UFC 129 Aftermath: Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Lyoto Machida vs. Jon Jones

The Dragon is back on the winning track after beating Randy Couture last weekend at UFC 129, which has once again ignited the talks of that one superfight that some have been buzzing about with UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon "Bones" Jones.

That's one thing you have to love about Mixed Martial Arts, boys and girls: regardless of a fighter and their record, one impressive win will always keep the hopes alive for a superfight.

Even more lovable is that there's more than one superfight that many in the MMA world would like to see happen, and the fact that we are not fans of a sport that has few options for superfights outside of the tilting Anderson Silva-Georges St-Pierre superfight further justifies why this ever-growing phenom of a sport is one of the most damn fun to watch.

So on the real side of things, how would Machida fare if he really did face Jones?

Aggressive Striking

It's the norm for me to kick these things off with the striking aspect, but we're talking about two guys that have some of the most unorthodox striking in the sport.

We're pitting Machida Karate and textbook counter striking against Muay Thai striking that has been often compared to that of Anderson Silva.

When it comes to putting the pressure on people, Machida has shown that he might be getting a little bit better at pressing the action and trying to engaging, but Machida does his best work when he has guys coming forward with frustration and looking to swing like Chute Boxe fighters in the PRIDE ring.

Jones uses his Wrestling in combination with his striking, but he puts the pressure on his foes and gets the fight going the way he wants it to go--mixing it up is just why people find it so totally on that third level above "badass".

In the fight, that is going to be a problem and three-quarters for The Dragon, who has been unpredictable up until his two fights with former champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, as Jones will look to push Machida and somehow neutralize the effective counter striking before trying to implement his Wrestling game.

Advantage: Jones

Counter Striking

Machida's whole style (and career, before UFC 104) has been defined by his ability to move in and out with his shots as well as evade his opponents.

The resulting blend has resulted in a style that has been mostly tough to decipher, as Machida does what the Mixed Martial Artist should always intend to do in the heat of battle and tries to inflict the most damage possible while taking the least amount of damage possible.

Many feel that Machida was unsuccessful in this goal twice, as a majority has openly felt that Machida truly lost the first fight with Shogun, yet the debate begins when we get to Rampage's UFC 123 outing with Machida.

In the minds of some, Machida inflicted more damage than Rampage and should have won the fight on the scorecards, especially with the third round.

Against Jones is where the question will come up about Machida's counter striking.

Jones doesn't come out like a bat out of hell, but his reach makes it difficult for anyone to get inside and that helps Jones come forward to attack when he needs to.

Against Machida, he'll need to be able to use his reach for more than just keeping Machida from getting inside, and while he did take the best that Shogun had in order to beat him, there's a difference between Machida's striking and Shoguns striking.

Advantage: Machida

Submissions

Both guys don't carry the majority of their wins in the submission department, and it's tough to use Jones' three career wins as an argument against the submission expertise of Machida, who is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu yet has only two submission wins to his credit.

Neither man is a real submission specialist, but both guys can lock you up and make you squeal if they are able to get you down.

The question here is, does Jones' Gaidojutsu give him the edge in submissions over Machida's Jiu-Jitsu?

I'll leave it up to you to say whether or not it really does, but for now, I'll go with my gut, and my gut says Jones may have a slight edge here.

Advantage: Jones

Reach

Prepare for the most expert breakdown of this aspect in MMA history...

Are you ready?

Here it is:

Jon Jones has an 84.5-inch reach--that rounds out to about an 85-inch reach.

Machida does not have a reach that rounds out to nearly 85 inches.

There you go.

Advantage: Jones

Clinch

Jonny Bones is a Muay Thai specialist and a Greco-Roman wrestler who can do some damage up close.

Machida is a Karate master who has dabbled in Sumo and has good trips as well as some good takedowns.

Against the cage and any general time that Machida is up close, however, he will be at a disadvantage against Jones, who has been known to do some heavy damage from the clinch.

