC won a bidding war and a war of attrition. They put on a great show, signed the best fighters, worked faster with athletic commissions, and of course the good old quality marketing and advertising. The truth is, most promotions that could compete, ended up going bankrupt. Those who sold or merged did so because the UFC was a better brand that would actually improve their brand and give bigger pay days to their fighters.

Some would argue that a UFC monopoly will force the price of pay per views up, increase the number of pay per view events, and ultimately hurt the consumers. Yet, today, more than 50% of UFC fights take place on television stations for no extra dollar, other than the cable or satellite bill you already pay. And if we're all being honest, the fights are good fights. Even the UFC heavyweight championship was aired on Fox for free when Junior Dos Santos knocked out then champion Cain Velasquez in the first round. For those who'd say, "only that fight aired on Fox," we say, "the 9 preliminary fights took place on Facebook for free." Then furthering that defense, we'd say that the prelims for the last UFC light heavyweight championship fight were also aired for free on Facebook when Jon "Bones" Jones defended his title against Rashad Evans. And even more free fights will take place tomorrow night on The Ultimate Fighter.

The UFC is unlike boxing because the fighters have to fight who's put in front of them. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones' last 4 fights have been against 4 of the last 5 light heavyweight champions. He doesn't get to pick and choose. President of the UFC Dana White puts his champions in against the biggest most deserving bad ass 9 out of 10 times. When you're a champion in the UFC, there's no ducking. The guy coming is more often than not the hungriest son of a bitch you don't want to be locked in a cage with. And if UFC fights only took place on pay per view, people would still pay. There are few people who could honestly say that they've purchased a UFC event and thought there money was wasted. Often times the prelims are just as big as the main event.

In boxing you don't have this truth. Fighters get to pick and choose. A Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight should have happened at least 3 years ago. It shouldn't have taken 17 years for a rematch between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins. How did Riddick Bowe get away with dumping the WBC title belt in a trash can on national television rather than fighting #1 contender and eventual undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis? When Chael Sonnen pushed UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to the brink of defeat for the first time in 4 years. Chael gets another shot after the two win two fights in a row respectively. There's no begging. Chael deserves it, he gets it. Two others guys already had a chance to do what he nearly did and failed. Silva escaped with a last minute submission to retain his title.

The reason people pay for the UFC is because the promotion puts on the fights that people want to see. There's no begging and clamoring for dreams fights. Dream fights happen in the UFC. There's no begging for drug tests, it's already in place. The fighters in the promotion are paid well and most there aren't fighting for money. There aren't individual promoters unwilling to risk their fighters against the best competition or having the need to build a new stadium to make the big fights happen. We've already got enough stadiums around the world. The only fights that don't happen in the UFC anymore are cross-divisional matches. We'd love to see Jones vs Silva, but somebody's gotta move up or down. But the likelihood that that fight will happen in the UFC is a lot more likely than Pacquiao-Mayweather. Just read here how that fight would have already been made in the UFC.

Do you think a UFC monopoly is good for the sport. Or do you think otherwise.

Until next write..

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

Koscheck Looks Sturdy In Loss To Hendricks

Bad boy Josh Koscheck took on rising welterweight Johny Hendricks in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 3 this past Saturday, May 5, 2012 in East Rutherford, NJ at the IZOD Center.

Like any Koscheck fight, he wasn't the fan favorite as his trash talking and assertions of victory have no bounds. Koscheck has been known to back it up on several occasions, which keeps him ranked in the top 10 of most MMA publications. His major gripe with Hendricks? Well Hendricks knocked out Koscheck's pal Jon Fitch 12 seconds into the first round of their fight at UFC 141. Koscheck did not take too kindly to that.

The first round started off with them feeling one another out and then the action picked up. Koscheck seemed to land the more telling blows in the first round. The second round was much more of a toss up to who should have won. Koscheck definitely edged the clinches and what little ground work occurred, but Hendricks landed quite a few solid blows. Those blows were the reason Koscheck's face was a bit swelled and cut on both sides. The third round followed the same pace as the second round. Hendricks was still able to land some solid blows, while Koscheck seemed to control most of the round on ground and against the cage.

So when the split decision was rendered, Koscheck shook his head no as Hendrick's hand was raised. Ring and Cage scored the fight 29-28 in Koscheck's favor, but it was quite easy to see why Hendricks got the nod.

