Frankie Edgar: Jon Jones Should Be Fighting Anybody He Really Wants at This Point

Frankie Edgar: Jon Jones Should Be Fighting Anybody He Really Wants at This Point

Frankie Edgar: “Jon Jones Should Be Fighting Anybody He Really Wants at This Point”

Written by Tom Ngo
August 3rd, 2010

While MMA fans continue to debate the awesomeness that is Jon Jones, there are really only a handful of people that can speak on the 23-year-old’s ridiculous skills. You can either ask any of his previous 11 victims, 12 if you include Matt Hamill before he nabbed a controversial disqualification win to hand Jones his only pro blemish, or one of his talented training partners like UFC lightweight king Frankie Edgar.
We decided to choose the latter.
“Absolutely, I think it’s been justified,” the champ told 5thRound.com of the unprecedented hype Jones has received. “He performs day-in and day-out. Not only is he winning fights, but he’s winning them devastatingly.”
Oh yeah, did we forget to mention Edgar – who has been in the trenches preparing for his UFC 118 rematch with BJ Penn on August 28th – hadn’t even seen Sunday night’s performance before boasting about his teammate. Although he fully intends to zip through his DVR later this evening, more so to support his boy than to seek vindication for his claims, Edgar knows the youngster’s time will come.
“I’m sure they want to see he’s mature enough to make that jump, which I think he is,” Edgar said of the UFC’s decision to slow play Jones’ journey down Greatness Road. “Age shouldn’t have anything to do with it. It should be based on performance. Like I said before, he’s stepping it up on the performance level and he’s running through dudes.
“I think he should be fighting anybody he really wants at this point.”
UFC president Dana White has promised Jones will face elite eight competition in his next outing. Although, I don’t believe there are that many 205-pounders alive that would be favored in a showdown with Jones. In fact, the Gambling Gods have just informed me they would likely only have Jones pegged as an underdog against light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, former title holder Lyoto Machida and middleweight king Anderson Silva.
Octagon brass know they have time on their side when it comes to Jones, so rushing him into a mega-fight at this stage of his career wouldn’t make sense. However, if he were 32-years-old instead of only two years above the legal drinking age, best believe there would be a greater sense of urgency from Mr. White and Co.
“Yeah, his time would be ticking a little bit more, but they know he’s got a lot of room to grow,” Edgar added. “It’s just going to be interesting to see where he’s going to be three-four years from now. It’s gonna be crazy.”
Some might say he’s pretty insane right now, Frankie.

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Frank Shamrock: Tito Ortiz was the toughest fight of my career

Frank Shamrock: Tito Ortiz was the toughest fight of my career

Frank Shamrock officially put his legendary mixed martial arts fighting career out to pasture on June 26, announcing his retirement from competition at the Strikeforce and M-1 Global co-promoted “Fedor vs. Werdum” event at the HP Pavilion in his hometown of San Jose, Calif.

Looking back on a career that garnered the first UFC light heavyweight crown, the first WEC light heavyweight title, and the first Strikeforce middleweight championship, one fight stands out above all the others to Shamrock.

“They all kind of stand out for different reasons. But I’d say my physical, the greatest physical application of martial arts I’ve ever applied, was against Tito Ortiz just because he was so big,” Shamrock told MMAWeekly.com. “It took everything I had in my arsenal of martial arts skills to beat him.

“I’ve had other fights that... fighting Phil Baroni with a blown out knee was like the hardest mental thing I’ve ever done, but physically battling with Tito was just retardedly hard.”

Shamrock defeated Ortiz at UFC 22 to retain his UFC light heavyweight belt. His crowning achievement would be his last fight in the Octagon, where he went undefeated, finishing all five of his opponents, four of them in the first round. He relinquished his title and left the organization following the fight.

Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz will always be one of the greatest bouts in UFC history to the hardcore fans that witnessed it and realized its significance at the time it occurred. There was a changing of the guard in UFC ownership and the landscape of the light heavyweight division, but Shamrock went out on his terms, propelled by a flurry of hammer fists to the head of the tapping Ortiz.

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Couture Praises Jones, Laughs Off Toneys Smack Talk

Couture Praises Jones, Laughs Off Toneys Smack Talk

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture was impressed with Jon Jones’ quick win Sunday over Vladimir Matyushenko in the main event of UFC on Versus 2.

“Vladdy’s been a solid performer for a long, long time,” Couture explained on “The Daily Line” program on Versus. “He’s been in this sport for as long as I have, 13 years. He’s fought some of the best guys -- Tito Ortiz, to name a few. Jon showed well tonight.”

