UFC 128 Fight Card: Shogun-Jones Winner Should Enjoy Lengthy Title Run

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Jon Jones are just hours away from answering the questions that MMA fans have debated for the past month.

Will Shogun's ring rust from another knee surgery hurt him in his first UFC title defense? Will 23 year old Jon Jones continue his impressive run through the UFC's light heavyweight division by defeating an MMA legend for the title?  

No one really knows, but one thing seems likely for the winner of this bout: a long, possibly record-setting, Light Heavyweight Championship run. 

For one, they both possess a wide array of skills standing up and on the ground. Shogun is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and has won 16 or his 19 fights by knockout. Meanwhile, Jon Jones is coming off of a submission victory over Ryan Bader and finished his previous two opponents (Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko) by knockout.

Another, more important, reason is the suddenly uncertain future of the division. Dana White has already said that Rashad Evans is next in line for a title shot, but he hasn't looked as dangerous since losing the title by knockout to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's focus doesn't seem to be on regaining the title after turning down a second opportunity last month. Forrest Griffin is another possible contender after last month's decision win over Rich Franklin, but a broken foot will keep him sidelined for most of this year.

With Shogun and Jones streaking and the rest of the division so cloudy, the belt may not leave the waist of tonight's winner for a long time.

The relatively young age of both fighters (especially Jones) could also play a major role in their defenses. When looking at the UFC Light Heavyweight champions since, the most successful ones earned the title in their mid-to-late 20s and defended it in impressive fashion.

Frank Shamrock defended the title four times in 1998 and 1999, finishing all of his opponents, which included Tito Ortiz and Jeremy Horn.

Tito won the title a year later in 2000 and defended it five times, until losing to Randy Couture at UFC 40. During his title reign, he finished four of his five opponents (three of those didn't make it out of the 1st round).

These are the kind of accolades that Shogun and Jones can achieve with a win tonight.

Of course, Shogun has experienced MMA success beyond his years in both Pride and the UFC, but Jones, as always, has a clear size and reach advantage. No matter who fans and experts have winning, very few believe that it will go five rounds.

So to the victor go the spoils - and a potentially historic path ahead of him.