UFC 128 Preview: Early Head to Toe Breakdown for Shogun Rua Vs. Jon Jones

Before UFC 126, Rashad Evans injured his knee, and was forced to pull out of his fight against Mauricio Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

The UFC kept this very hush hush, and Rampage Jackson declined the fight due to it being on too short notice.

On the night of UFC 126, Dana White and Joe Silva decided that if Jon Jones were to win his fight against Ryan Bader, that he would be awarded the title shot.

Jones submitted Bader in the second round, and now that fight will happen on March 19th, at UFC 128 in Newark, NJ.

Here is an early head-to-toe breakdown of the upcoming fight.

Size

Shogun Rua is 6'1'' and has a 76 inch reach. For the most part, he is around the same size as most UFC Light Heavyweights.

On the other hand, Jon Jones is 6'4'' and has an 84.5 inch reach, which is the longest reach on the UFC roster.

Advantage: Jones

Striking

Yes, Jon Jones does have great striking, I do not deny that. But Shogun's striking is insane.

16 out of Shogun's 19 wins have been by KO/ TKO.

7 out of Jones' 12 wins have been by KO/ TKO.

They are very, very good strikers, but I do have to give the edge to Rua.

Advantage: Rua

Wrestling

Simply put, Shogun is not a wrestler. But Jones is.

Jones is a former JUCO National Wrestling Champion.

Advantage: Jones

Jiu-Jitsu

Shogun only has one submission in his career, a kneebar over Kevin Randleman.

Jones has more submissions (3 total) in less fights.

Putting the numbers aside, I feel that Shogun is the better Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Shogun is a black belt, but he simply prefers the striking game.

Advantage: Rua

Power

Jones has knockouts over Vladimir Matyushenko and Brandon Vera. Matyushenko was up and walking around soon after, his "knockout" was just because he was stuck in the crucifix.

Rua has knockouts over Lyoto Machida, Alistair Overeem (2x), and Rampage Jackson. These guys have great chins, and the ability to knock them out cannot be overlooked.

Advantage: Rua

Speed

Jones gets takedowns so fast, pulls flashy spinning moves out of nowhere and generally looks faster than his opponents.

Shogun does not.

Advantage: Jones

Chin

When Jon Jones went up against Ryan Bader, everyone thought that he may be able to challenge Jones' chin. Bader only landed one really good shot, and Jones seemed to walk right through it.

Shogun has gone up against Alistair Overeem, Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, and Lyoto Machida. None of them could knock him out.

Advantage: Rua

Experience

Jones has been practicing MMA for 3 years and has 13 pro fights.

Shogun has been practicing Muay Thai for 14 years, and Jiu-Jitsu for 12. He has had 23 pro fights since his debut 2002.

Advantage: Rua

Heart

I gotta give this one to Jones simply based on the fact that this has been his goal since he started in MMA.

I realize that has only been three years, but Jones is only 23. This could be like a childhood dream to him. How many people actually get the chance to realize those dreams?

Jones started out saying he wanted to be one of the best in the world. He's gonna get his chance to be in the top 10 fighters in the world if he beats Shogun.

Advantage: Jones

And The Winner Is...

Jon Jones.

If this one stays on the feet, Shogun will have trouble with Jones' reach.

If Jones takes Shogun down, he will have trouble getting up.

If Shogun takes Jones down, that may be his only chance. Although I imagine that is easier said than done.

Plus I am a big believer in ring rust. Come fight night, it will have been 10 months and 10 days since Shogun's last fight.

Thanks For Reading!

Every slideshow needs a little Brittney.

Thanks for reading.

UFC 128: Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones: Results, News and More