Despite Matyushenko’s experience, Jones forced a ref stoppage 1:52 into the first round. He caught Matyushenko in a crucifix and pounded his head with elbows.

The win is Jones’ fifth in the UFC. Couture has been watching him all along, including his bout against Stephan Bonnar.

“He did things in that fight where I went back to the gym and was like, ‘How the heck did he do that?’” Couture said.

Couture also praised Jones’ humble attitude. As for what the 23-year-old needs to do to become a champion, Couture said he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.

“He’s got a great wrestling pedigree,” Couture said. “He’s put together some tremendous striking. He uses his range well. He’s very composed. He doesn’t even look like he’s breaking a sweat out there most of the time. … He’s going to continue to improve with more experience.”

Couture also has a bout coming up. He fights boxer James Toney at UFC 118 on Aug. 28. Toney has talked plenty of trash leading up to the fight, but Couture laughed off his comments Sunday.

“I think he’s going to be dangerous, especially early in the fight,” Couture said. “He’s a tremendous boxer. He’s got great boxing credentials. This is not a boxing match. It’s a mixed martial arts fight. There’s a lot of things that can happen and a lot of things you have to be wary about. Striking changes when you’re in MMA, with takedowns, knees, elbows, kicking, all the other things that take place in a mixed martial arts fight. In that cage it’s a lot different, and I don’t think boxers reali

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Jon Jones next fight against 'one of the top eight guys in the world'

Jon Jones next fight against 'one of the top eight guys in the world'

"Vladimir Matyushenko is a guy who I have a a lot of respect for and I didn't think it was going to happen that easy. 'Bones' Jones is the real deal and he just catapulted himself tonight into the top eight in the world. Tonight solidified it. To go in and do what he did to Vladimir Matyushenko, and make it look as easy as he did tonight, it cements it for me. This kid is one of the top eight in the world in that weight division. He's got to keep his head together, stay focused and keep doing all the right things in training. He's smart, good looking and bad ass. He's going to make a lot of money -- this kid is going to do very well. Right now in the 205-pound division, all these guys are fighting each other. When the smoke clears and the dust settles, Jon Jones will fight one of the top eight guys in the world for his next fight."

That was fast ... and we're not talking about Jon Jones' remarkable finish of the very tough and durable Vladimir Matyushenko in the UFC on Versus 2 main event this evening. UFC President Dana White was among the many who was blown away with the performance of his most promising light heavyweight perhaps ever, promising that "Bones" will be tested against the division's best his next time out. With division champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua out with an injury, and Lyoto Machida and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson set to hook 'em later this year, the options on the table right now are limited. Rashad Evans is a training partner, which seemingly dashes that match up ... at least for now. Perhaps the winner of the UFC 119 fight between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ryan Bader? Let's hear it, Maniacs. Make us a match.

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The Boxing Build: Why Jon Jones Should Fight Chuck Liddell Next

The Boxing Build: Why Jon Jones Should Fight Chuck Liddell Next

Jon Jones impressed me tonight. He took apart a top wrestler in Vladimir Matyushenko, manhandling him and beating him like a rented mule. It was like a man toying with a child-a man with an 84 inch reach and incredible speed and strength.

Jones has beaten two failed prospects (Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar) a journeyman (Matt Hamill) and an aged contender (Matyushenko). Now it's time for the top prospect to get famous-and that's not going to happen fighting Jason Brillz or Thiago Silva. Jones has been given a steady build, slowly making his way up to the top of the ladder. There is only one opponent that makes sense to help further propel Jones to superstardom: Chuck Liddell.

It's a matchup that would be obvious in boxing. We've seen it time and again, often with the biggest names in the entire sport. Oscar De La Hoya became one of the most polarizing fighters in history by whipping the aging legend Julio Cesar Chavez. Mike Tyson won over critics and solidified his status by beating back Larry Holmes, who was dragged kicking and screaming out of a lounge chair in Easton, Pennsylvania to fight the young star. Holmes wanted no part of Tyson. Don King and a bag of cash changed his mind:

I knew that I couldn't beat Mike Tyson. But again ... Don King calls. I was off two years with my band, traveling around with Kool and the Gang, the Temptations, singing ding ding ding, you know?

And drinking them -- Budweisers and stuff like that. And a knock on the door, Don King, three in the morning. 'Larry, open the door.' I said, 'Well, what are you doing, man?'

King said, 'I want you to fight Mike Tyson.' I said, 'You must be crazy. I can't beat Mike Tyson. I ain't did nothing for two years.' King said, 'It's three and a half million dollars.' I said, 'Well, come on in.'