In his title shot against UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, Koscheck was largely controlled by GSP's jab. He kept it in Koscheck's face the entire night and Koscheck really had no answer for it. Koscheck tried to work around GSP's striking but every takedown he attempted was stuffed. The same sort of happened Saturday against Hendricks. Hendricks didn't quite pump the jab, but his winging hooks and crosses were able to land often and flush against Koscheck's face.

Had Koscheck made it a ground war, he would have been able to submit, or at the very least, control the pace of the fight on the mat. Both Hendricks and Koscheck are former NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champions, but Koscheck appeared to have the better wrestling that night. Had Koscheck employed more takedown attempts or kept the action against the cage and on the ground, he would have taken less punishment in the standup, and those toss up rounds would have been his, maybe.

Either way, Josh is still in the game and Hendricks is headed up the ladder screaming "title shot." Hendricks fared well against Koscheck and edged him for a decision, but he'll have to sharpen his ground game a little more for the likes of GSP and Carlos Condit, interim welterweight champion. He too took some damage on the standup, but he's a game competitor ready to mix it up with anyone. For Koscheck, I can see him rising to the top again for another title shot, but he may need to add a little more head movement and improve his striking defense so those decisions don't go against him. That minor weakness came to be the deciding factor in this fight.

Until next write...

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

Impressed With Cotto, Mayweather Remains Undefeated

Last night, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas saw Miguel Cotto face off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBA junior middleweight championship title. At the beginning of the fight, that title was owned by Miguel Cotto. By night's end, it became the newest possession of "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather. 

When the fight was made, the result in the minds of many was a foregone conclusion that Mayweather would emerge victorious. This fight like many others, was seen as a prelude or a recluse to a fight with Manny Pacquiao. In my own prediction here just a few days ago, I picked Mayweather to win for an assortment of reasons. And while my prediction proved correct, the path to victory for Mayweather was no walk in the park. 

Floyd Mayweather was guaranteed to earn $32 million dollars before any pay-per-view was bought. Cotto for his troubles would take home $8 million before all of the $60/$70 dollar orders were brought in from homes around the world. And while this fight was the biggest single pay day of Miguel Cotto's career, he didn't fight like someone there for a check. 

Cotto started early working behind the jab, trying to find his range and eventually got Mayweather pressed against the ropes. He worked to the body and then went upstairs and down. Early on Cotto was able to land with the jab, along with a couple of grazing hooks. By the fourth round he had Mayweather's head touching the back of his neck and blood trickling out of his nose for the duration of the fight. 

What impressed me even more than the jabs that Cotto was able to land, and the work to the body, was that he made Mayweather fight. Mayweather is notorious for fighting going backwards, seemingly enjoying his back against the ropes. He did that and employed his shoulder role and right hand parry. However, Cotto was relentless in throwing combinations against Mayweather even though he might have missed eight out of ten times. Cotto's pressure, and his improved stamina and endurance forced Mayweather to go on the offensive. He forced Mayweather to dog it out and everyone in the arena was pleased to see Mayweather in a bit of duress. 

Yet, there was one problem in the strategy of Miguel Cotto. There was another flaw in what he allowed Mayweather to do. At certain points in the fight, Cotto looked to bounce on his toes in the middle of the ring and box with Mayweather, but stopped jabbing. Big mistake. This is where Mayweather easily took control of the fight, shooting jabs and straight right hands between the gloves. The fatal flaw was continuously allowing Mayweather to crack him over the side of the head with a clubbing overhand right. Cotto caught a considerable amount of those big right hands on the gloves, but that's all he did. After the first round there was a little strawberry over his left temple and by fights end, his entire left side looked like a strawberry topped cheesecake. Cotto didn't try to parry the punch or slide out of the way. From the looks of it, he punched himself in the face more than Mayweather did by just putting up his glove. 

If Cotto would have stuck to simply trying to press Mayweather into the ropes and hammer him to the body and land whatever, whenever he could. The decision might have been closer, or he might have even been able to squeak out a victory. I know a win for Cotto seems like a long stretch, but he hit Mayweather more than anyone has since Zab Judah. Mayweather called Cotto a tough competitor and applauded Cotto saying that "he came to fight." When asked about the punishment he took, he mentioned the fans saying, "this is what the fans want to see." Adding that, "I'm older now and putting on a good show is important."

Whether Cotto's success was attributed to his own skill and determination or Mayweather's allowance of action, I choose the former. It was a great fight and makes a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight all the more intriguing. Mayweather decimated Juan Manuel Marquez, a fighter who seems to have Pacquiao's number because he's never really looked good against Marquez. Manny Pacquiao did however beat the living daylights out of Cotto, making his face look like a piece of raw meat beaten with a bat, while taking far less punishment from Cotto than Mayweather did last night. 

