The future is looking bright for the UFC as the depth they now have in their roster allows them to put together great match ups and props to UFC “matchmaker” Joe Silva for setting this one up. The Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones showdown is set to take place in a couple weeks at the “Bank Center” in Broomfield, Colorado. It will also be airing live on the VERSUS network.
I’ve always been a Brandon Vera fan because he represents Muay Thai but he’s certainly not a “one trick pony”. He’s a multiple time “grapplers quest” champion and he’s earned a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin. On top of all that, he’s a talented Greco Roman wrestler as he used to train alongside Randy Couture at the US Olympic training center in Colorado Springs.
And speaking of Couture, Brandon Vera will be looking to rebound from a hard fought loss against him in a fight that many feel he deserved to win. However, picking up a legitimate over Jon Jones is far from an easy task (as indicated by the fact that nobody has defeated him). Sure, he “lost” on a technicality in his last fight against Matt Hamill but he was far from being defeated.
As a matter of fact, while watching his fight against Matt Hamill, I felt like I was watching a snuff film rather than a sanctioned sporting event – that’s how bad of a beat down it was. He literally tossed Matt Hamill around the ring with ease and then went to work on him with some of the most brutal ground and pound that you’ll ever see, ultimately leaving Matt Hamill a bloody mess.
Jon Jones is now officially 3-1 in the UFC and 9-1 in his career but let’s just say he’s undefeated because as mentioned above, he looked more impressive and dominant in his last fight than he has in his entire career (although the beating he put on Stephan Bonner was extremely impressive as well).
However, Brandon Vera will his toughest opponent to date. He has the Greco Roman wrestling skills that may neutralize Jones’s and if Jones does end up getting Vera in a favourable position, then Vera is fully capable of both improving his position and threatening with submission attempts.
If I’m right and these guys end up neutralizing each other in terms of wrestling ability, then we may be in for an incredible showcase of striking ability. Brandon Vera is a traditional Muay Thai style and while Jon Jones is also listed as a Muay Thai fighter, his style is a little more unorthodox. Any way you look at it, this fight has all the makings of being incredible.