He said, 'But you got two months to get ready for the fight.' I have two months? I said, 'Man, two months?' He said, 'Well, you have three and a half million.' And I said, 'I can't beat Mike Tyson in two months, man.' King 'Here is 500,000 cash.' I said, 'OK.'

That's the role of the former champion. I think we all know a truth that Dana White is still denying-Chuck Liddell won't leave gracefully. He's going to have to be beaten out of the sport. Why waste that opportunity on a used up Rich Franklin? And why risk your stellar young prospect against a tough unknown like Silva?

Top prospect and has-been champion. It's a proven matchup, one that has turned promising young boxing stars into box office attractions. And if a miracle happens you can immediately insert Liddell into a title fight in a real life Rocky Balboa story. Dana should put his feelings aside and make this fight. It's what Liddell needs to move on. It's what Jones needs to be a star.

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UFC on Versus 2 preliminary-card recap

UFC on Versus 2 preliminary-card recap

SAN DIEGO – With mounting bills, a struggling chiropractic business, a third child on the way, and his UFC career in jeopardy, Dr. Jacob Volkmann picked up a victory when it mattered the most.

Facing well-rounded British welterweight Paul Kelly, Volkmann dominated on the ground and ultimately scored a unanimous-decision victory.

The fight capped off the untelevised preliminary-card action of UFC on Versus 2, which took place at the San Diego Sports Arena in California.

It was a pivotal win for Volkmann, who lost his first two UFC fights but surprisingly got a third booking. He then narrowly edged Ronny Torres for a split-decision win at UFC Fight Night 20 and entered tonight's bout in a must-win situation.

Volkmann's ground skills – sharpened at the University of Missouri, where he was a three-time Division 1 All-American wrestler – proved the deciding factor against Kelly, who couldn't overcome his opponent's smothering top game. And even when he tried to escape, Kelly either gave up dominant positions or was forced off to fend off a variety of submission attempts.

Volkmann never got the stoppage, and he nearly took the full brunt of a flying knee in the final minute of the fight. But the dominant performance earned him all three rounds and a unanimous-decision win via scores of 30-27 from the three judges.

After skating on thin ice, Volkmann (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) now finds himself with back-to-back victories and some much-desired job security. Kelly, a veteran of the UFC's overseas shows who was making his American debut, falls to 10-3 overall and 4-3 in the UFC.

After opponent DaMarques Johnson missed weight for their welterweight bout, Matt Riddle made him pay in more than way.

After surrendering 20 percent of his purse to Riddle as punishment for weighing 172 pounds, Johnson then found himself repeatedly on his back. Riddle, a former state high-school wrestling champion, proved apt on his feet but primarily relied on the takedowns for dominant positions. Once there, his ground-and-pound efforts began to pay dividends.

In the second round, Johnson scored with a knee to the face that briefly stunned his opponent. But Riddle got the fight to the mat, again took top position, and then briefly considered a rear-naked choke as he flattened out Johnson. Instead, Riddle postured up and rained down a quick succession of unanswered blows. Referee Jason Herzog halted the action at the 4:29 mark and awarded him the TKO victory.

Riddle (5-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 7," now has won back-to-back fights since the lone defeat (a TKO loss to Nick Osipczak) of his career. Johnson (14-8 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a "TUF 9" runner-up, now has lost three of his past five bouts.

The seemingly perpetually cursed James Irvin found no luck in his return to the light-heavyweight division.

After a failed experiment at middleweight that left the fighter emaciated and sluggish in a UFC on Versus 1 loss to Alessio Sakara, Irvin returned to 205 pounds. But he ran into a buzzsaw in Croatian fighter Igor Pokrajac, who avoided a third consecutive UFC loss with a quick first-round knockout victory.

After a brief ground skirmish, Pokrajac unloaded more than a dozen straight punches that left his opponent dazed and wobbly. Irvin tried to return fire, but Pokrajac dragged him to the mat, took his back, flattened him out and secured a fight-ending rear-naked choke at the 2:29 mark of the opening round.

The victory moves Pokrajac to 22-7 (1-2 UFC) and undoubtedly saves his career in the UFC. Irvin (14-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC), who's lost three straight fights, now faces an uncertain future in the promotion.

In a bout that marked referee "Big" John McCarthy's return to the UFC octagon, former WEC light-heavyweight champion Brian Stann's middleweight debut proved a successful one as persistence paid off and rewarded him with a third-round submission victory over Mike Massenzio.

Stann, who was fighting for the first time since a February decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 109, found an evenly matched opponent and split the first two rounds with Massenzio, who frequently scored takedowns throughout the fight. However, an action-packed third round benefited Stann, who fired off multiple triangle-choke attempts before finally securing a successful one on his third try. Massenzio, who was wobbled by a punch at the beginning of the round, tapped out at the 3:10 mark.

