UFC 128 Fight Card: 5 Reasons Jon Jones Will Take Away Shogun Rua's Belt

Jon Jones has been called many things throughout his young blossoming career.

He's known to many as the next sure thing in MMA. His style is unorthodox; his motion: impeccable. He hits like lightning, and is as hard to catch as a rabbit.

He is Jon "Bones" Jones, and he is challenging Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 this Saturday for the light heavyweight championship of the world.

Just try and stop him.

Jones has remained unfazed in his career, even when he received a disqualification ending in a loss to Matt Hamill. He's an impressive 12-1 with that loss and is a fighter that receives much praise—and rightfully so.

In his 13 career bouts, he has seven (T)KOs, which shows he has the ability to finish fights. He also has three submission wins, which goes to show how well-rounded Jones is. And to top it off, he's been the distance twice, so you know "Bones" is a man that can go the distance.

So let's see what the hype is all about and why Jones will defeat Rua this Saturday at UFC 128. 

1. Jones' Unorthodox Movements Will Keep Shogun Guessing

Jones is as unorthodox of a fighter as Rua has fought in his career. Though Rua's fought the likes of Mark Coleman, Lyoto Machida, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and many others, none have quite the unconventional arsenal like Jones.

Rua will most likely try to keep this fight away from Jones' power, but the question to be answered is where that hole is. Rua will be the 14th fighter trying to solve the puzzle that is Jon Jones—and with the sporadic movement Jones possesses, it will be hard for Rua to game-plan for something that is so unpredictable and unlike anyone he's ever fought before.

2. Jones Will Have the Power Advantage over Rua

There is no doubt that Jones will come into fight night the heavier fighter, as well as the more powerful one.

Rua has fought many strongmen before in his career (Coleman, Randleman, Overeem) and has had success in the past against such fighters. Jones is different though; he's more physically fit and athletic. Rua will not want Jones on top of him if he knows what's good for him.

In his fights against Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera and Matt Hamill, Jones excessively dominated his opponents, brutally taking the fight where he so deemed. Using vicious heavy elbows, intoxicating body positions and stifling takedown defense, Jones ran through his gauntlet of foes en route to his title shot against Rua.

It will be a tough task for Rua to be the more physical fighter at UFC 128—a task that may not be possible to complete.

3. Reach and Stamina Will Favor Jones

It is well known that Jones' reach is quite larger than many of his light heavyweight foes and it is because Jones uses it so well that it is continually noted when talking about his advantage over fighters.

Jones uses his long straight punches to keep opponents at bay, all the while setting up his next unpredictable combination. Jones can keep fighters out of range and therefore keep himself out of harms way—and he can do it for long periods of time, which makes Jones so good.

His stamina is top notch—training under Greg Jackson's tutelage for the fight with Rua—and if there's anything fight fans know about Greg Jackson, it is how well he prepares each and every one of his fighters for fight night.

Jones will be long prepared for a five-round barn burner should it go that long, which would be an uncharacteristic performance for the N.Y. native. 

4. Jones Will Win the Fight Before It Even Begins

This Thursday, fans can view on Spike for the first time a segment dedicated to Jones and his training for his bout with Rua which will be called "UFC Presents Jon Jones: In the Moment."

I highly recommend every fight fan watch this video if they want to know why Jones will win the fight before even stepping into the octagon this Saturday.

Jones is a top-notch worker above all else and does not take any fight for granted. His training with Greg Jackson's squad in New Mexico is second to none. If the phrase "practice makes perfect" rings true for any MMA fighter, it's certainly Jones.

The amount of time and dedication Jones has put into this fight will be reason enough to watch this Thursday, but in case you don't believe me that Jones' training will be a key to victory, comment on this after watching Thursday—and then we'll talk.

5. Out with the Old, and In with the Hybrid

Photo courtesy of mmajunkie.com

With the exception of Anderson Silva, every current UFC champion on the roster is under 30 years old, which should speak volumes to the style of modern MMA when compared to MMA many years ago when no champion was under 30.

However, times have changed and the youth movement is rapidly occurring in the UFC, as well as much of MMA today. Jones dethroning Rua would only add to the current status of young hungry champions in the UFC and would give increased hope to all those young fighters who dream of one day holding their division's championship belt.

Don't get me wrong here: Rua is still quite young and very nimble for a man who has gone through such an amazing career. But Jones is the new style of fighter—much like Cain Velasquez is to the heavyweight division. These new hybrid multidimensional fighters are exploring styles and techniques to become the best fighter in the world and they have the physical traits to back it up.

Jones is among this exciting class of fighters who do anything to get the fight where they're most dangerous.

As it's been said many times before, I will reiterate fan sentiments. Jon Jones is the future of the light heavyweight division in the UFC, and his time is now.

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