Jones vs. Vera
March 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Jon Jones's ONLY Loss
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.
Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill
October 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Jon Jones seen here showcasing his unorthodox, crowd-pleasing striking skills
However, it wasn’t until his fight with Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 that the world started to take notice. In that fight, he absolutely dominated the veteran and he did so in an incredible way. He whipped Bonnar all around the octagon and rocked him with flashy kicks and spinning elbows. After the fight, when asked where he learned how to strike, he joking said “you tube”.
In his last outing, it was obvious that “Bones” Jones had become a fan favourite by the reaction of the crowd when he fought Jake O’Brien. In that fight, he picked up his first “finish” in the Octagon as he submitted Jake with a Guillotine choke in the second round. Now, with a 3-0 record in the UFC and a 9-0 record in total, he’s stepping up the competition with about against Matt Hamill.
Matt Hamill – who’s coming off a devastating head kick KO victory against Mark Munoz at UFC 96 – will be looking to add to his win streak and his already impressive record inside the Octagon. His only real loss thus far has come from Rich Franklin and well, that’s understandable seeing as how Franklin is one of the best. Technically, Matt Hamill has a loss against Michael Bisping but it’s hard to consider that as an actual defeat. Watch the fight for yourself if you want to see why.
As for how these two guys match up, well ..they’re both monsters when it comes to Greco roman wrestling. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’d give Jon Jones the edge in the striking department but Matt Hamill has shown a lot of improvement in the last couple of his fights. That being said, he got absolutely picked apart by Rich Franklin and he tends to look somewhat sloppy at times.
He’s improved a lot, he has a powerful jab, but he drops his hands way too often and that’ll most likely be a problem against a 6’4 striker with an 84.5 inch reach. Franklin utilized Thai style kicks to finish him and it just so happens that Jon Jones has been working his Muay Thai with Phil Nurse lately – who’s one of the best Thai boxing trainers in the country.
The best chance for Matt Hamill to win is to take him down, control him and pound him for either a stoppage or a decision victory. It should be interesting to see how this one plays out.