If Bones can get up close with Machida and get Machida in the clinch, Machida will be in trouble.

Advantage: Jones

Strength

Lyoto Machida is heavy for 205, and when he doesn't use his striking, he likes to muscle around his opponents en route to a trip or a takedown.

The extra weight might be a problem for Bones, who is by no means too light for his own division, but is a bit slimmer than most Light Heavyweights.

Unless Jones can get a guy like Machida off his feet, this is one area in which he might be in trouble.

Advantage: Machida

Overall Wrestling/Takedown Game

Machida does have a Sumo game that comes out every now and then, but if we're talking about takedowns and overall phenomenal takedown game, we're probably going to have to talk about the man with the master of Gaidojutsu behind him.

Machida's edge on takedowns comes with his trips and his Sumo-style bear-hugs, which lead to takedowns when Machida is able to use his upper body and arm strength to back the opponent up until he is able to put the opponent on the ground.

Jones' takedowns might resemble Judo throws, or they might look like the types of throws that are typical of a Greco-Roman wrestler, but the point is that when Jones gets the chance , he does go for the takedowns.

When I broke down Randy Couture vs. Jon Jones, many thought that Jones would actually have the edge in strength, but against Machida, I would not be surprised to see it as a truth.

Jones has done much more unbelievable things aside from taking down a Light Heavyweight that used to be something of a force at Heavyweight at one point in his career.

Advantage: Jones

On-the-Spot Creativity

On the spot, who can come up with a unique enough gameplan that throws their foes off guard and lets the fans see methods of finishing that they have never seen in the cage before (or methods that are damn impressive coming from a 205er)?

Some say Machida might be creative just based on his style, which is one that basically is Karate-for-MMA, while others say Jones' style is creativr based on the number of unorthodox strikes he likes to throw.

Both guys can pull out anything and everything they have at their disposals in order to get the win.

Chalk this one up to bias, but allow me to pick my side right now.

Advantage: Open, but I say Jones.

Unpredictability

The most unpredictable thing Machida has pulled off in what seems like a long time is that kick he used to knock Randy Couture out.

Before the first fight with Shogun, Machida was untouchable and nobody was able to figure out the style of Machida.

As a matter of fact, only Tito Ortiz came close to figuring out Machida before the UFC 104 clash between Machida and Shogun.

Since UFC 113 and the loss of the UFC Light Heavyweight title, however, Machida's seemed to be somewhat predictable all around.

The only unforeseen part of that UFC 129 bout last weekend was the kick that ended Couture's night and career.

Jones cooks up things that nobody would ever predict--and truthfully, we here at B/R are the only dudes that actually take the time out to predict these bouts, because everyone else feels content with saying "Jones FTW" and the like.

Jones is overall the more unpredictable fighter, because when you think you have him down, he pulls out a strike or submission that most of the so-called "aces" would never have even thought of.

Could YOU have seen a Superman Elbow coming at all in MMA before Bones let it loose?

I didn't think so.

Advantage: Jones

Would This Really Be Jon Jones' Fight to Win Though?

It's normally out of my nature to present enough arguments to convince the masses that a Black House fighter might have more of a disadvantage against someone than an advantage, but I believe I've done it this time.

Machida will be a test for Jones--that is without question--but at this time, Machida needs to redefine the mystique that served as the backbone for the argument of him being pound-for-pound the best Light Heavyweight in Mixed Martial Arts.

In other words, he'll need to diversify his game just a little bit more and try to come out with things that nobody would expect him to get off on Jones.

If he can keep Jones guessing all throughout the fight and change things up from the same song and dance that he's gotten away with since he arrived in the UFC, Jones could likely have the toughest challenge of his career in Machida.

Then again, this fight was never an easy one for Bones from the onset...

...After all, no fight is ever easy if it involves leaving a locker room and walking down a path before entering a ring or a cage for the chance to punch a hole in someone's face or choke them all the way to Kingdom Come.