MMA's 3 R's 8.24.09: Jon Jones, the Heavyweight Shuffle, Danillo Goes Bye Bye, More

Posted by Matt McEwen on 08.24.2009

Another week, another batch of all things right and wrong in the world of MMA this week. But why is Jon Jones joining Greg Jackson's camp in the wRong this time?




The Column Concept:
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. The column will look at events and or happenings in the world of MMA. They will be broken down into the three categories, the Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right will be the good and great fights or positive news items of the week. Perhaps even big fight announcements. The wRong will be bad fights, bad booking decisions and the like. Finally, the Ridiculous are the things that were just the worst of the world of MMA. They get grouped in their categories, and for a show, they will get a score from 1-10, based on the 411 ratings scale.

THE RIGHT:



Heavyweight Shuffle

At the first of the week, we were looking at Couture/Nogueira on Saturday as a possible #1 contender's match, depending on how the fight went. And we were thinking that the winner of the upcoming Shane Carwin/Cain Velasquez fight would either leap frog the other winner, or be next in line. That left Brock Lesnar in the lurch waiting for an opponent, and with nothing scheduled until at least January.

What a difference a week makes.

Now, we have Lesnar confirmed as defending the title on November 21st at UFC 106 against Carwin. Carwin may or may not have earned himself a title shot with his wins over Gabriel Gonzaga, but this is probably the most interesting heavyweight fight the UFC could put on before the end of the year at this point. It remains to be seen if Carwin actually has the skill set to give Lesnar problems, but he has the size to pose some interesting questions. And, with that size, he has the power to KO ANYONE in the sport - Lesnar included.

Making that title fight opens up the winner of Saturday's Couture/Nogueira fight (Couture by TKO, if you're betting) for a nearly assured title shot probably for the Super Bowl show, provided they come out of the fight marketable - not a problem is Couture wins - and healthy - which could be a problem for either man.

Velasquez is in better shape because of this shuffle too. Instead of having an eliminator bout against the only other fresh, legitimate contender in the division - and thus eliminating one of them from title contention for the next year - Velasquez gets to continue to develop his skills (remember, he's only 6-0) against a reputable opponent in Ben Rothwell. If the only way you know Rothwell is as Andrei Arlovski's punching bag, then you might be surprised how much of a fight he'll bring to Velasquez. He was a legit top 10 heavyweight prior to his loss to Arlovski and while he is unlikely to have the wrestling chops to deal with Velasquez, he will have the overall skill set to push him. A quick win or a dominating win would mean Velasquez is ready to hang with the top of the division, while a close fight or a loss would mean he needs some more seasoning. It's always a good idea to see what you have.



Undercard on SPIKE

In a long called for and looked forward to move, SPIKEtv will air at least two fights from the UFC 103 undercard live in an uninterrupted one hour block prior to the PPV. The "pre show" card will be built around the Efrain Escudero/Cole Miller fight, with Drew McFedries' fight against Tomas Drwal also guaranteed to be aired.

This is a great move for fight fans as more live fights is always a good thing, but it's a GREAT move by the UFC. It might not make the difference between a good buyrate and a great buyrate, but putting fights on live to hype a PPV starting in an hour certainly can't hurt. If it gets a few more casual fans to drop money on the PPV, then it's a win for them. Going up against a Floyd Mayweather boxing PPV that is sure to do well is the obvious impetus for this, and there is nothing wrong with that. What will be interesting is if the UFC PPV comes anywhere near the numbers that Mayweather produces. One of the two biggest names in boxing headlining a show against one of the least anticipated UFC main events of the year - it will be curious to see if Jim Lampley is eating his words at the end of the month.



UFC 105 card looking good

It takes place a week before UFC 106, so one of them is most likely going to be free on Spike. I'll take a wild guess and say it won't be the one with Lesnar main eventing, but if we get 105 for free, I won't be complaining either.

Already confirmed is an interesting welterweight fight. Dan Hardy is going to take the next step up in competition level and take on Dong Hyun Kim. Kim is very talented and a good striker, and Hardy has been bringing the goods in all his Octagon encounters, so that will be a good fight. For a free show from the UK, I could even see them making it the semi-main event.

But it's not.

Rumors have it that the much anticipated BJ Penn/Diego Sanchez fight will be the main event, while the semi-main will be Michael Bisping trying to avoid the slide into irrelevance in a comeback fight against talented but inconsistent Canadian Dennis Kang. Add in an undercard that features jiu jitsu ace and TUF winner James Wilks making his first post-reality show appearance, and you have a winner.

THE wRong:



Jon Jones joining up with Greg Jackson

Don't get me wrong....this isn't a bad thing for 'Bones' or the Jackson camp. This is just WRONG for everyone else in the 205lb division. You take a guy who has managed to go 9-0 in his career, 3-0 in the UFC with high profile wins over Stephan Bonnar and Jake O'Brien, become one of the most talked about prospects in the sport, all by training essentially on his own in the MMA hinterland of Rochester, NY, and you put him in the best camp in the world. That's not a good combination for people to deal with.

Jones has a strong wrestling base and striking that sometimes seems like it comes out of watching Kung Fu movies, but that excitement factor also may have left him open to a calm, composed counter striker. Now, with Jackson at the helm, he can only get better. Jackson has a history of accentuating the positives of fighters and tailoring his teaching to their skills - rather than the other way around at some camps - and with a naturally skilled athlete like Jones, that is scary. Want to know who can challenge Lyoto Machida at 205lbs? Give this marriage a year, and you just might have your answer.

THE RIDICULOUS:



Villefort getting cut

He goes out, he controls a fight and, by most accounts, was winning, only to have a cut caused by a headbutt be erroneously ruled to be from a punch, have the fight stopped and lose by TKO. And then, you get cut. Not a bleeding one this time, but cut from the UFC. That's what Danillo Villefort has had to deal with since UFC 101, as he was cut this week in the aftermath of his UFC debut. With the influx of 170 and 185lbers from the WEC (of which Villefort was one) and picking apart the remnants of Affliction, the UFC has had to make some cuts on the roster, but it has to suck to be Villefort right now. He may not have been the most exciting fighter in history, and he may not have dominated his fight, but he did deserve another chance in the big time.