Why Jones vs. Sonnen Will Be an Even Bigger Mismatch Than Silva vs. Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar had a better chance of pulling off the biggest upset in UFC history against Anderson Silva than Chael Sonnen has of defeating Jon Jones.

After a statement like that, some of you will move on immediately to the comments section, while others will just move on to the next article.

For those still reading, all it takes is a closer look at the style matchup to be slapped across the face with the thunderous hand of reality.

Firstly, Sonnen must be commended for his ability to talk his way into back-to-back title shots. Jones is quite possibly the greatest all-around talent MMA has ever seen, and some of the best fighters in the world have shied away from stepping into the Octagon with him.

Quite frankly, Sonnen has shown more guts as a middleweight than the entire light heavyweight division.

The UFC was smart in pulling the trigger on this matchup.

With the bout scheduled for spring 2013, Sonnen will have plenty of time to go on a promotional campaign and create the UFC's next blockbuster event.

Fans complained about the pairing of Silva and Bonnar as the main event for UFC 153. Bonnar, who was pretty much retired from the sport, has never even competed for a world title, and Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The 13-to-1 odds reflected "The American Psycho's" nickname, as it seemed borderline psychotic for him to even be in the cage with Silva.

Even though Bonnar was a major underdog, he was the bigger, stronger fighter with better wrestling. There was always a chance he could secure a takedown and use his weight and ground-and-pound to make things tough for Silva on bottom.

Unfortunately for Sonnen, he won't have the same luxury against Jones.

Sonnen is an NCAA All-American and a former Olympic Alternate wrestler, but when it comes to MMA, Jones is the better wrestler, striker and submission artist, who boasts every physical advantage imaginable.

There's always the chance Sonnen connects on a haymaker, but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none.

He hasn't knocked out an opponent since Kyacey Uscola in 2007.

Not to mention, he was on top of an injured Silva for nearly five whole rounds at UFC 117 and still wasn't able to finish the fight.

People get wrapped up in names and marquee fights, but MMA is really about the style matchups. This breakdown doesn't mean Sonnen is a bad fighter, though. Quite the contrary, he's still ranked as the No. 2 middleweight in the world.

Stylistically, Jones is just a tougher matchup for Sonnen than Silva was for Bonnar.