The victory comes at a vital time for Stann (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who releases his autobiography, "Heart for the Fight," next month. Massenzio, fighting for the first time in nearly two years due to injuries, drops to 11-4 (1-2 UFC) and could be released from the UFC following back-to-back losses.

In a lightweight bout that featured one of the most impressive promotional debuts of late, undefeated Brazilian and UFC newcomer Charles Oliveira made quick work of fellow lightweight Darren Elkins and posted a swift submission victory.

Elkins struck first after he picked up and slammed his opponent to the mat. But Oliveira quickly slapped on a triangle choke, maneuvered to halt an escape attempt, alertly readjusted to secure an armbar, and ultimately forced a tap-out from the submission a mere 41 seconds into the fight.

The lightning-quick ground attack earned the UFC rookie a rousing ovation from the San Diego crowd and moves his overall record to 13-0 (1-0 UFC). Elkins, who earned a TKO victory at the first UFC on Versus event when opponent Duane "Bang" Ludwig severely broke his ankle while bracing for a takedown, falls to 12-2 (1-1 UFC).

In the night's opening bout, veteran middleweight Rob Kimmons used multiple takedowns, submission attempts, and sporadic but effective clinch work to top former WEC fighter Steve Steinbeiss via a close but unanimous decision.

Steinbeiss fended off many of the takedowns or quickly returned to his feet early in the early rounds, but the continued assault slowly wore him down as the fight continued. In the third and deciding round, Kimmons scored a late takedown, followed it with ground and pound, and then popped Steinbeiss with a knee to the head in the final seconds. The effort earned him the round and the decision victory via 29-28 scores on all three judges' cards.

The decision was met with a mixed reaction from fans, many of whom felt Steinbeiss won the first two rounds of the fight. (MMAjunkie.com scored it 29-28 in Steinbeiss' favor.)

Regardless, Kimmons (23-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who suffered a TKO loss to Jorge Rivera at UFC 104, picks up his sixth win in eight fights and avoids the first back-to-back losses of his career. Steinbeiss (4-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC), meanwhile, drops his third straight fight – all under the Zuffa LLC banner – and faces a potential UFC release.

SEE ALSO: UFC on Versus 2 main-card recap: Jones TKOs Matyushenko, Okami edges Munoz

PRELIMINARY-CARD RESULTS

•Jacob Volkmann def. Paul Kelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Matt Riddle def. DaMarques Johnson via TKO - Round 2, 4:29
•Igor Pokrajac def. James Irvin via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:29
•Brian Stann def. Mike Massenzio via submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 3:10
•Charles Oliveira def. Darren Elkins via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 0:41
•Rob Kimmons def. Steve Steinbeiss via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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UFC on Versus 2 main-card recap

UFC on Versus 2 main-card recap

SAN DIEGO – In a matchup of experience vs. youth, the kid reigned supreme.

Highly touted light heavyweight Jon Jones used a takedown and a quick and vicious barrage of elbow strikes to score a first-round TKO victory over former IFL champ Vladimir Matyushenko.

The fight headlined UFC on Versus 2, a Versus-televised event that took place in front of 8,132 fans at the San Diego Sports Arena in California.

Jones, a 23-year-old who entered the fight with a staggering 10.5-inch reach advantage, attacked his 39-year-old opponent from distance before scoring a takedown. Once there, he maneuvered out of Matyushenko's early attempt at an armbar and then unloaded the lightning-quick series of elbow strikes.

Referee Herb Dean halted the action at the 1:52 mark of the very first round.

Jones admittedly was surprised by the quick win.

"I trained the hardest I could possibly train," Jones said. "I knew Vladimir would be the toughest test, and I trained my butt off. And things went really well."

Jones' only career loss came in December, when an illegal "12-to-6" elbow strike resulted in a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill. Jones, though, otherwise dominated the fight, and few consider it a legitimate defeat. That's why the New Yorker believes – as do most MMA pundits – that it's now time for him to face the division's elite.

"My goal is to become one of the best in the world, if not the best in my weight class," Jones said. "Whoever the UFC gives me, I'll be ready for it. ... I just hope (UFC mathmaker) Joe Silva and (UFC president) Dana White really kick it up with me and give me some really, really tough guys."

With his second straight UFC on Versus main-event victory, Jones moves to 11-1 overall and 5-1 in the UFC. Matyushenko, who entered the fight on an 11-1 run, falls to 24-5 (5-3 UFC).

