Jones vs. Rampage: Will Rampage Be a Tougher Test for Jones Than Shogun?

Ever since Jon "Bones" Jones defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128, fans have had one question one their minds: Is there anyone at light heavyweight who can challenge Jones?

Jones has looked completely unstoppable so far in his young MMA career. He is 7-1 in the UFC, with his only loss a controversial disqualification to Matt "The Hammer" Hamill.

Many thought that Jon would be outmatched when he took on Shogun for the light heavyweight belt. It was the first time he had faced off against a truly elite opponent and most were unsure that he was ready for it, especially considering he took the fight on barely a month's notice.

However, Jones silenced the skeptics, dominating Rua in all areas of the fight en route to a third-round TKO victory.

Recently, it was announced that Jones would defend his belt for the first time against former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

What fight fans are now wondering is: Will Rampage be able to provide Jones with a tougher test than Shogun?

I'm thinking, no.

Shogun is known as an expert Muay Thai striker. It was possible for him to neutralize Jones' massive reach advantage, to an extent, by landing kicks from the outside.

Quinton rarely ever throws kicks and is primarily a boxer. He needs to get on the inside to land big shots; a tall order given Bones' 84.5-inch reach.

One advantage Rampage will have, in comparison to Shogun, is takedown defense. Mauricio has never been known for his wrestling defense and Jackson has shown to have very solid wrestling defense throughout his career.

In Quinton's most recent fight, he was able to completely shut down every one of Hamill's takedown attempts.

That being said, Jones and  Hamill are two different beasts. Jones has much more explosive and dominant takedowns. I won't go so far as to say that it's impossible for Quinton to stop Jones' takedowns, but it would be absolutely shocking.

In all likelihood, Jones will be able to take this fight to the ground whenever he wants.

Anyone who saw Jackson's fights with Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans knows that Rampage can't do much from his back. Shogun is far from a jiu-jitsu specialist, but he was at least able to threaten with leg locks a bit to slow Jones down.

On his back with Bones on top, Quinton will likely be able to do little more than hold on for dear life.

Perhaps the most significant thing Rampage will have going for him, that Shogun didn't, is he will be relatively fresh going into the fight. Rua had a long lay off before he fought Jones and was coming off of surgery.

Overall, it seems like Rampage's disadvantages going into this fight largely outweigh his advantages. And then there's the question of where his head is at. Many have been questioning whether Jackson's heart is still in fighting.

The UFC hype machine won't be happy to hear it, but Quinton seems like a less threatening opponent than Shogun Rua; I think Jon Jones will beat him handily.