Will we see Mayweather vs Pacquiao? I'm not sure. From the money-splits, to issues with Bob Arum, blood testing, Mayweather's June 1 date with prison, and Manny's admission of retirement sooner rather than later. We can take a little solace in the fact that this fight was awesome. And at this point, there's really no legitimate reason why Pacquiao and Mayweather shouldn't be scheduled this fall or early 2013. 

Until next write...

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

Mayweather Vs Cotto: Prediction

A Little Background

In just 2 days, on May 5, 2012, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will take on Puetro Rican star, Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather will be moving up in weight (154lbs), to challenge Cotto for the WBA junior middleweight title in this pay per view event. This fight has been made in place of a bout with Manny Pacquiao; an often called "fight for the ages," between the Phillipino star and Mayweather ranked #1 and #2 on The Ring's pound for pound list respectively.

In "Money" Mayweather's last fight he took on rising star Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight championship on September 17, 2011. Mayweather got the win by a legal, but controversial 4th round knockout of Ortiz. Totally legal, because referee Joe Cortez (one of my favorites) called the bout back into action. However, it appeared that Ortiz was still apologizing for the vicious headbutt that he delivered to Mayweather, that Ortiz was penalized for. Seizing the moment, Mayweather landed an awesome left hook-right hook combination that floored Ortiz and he was unable to recover. The events that led to the end of the bout culminated into a verbal confrontation between Mayweather and famed ring side commentator Larry Merchant, who pulls no punches. This isn't the first time the two squared off and neither was at a loss for words. See it all here in this video.

Miguel Cotto is coming off of a 10 round TKO victory over Mexican star Antonio Margarito on December 3, 2011, due to Margarito's right eye swelling shut. Cotto's victory in this rematch was among the sweetest of his career because in the first fight he lost by TKO in the 11th round to Margarito on July 26, 2008. It was said that Margarito's gloves were packed with illegal plaster wrappings and made the difference in the fight. Though Cotto led on most of the judge's scorecards, he was unable to withstand the damage done and eventually caved in.

24/7

Cotto's win in December coupled with Mayweather's and Pacquiao's continuous inability to come to terms for the biggest fight in the last ten years has brought us to Mayweather vs Cotto. Starting on April 14, 2011 us boxing fans, watched the drama as it unfolded, following Mayweather and Cotto on HBO's documentary style series 24/7.

Over the first three episodes you can see Mayweather reunite in his own way with his father Floyd Mayweather Sr., who taught him and his uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather the game of boxing. During training for his fight against Victor Ortiz the father and son had a huge blowup. Aside from the brief moment of on-camera reconciliation, much is the same in the Mayweather camp. The motto "hard work, dedication," reverberates through the gym, expensive cars line the driveway of Floyd's home and gym, along with an abundance of trash talk, one hundred dollar bills, and rap superstar/best friend 50 Cent.

The Cotto camp is of course a polar opposite of the flamboyance of the "Money Team." There is a quiet relaxed sort of reserved feeling that you get from the humble Cotto and those around him. Much time outside of training is spent with family; those of blood and those who share the bond of unconditional love. In the gym there is a more serious almost cerebral tone that is a contrast from the loud bodacious gym in Las Vegas, Nevada that Floyd Mayweather Jr. calls home.

See the last episode this Friday, May 4, 2012, on HBO at 8:00pm.

Cotto Keys To Victory

Miguel Cotto is going to have to borrow a bit from the book of Oscar De La Hoya and fight behind the jab as much as possible. De La Hoya was able to win the first 5 rounds on the judges cards against Mayweather. However, De La Hoya had the advantage of being two and a half inches taller than mayweather with a 1 inch reach advantage. Cotto has a 5 inch reach disadvantage (72-67) to Mayweather. Therefore, along with a jab, Cotto should employ what made him a dangerous fighter and pressure Mayweather and try to put as much body work in as humanly possible. Constant pressure and a stiff jab will give Cotto the biggest opportunity to cash in on the scorecards. He doesn't necessarily need to land clean blows. De La Hoya landed mostly glancing blows against Mayweather. Cotto simply needs to be as active as De La Hoya was for those first five rounds by pressing Mayweather to the ropes and digging to the body, landing whenever and wherever he can. Only difference is, Cotto will need to do it for 12 rounds. Of course, he'll have to defend against the precise accuracy by moving out of range when Mayweather launches his own assault.

