UFC 128 is just weeks away, and the main event has many MMA fans anxiously awaiting March 19.
Fight fans were originally supposed to see Rashad Evans square off with light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, but a training injury has meant a big opportunity for Jon Jones. Jones, a training partner of Evans was asked after winning his last bout on PPV and immediately accepted. Many longtime fans of the sport are surprised to see Jones as an early sports betting favorite.
Despite the significant disparity in experience between both fighters, sports betting fans know that Jones is the smart pick here. While Jones is young, he is a rare talent and has shaped his formerly wild and unrefined style into a more calculated, methodical attack. Unrelenting in his aggression, Jones will be a huge challenge for Shogun as he steps back in the cage after a third ACL reconstruction. Coming off along layoff is tough - for most athletes, returning to the top of their sport after a third ACL reconstruction is unheard of.
Online sports betting players know that while Jones is the favourite heading into this bout, it is by no means a lock. Shogun's level of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will be a great challenge for Jones to contend with. If he makes the kind of rudimentary mistakes he has in previous fights against Brandon Vera and Andre Gusmao, Shogun can absolutely take his arm. Unless Shogun can utilize a really active guard and sweep Jones, I see him eating elbows enroute to a stoppage like so many others that have faced Bones in the past.
