A Dummies Guide for Beating UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones

Undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon “Bones” Jones had an amazing year in 2011 and everything suggests he’ll do likewise in 2012. His only defeat in his MMA career was more or less a loss by default, as he was already delivering a beatdown to the hapless Matt Hamill before his disqualification for illegal use of elbows.

Ever since, those who have attempted to derail or unseat the 205-lb kingpin have failed miserably and, to make matters worse, some have incurred a merciless steamrolling en route to the certain defeat that awaited them.

So can anyone put an end to the rise of one Mr. Jones?

Well there have been supposed game plans and blue prints focusing on the root of the Jones problem, but none have had the desired effect.

Succinctly put, thus far he’s been proven unbeatable.

Though, after his title bout at UFC 140, former champion Lyoto Machida, said that he’d found the path to beating Jones.

In some respects, that was a no-brainer, as Machida was on the wrong end of a standing guillotine choke, followed by an ignominious comatose face plant to the mat.

On the other hand, Machida might have some ingredients to defeating Jones, but he doesn’t have the full recipe at hand just yet.

Don’t blame me if he’s still the champion come 2013, but here’s a dummies guide for beating Jones.

It’s quite simple really.

5. Aggression

Whichever combatant steps into the Octagon with Jon Jones must be overly aggressive—with caution I might add—but aggressive nonetheless.

In the opening stanza of their championship bout, Lyoto Machida displayed spurts of aggression which threw Jones off his game plan and more or less took the round.

In the second, however, and to his detriment, Machida stepped off the gas pedal.

Constant pressure and aggression is paramount, timidity is a surefire bet for certain failure.

4. Out Strike

Now that the combatant has the aggression in his arsenal, next up is his striking ability.

A powerful puncher in the guise of Rampage Jackson is what is required, but if you can’t hit your target, then said power is worth zilch as was proven in his matchup with Jones at UFC 135.

Aggression he had in abundance, but missing the target was his demise.

The same applied to Mauricio Rua when Jones usurped him as champ at UFC 128—Shogun didn’t or was unable to implement his Muay Thai kicks to the best of his abilities.

Back to Lyoto Machida—his perfect aggression was the catalyst to out striking Jones, something that had never happened to the phenom before.

As I alluded to in the slide preceding this one, stepping off the gas pedal is not an option.

It’s safe to say that Jones is one of the most unorthodox of fighters coupled with his array of dastardly strikes.

Nonetheless, with relentless aggression and striking in the bag, the next phase in the dummies guide for defeating Jones is…

3. Out Grapple

You guessed right, out grappling and out wrestling Jon Jones will go a long way for any 205lb contender or fighter in relieving Bones of his coveted crown.

This skill set is of the utmost importance.

So far Jones has proven a beast in the wrestling department, taking down his opponents at will and doing what he does best—inflicting maximum damage.

Emphasis being placed on the takedown, something which was nigh on impossible against Rampage Jackson.

Still, apropos the takedowns, they need to be fervently reciprocated—Jones on his back would be new territory for him—submissions loom, whilst his own brand of punishment of the ground and pound persuasion wouldn’t be far behind.

Rashad Evans fits the bill, but doesn’t possess the all-around skill set to complete the task.

A good takedown defense and also a wholehearted willingness to take the phenom to ground are crucial pieces for a Jones defeat.

2. Have an 84.5-Inch Reach or Better

At 6’4" and with an 84.5-inch reach, Jones stands as a formidable foe.

Still, it’s either there or not, the only person in the UFC with a reach almost as long as Jones’s is Stefan Struve (84-inches) and he resides in the division above.

Nevertheless, having that arm length is one thing, utilizing it is another which Jones does—keeping his opponent at a distance whilst attacking with effective counter striking.

Jones has yet to face an opponent with a longer reach than his, however, combining the other three elements with the reach advantage and employing them with great efficacy, Jones’s time at the top is at an end or almost.

I say almost, because if all the aforementioned attributes fail to deliver, then there’s only one thing left to wipe that championship smile off of his face.

As this is a dummies guide, the next slide in all honesty should be obsolete, but that’s the Royal Flush and it cannot be beat.

1. Jon “Bones” Jones 2.0

An updated version of Jon Jones, a prototype, his doppelgänger, call it what you may, this is the last line of offense and defense after everything else has been exhausted

Jones 2.0, in addition to having greater speed, agility and power, will also possess a highly upgraded all-around skill set—a prerequisite for the task at hand.

Long story short—only the fighter with the total package will end Jones’s reign of dominance.

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.