Mayweather Keys To Victory

Mayweather needs to be the fighter he's been for the last 42 fights without a defeat. His punches need to be precise and as accurate as they always are. He needs to make Cotto miss and only allow a few glances blows like most of the fighters who've faced him before. Mayweather should slip and counter any jab Cotto decides he wants to utilize in their fight on May 5th. And if there's any opponent he'll want to stay off the ropes against, it's Cotto. If Cotto presses him to the ropes, he's more likely to focus his attack on the body unlike most fighters who look to land punches to Mayweather's face and fail. They don't call him "Pretty Boy" for nothing. But body work over 12 rounds often slows even the most conditioned fighters. Mayweather should definitely employ his superior foot work, hand speed, and more often than not over his opponents, excellent conditioning. These factors are more likely to ensure his success, and that is the oldest strategy in the game. Hit and don't be hit, the epitome of pugilism.

The Prediction

Without being a betting man, my money's on "Money". Mayweather physically has the advantage. He's taller, with a longer reach by five inches, superior quickness, and better boxing skills. Cotto fought and won a unanimous decision victory over Shane Mosley, a fighter who is nearly as fast as Mayweather and hits harder. Mosley's the only fighter since Castillo to give Mayweather true trouble. Mosley gave us all a glimpse into the humanity of Floyd Mayweather when he buckled him with two good right hooks in the second round of their fight on May 1, 2010. However, Mayweather was able to weather the storm and white washed Mosley following that second round winning 11 rounds to 1 on two judges scorecards, and 10 rounds to 2 on the other.

From what I've seen, Cotto doesn't have the kind of one-shot stopping power that nearly ended Mayweather's perfect record. His ability to bounce back is a testament to his intense training and conditioning. A lesser man would have gone down. And while everyone has a punchers chance, I think Mayweather is in a league that Cotto is not. While Cotto is a lot quicker than he looks on television, the pin point precision accuracy of Mayweather's punches do a lot more damage than is seen in the gym with his trainer Roger Mayweather. And perhaps the biggest obstacle Cotto is facing is Mayweather's will. In order to beat him, he'll have to break his will and I don't see that occuring. But for Cotto fans, find solace in the fact that stranger things have happen and he's the younger man by 5 years. This is boxing after all.

Until next write...

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

Jones Defeats Evans by Unanimous Decision, Retains UFC Light Heavyweight Title

Jon Jones announced the winner by unanimous decision 

Jon Jones came out to a song entitled "The Champ is Here," by hip-hop recording artist Jadakiss. By the end of the main event at UFC 145, he walked out of the Octagon as champion after defeating Rashad Evans in a mostly one sided affair in front of a packed house at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.  Like many ring side observers, commentators and fans, I thought that Evans would be hard pressed to try and figure out the puzzle that is the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion. While Evans had the best shot at beating Jones, having trained with him for many years, Jones had made significant improvements in his game and was not exactly the same man that he had known in training.

Joe Rogan interviews winner Jon Jones

Jones told Joe Rogan that his victory over Evans was, "[his] most satisfying victory." When asked if it felt different fighting Evans rather than training against him, Jones responded saying, "It felt totally different. I threw a lot of elbows, which you wouldn't do to training partner." And boy did those elbows land, staggering Evans in the second round, what seemed to be a major turning point in the bout. Jones also said since the time he trained with Evans; "I feel like a better wrestler, and a lot stronger." He stuffed every takedown attempt that Evans attempted, and even pulled guard at the end of the final round.


While there was a great deal of bad blood, trash talking, and assault on each other's character, Jones gave kudos to Evans saying, "Rashad was very strong and I wasn't able to finish him like I wanted to."

Joe Rogan interviews a disappointed Rashad Evans

When Rogan spoke with Evans, he too was willing to admit where Jones had improved, saying Jones was, "very crafty and tricky, which kept me off balance." Unlike Jones though, Evans thought the fight was very similar to training and said, "There are some things Jones did tonight that he did better in training."

Whether Jones and Evans will be friends again seems possible, but neither man hinted to it happening anytime soon. Perhaps as this fights fall deeper into history, Jones celebrates and Evans regroups; we may see the two in one another's company again. Brothers fight often, but the bonds of love are hard to break. This time, the little brother emerged victorious, taking his unbeaten streak to 4-0 over UFC light heavyweight champions. What's next for Jones is anyone's guess. I'm sure there will be a handful of opponents standing in line to plead their case to UFC President Dana White. While us fans may be prematurely thinking about a dream match between Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, two fighters who seem to be unbeatable at the moment. Surely the topic may come up, and there's always the heavyweight division where Jones is likely to face more guys his height, with a lot more punching power than anyone in his division.