In the night's co-headliner, longtime middleweight contender Yushin Okami apparently was fueled by the mere hint of a potential title fight.

Just days after UFC president Dana White suggested that the Japanese fighter may be due for a shot at the belt, Okami posted one of the most impressive performances of his four-year UFC career and earned a split-decision victory over fellow contender Mark Munoz.

Although often criticized for a lackluster and defense-oriented fighting style, Okami successfully neutralized Munoz's advanced takedown skills, battered the former NCAA Division I national champion with counter-shots, and essentially shut down his opponent's varied advances with both technique and brute strength. With solid footwork, an effective sprawl and his ability to shake off a punch that knocked him down in the second round, Okami earned reigned supreme for the hard-fought decision victory.

However, though Okami appeared to clearly win the first and third rounds, he had to settle for a split-decision win (29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 on the judges' cards).

"I was surprised, but Munoz was a really good fighter," Okami said of the decision through a translator.

Okami, whose only two UFC losses came to ex-champ Rich Franklin and now-top contender Chael Sonnen, moves to 25-5 overall and a stellar 9-2 in the UFC. Munoz, who had been a perfect 3-0 since a drop to middleweight, falls to 8-2 overall and 3-2 in the UFC.

Some wrestlers use their ground skills to keep a fight on the mat. Others use them to score takedowns and steal rounds. Then there's Jake Ellenberger, whose wrestling allows him to do everything from setting up dominant ground positions to disrupting his opponents' rhythm to escaping trouble and buying himself recovery time.

Ellenberger used multiple takedowns and an effective top game to control his fight with fellow welterweight John Howard. Ultimately, though, Ellenberger earned a third-round TKO victory when his opponent's badly damaged and swollen left eye prompted the doctor's intervention and a stoppage of the fight.

Despite his wrestling prowess and eventual victory, Ellenberger didn't exactly have a skate in the park. After a dominant and safe first round, Ellenberger couldn't as effectively manage Howard in the second. In fact, Howard wobbled him with punches and well-timed knees to the head throughout the round, but Ellenberger continually survived by scoring takedowns and slowing the attacks.

Ultimately, though, it was one of Ellenberger's elbow strikes in the second round that prompted the end of the fight. The swelling on the left side of Howard's face began almost immediately and ballooned up to a sickening, stomach-churning level by the third round. The doctor ultimately halted the bout at the 2:21 mark of the final frame.

"If they want to do it again, we can do it again," said Ellenberger, who admits he was rocked by Howard's strikes on a few occasions. "Winning like that isn't always the best, but I came out with the W."

The victory moves Ellenberger to 23-5 overall and 2-1 in the UFC. Howard (14-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, snaps a seven-fight win streak and suffers his first loss in the octagon.

With the reputation of Japanese MMA hinging at least partially on his fight, Takanori Gomi stopped a legitimate lightweight contender, earned a vicious knockout win, and picked up his first UFC victory with a 64-second knockout of Tyson Griffin.

Before the fighters even really had a chance to test their range and break a sweat, Gomi whiffed on a left hand but followed with a big right cross that connected flush with his opponent's chin. The blow sent Griffin face first into the canvas, and Gomi followed with additional punches before the referee could dive into the scrum and stop the fight.

Griffin tried to protest the stoppage but stumbled as he got to his feet, still clearly dazed from the crushing blow.

"This is what I consider my start in the UFC," said Gomi, who suffered a submission loss to Kenny Florian in his March UFC debut. "The first time I was here, I really didn't know how to fight American (MMA). You saw what happened today. I think I got the hang of it."

Gomi (32-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former PRIDE champion and still one of Japan's most popular fighters, now has won three of his past four fights and becomes the first fighter ever to stop Griffin. Meanwhile, Griffin (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who was once on the verge of a title shot after a remarkable 6-1 run in the UFC, now has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

SEE ALSO: UFC on Versus 2 preliminary-card recap: Volkmann, Riddle and Stann victorious

MAIN CARD

•Jon Jones def. Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:52
•Yushin Okami def. Mark Munoz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
•Jake Ellenberger def. John Howard via TKO (eye injury) - Round 3, 2:21
•Takanori Gomi def. Tyson Griffin via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:04
PRELIMINARY CARD

•Jacob Volkmann def. Paul Kelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Matt Riddle def. DaMarques Johnson via TKO - Round 2, 4:29
•Igor Pokrajac def. James Irvin via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:29
•Brian Stann def. Mike Massenzio via submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 3:10
•Charles Oliveira def. Darren Elkins via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 0:41
•Rob Kimmons def. Steve Steinbeiss via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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