Who's The Big Baby Now? Marcus Jones Shows Promise In TUF

“Marcus is for real! This guys got some Jiu-Jitsu!”

UFC President Dana White could not sound happier after the Ultimate Fighter’s week 8 fight when Marcus Jones defeated Mike Wessel in just under 50 seconds. And who wouldn’t be happy to see an entertaining fight after watching 7 weeks of poor bouts.

This week’s episode of TUF may have shown a little light on this seemingly dark season. For seven weeks fans have been nearly punished in watching lazy fight after fight that only showcased the poor conditioning and lack of mechanics in the heavyweights this season. But that changed in week 8’s episode.

The final fight enouncement between ex-football star Marcus Jones and former UFC fighter Mike Wessel aired last week and has been looked forward to since.

Since the season began Jones has taken up the name “big baby” for his sensitivity that seems obscure for a man his size and strength. But in week 8 Jones showed no signs of being putting down for a nappy.

Jones entered the ring with a 6-inch height advantage and 7.5 inches more reach. This played out nicely for Jones but was not the reason he dominated the week 8 fight in less than 50 seconds.

Although Wessel came out swinging, Jones used his long arms and good defense to manhandle the 6-foot tall ball of strength. Jones and Wessel then clinched and Wessel went for the take down, but instead of landing on top, Wessel was turned on the takedown and landed on his back with Jones on top. From there Jones showed a few powerful punches to Wessel’s head before being flipped on his back, where after a little squirming on Wessel’s part, he took full guard. And in only a few seconds Jones took full control over Wessel’s body and executed a deep armbar. Not only did the experienced Wessel tap, but he immediately grabbed his arm in throbbing pain. President Dana White even said the arm looked deformed. Jones was not joking when he said, “If I get his arm, I’m gunna rip his arm off!”

Marcus Jones is the real deal. His fight showed that he is not simply the gentle giant that is portrayed at the house, but that he has a mean switch that is turned on when he gets in the cage and becomes “the darkness”. Jones showed great power, skill, and control that have not been seen in previous episodes. Big Baby stood up with Wessel in the beginning and used his massive arms to control any punches thrown at him. He then used his skill to gain dominant position on Wessel, which was followed by an armbar that even opposing coach Rashad Evens said was one of the fastest he has ever seen.

Marcus has shown episode after episode that he will give anything for a shot in the UFC. The ex-football player stated that he had a passion for UFC, which he never felt for the NFL. Jones is always laughing excitedly about new moves, and can’t wait to fight next. In his post-fight interview Jones was giddier than a little schoolgirl after her first kiss. It’s this excitement that drove Jones to his first victory and will continue to drive him into future ones.

If Marcus Jones can continue to fight with the energy and passion that he showed in this fight, he could take the entire show by storm. Watch out for the dark horse they call “big baby.” Because when “big baby” steps in the ring, he wont be the one left crying.