For now, Jones can bask in the moment as he remains truly unbeaten and the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.

In other fights at UFC 145, Mark Bocek defeated John Alessio in a three round decision in the lightweight division. Eddie Yagin defeated Mark Hominick in a close fight in the featherweight division. Michael McDonald knocked out former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres. In a heavyweight match up, Ben Rothwell knocked out Brendan Schaub with one punch after being staggered by a spinning elbow. And welterweight phenom Rory MacDonald dominated Che Mills, winning in the second found by TKO.

Until next write...

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon

 

Jones vs Evans: Prediction

On April 21, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon "Bones" Jones defends his title against former champion "Suga" Rashad Evans. The most compelling fact about this match up is that Jones and Evans were once training partners. Jones and Evans both trained under Greg Jackson at Jackson's Submission Fighting and MMA. While both were light heavyweight competitors, they both asserted that they would not fight because they were on the same team. At the time, Jones was a rising star and Evans was already an established former champion and winner of the heavyweight division on The Ultimate Fighter 2. How did this fight come to be when the two were so adamant about leaving competition between the two in the training gym, outside of the octagon? 

A Little Background

After Lyoto Machida's controversial title defense over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in their first fight; Evans was matched against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The winner of the fight was to face the winner of Machida vs Rua 2. Evans gained a decision victory over Jackson, and Rua knocked Machida out to win the title. Evans' match against Rua was postponed due to a knee injury suffered in his fight with Machida. In ironic fashion, when the fight was on again, Evans blew out his own knee in training and couldn't compete. So UFC president Dana White, in good old fight making fashion, not wanting to lose the night, all the prep work, and money spent promoting, inserts the hot prospect Jon "Bones" Jones. In that fight, Jones gave Rua the worst beating of his life, forcing a stoppage in the third round. And while Jones was being interviewed by Joe Rogan, in walks Rashad Evans, informing Jones that he's coming for the title. From then, Evans broke away from his trainer Greg Jackson and hasn't spoken to him in over a year, while Jones is still trained by Jackson. A bit of bad blood has been brewing and the fight has become all the more intriguing.

Jones' Keys To Victory
Jones stands tall at 6'4, towering five inches over the 5'11 Evans. So it would be smart for him to use his reach to keep Evans at bay with jabs and leg kicks while their standing. Evans has been susceptible to legs kicks in the past and once mentioned it as a weakness he needs to work on. Distance will also be important for Jones since Evans is a pretty good striker in his own right. Jones will need to work the sprawl if Evans shoots for a takedown and deliver his excellent Muay Thai knees that were so devastating against Rua in their fight. He might also look to submit Evans by a guillotine choke as he employed against Machida if he's able to force Evans back into the cage. Jones has got an all around game and an unorthodox style that has worked well thus far. He'll need to apply all his technique and exploit the weaknesses he's seen in Evans in their training sessions in the past.

Evans' Keys To Victory

Going into the fight, Evans has an advantage that no other fighter has had against Jones. He's fought him before. Albeit in the training gym, but he knows how he moves and what he likes to do. Evans should exploit whatever weaknesses he feels Jones has. There hasn't been a great deal of fights where Jones has had to defend on the ground, since his usually on top of his opponents. Evans should look to cut the distance, nullifying Jones' reach and look to take him to the ground where he should have the advantage with his excellent wrestling ability. Evans needs to watch the spinning elbow and employ some of the same defensive footwork that Machida used at the beginning of his fight with Jones to make Jones a less effective striker. Trying to fight him on the inside may also be a good tactic, eliminating the reach advantage, while setting up an opportunity for a takedown. He'll just need to watch the knees inside.

The Prediction

Ring & Cage Winner: Jon "Bones" Jones in 4. Barring any spectacular knockout by either side in the first two rounds, I see them doing a lot of feeling out in the first round and working a chess match in two and three. While they know each other from training, its not the same as fighting someone who's trying to take your head off. Jones has a height advantage and reach advantage, and Evans has had problems in the past with taller fighters. Jones has taken out three former light heavyweight champions in one year, beating Rua, Jackson, and Machida in the span of 10 months in 2011 by TKO or submission. This guy Jones is no joke, and the problems he poses for Evans are going to very hard to solve. As I said, Evans has the best shot of any fighter who's come before him having trained with Jones. But like the odds-makers, I don't think it he'll prove me wrong come April 21st. Look for the fight results and review on the night of the fight.

Until next write...

Comment and check out my debut novel, The Virgin Surgeon