The UFC has been carried by the Light Heavyweight division during 2011, and will look to close out the year with a bang at UFC 140, when current Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones takes on former champion Lyoto Machida. Despite the former’s youth and meteoric rise to the top, he hasn’t been able to make a friend out of his upcoming challenger. While the bookie software agents have Jones as a heavy favorite, count us amongst the few that wouldn’t be surprised to see Machida put the young buck in his place at UFC 140.
As we noted earlier, Machida isn’t impressed with Jon Jones. Call it jealousy, call it a way to build up the fight, but simply put, Machida isn’t a fan of the younger champion. After all, Machida was once in a similar situation as Jones, pegged as the next big thing, and praised for his unique fighting style. Now, two years later, Machida feels as though he is the forgotten man by the sports betting enthusiasts, as the UFC promoters do an excellent job building up the current champion.
On paper, this was the least favorable fight for Jones, as he finally has to face a guy that can provide him with a challenge. One of the major issues with Jon Jones since he stepped up to the forefront is that the promoters have babied him. For instance, Jones went from destroying an overrated Ryan Bader, to facing a rusty Shogun and winning the Light Heavyweight title. Meanwhile, Machida has fought the likes of an in shape Shogun, as well as Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. Machida’s Japanese – Brazilian karate should be enough of a style clash with Jones, that Jones is unable to defeat him. Look for Machida to walk out of UFC 140 as the champion.
