UFC 135 Jones vs. Rampage: 5 Reasons You Need to Watch This Fight

On September 24, the youngest champion in UFC history, Jon "Bones" Jones, will defend his belt for the first time against former light heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

When these two get into the cage, there will, undoubtedly, be fireworks as both men are prone to their stand-up.

Jackson believes people are afraid to stand with him because of his dangerous boxing, but Jones is not one of those people.

Even though Jackson has been in the UFC since 2007 and has beaten some of the best fighters in the world, he is actually the underdog against the young Jones.

Jones is a complete MMA fighter and Jackson has not been the same fighter since he decided to begin a career in the movie business and let everyone know of his plans to soon retire.

However, this does not stop Rampage from wanting to recapture the belt he lost back in 2008 to Forrest Griffin and to show that he is still one of the top fighters in the world.

He will face a tough test in Jones, who's title victory back in March was one of the most one-sided title fights in UFC history.

Jones embarrassed then champion Mauricio Shogun Rua and made winning the belt look easy.

"Bones" is a new breed of mixed martial arts that is slowly causing legends in the sport, like Rampage, to pass the torch. Just don't tell Rampage that.

This fight should be exciting for a lot of reasons, but here are five reasons to watch the fight.

1) It Won't Go to a Decision

Jon Jones' first two fights in the UFC ended in decision.

Since then, Jones has made sure it has not happened again, ending all six fights by either TKO or submission (even his loss against Matt Hamill, which was a disqualification).

Jones' style is unorthodox, combining his impressive standup, including spinning elbows and flying knees, with impressive slams and underrated jiu-jitsu.

In training camps, opposing fighters try and prepare as much as possible for what they may see in a fight with Jones, but there are not many people out there that could simulate Jones in a fight.

One of Jones' best strengths is his unpredictablility. He is skilled in every aspect of the fight game and opposing fighters cannot keep up.

During his career, Rampage Jackson has not been one to shy away from ending the fight in exciting fashion, until recently (we will get into that later).

Jackson was made famous for his dangerous hooks, as well as his powerful slams and has earned his "Rampage" nickname.

When you get in the cage with Jackson, if you don't have an iron chin, there is a good chance your going to get rocked.

When asked in the pre-fight press conference, Jackson did not think Jones would be man enough to stand up with him and would try and take the fight to the ground,

"You know he is," said Jackson.

"Come on, man. Who's been standing with me, dog? Who's been actually doing mixed martial arts with me? Everybody's been wrestling me. You already know, player."

However, Jones is not worried about standing up against Rampage because fighting someone with one-dimensional stand up, is like being in a boxing match,

"Rampage is like fighting a boxer in my opinion." said Jones. "If he thinks that I'm intimidated to stand with him, I think it's great he's under that impression."

"I think I displayed pretty good kickboxing against Mauricio 'Shogun Rua.' And Shogun was throwing knees and elbows and high kicks and things."

If Jones stays by his word and plans to stand with Jackson, there is no question that the fight will not go to a decision.

2) Issuing a New Era in Mixed Martial Arts

When Rampage Jackson started his mixed martial arts career in 1999, his 135 opponent was only 12-years-old.

Now, 12 years later, Jon Jones is helping usher in a new age of mixed martial arts and a win over Jackson could be the passing of the torch.

When some of the fans and media called Jackson "old," Jackson was quick to set everyone straight,

"I'm only 33. Goodness. You all act like I'm Randy Couture's decrepit old ass," Jackson said.

"You know, if I have to represent the old school, I guess I'll represent them. I guess I'm old school, but with old school comes a lot of experience. He's the youngest champion, but I think [Jones is] the least experienced champion in UFC history."

Although Jackson is only 33, he represents a style of fighting that revolves around one type of style. Fighters from Jackson's time had one strong point, while their other skill sets are good, but not great.

Couture had wrestling, Tito Ortiz had ground and pound, while Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson had striking.

Jones is ushering in a new era of complete fighters that are strong in every aspect of their fight game. If there is any weakness in "Bones'" game, he has yet to show it.

3) Can Jones Dominate Another Elite Fighter

After Jones defeated Ryan Bader at UFC 126, he was given a rare opportunity to step in for an injured Rashad Evans and challenge Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the light heavyweight title.

Although Bader was a talented fighter, fighting Rua was a major step up for Jones and combined with little time to train for the fight, many thought it could have overwhelmed the New York native.

But that was not the case in New Jersey on that night, as Jones not only defeated Rua, but dominated him. In one of the most one-sided victories in UFC history, Jones straight up made the former Pride Grand Prix winner look silly.

Jones hit Rua with a knee early that took the Brazilian champion out of the fight and the question went from who will win the fight to when will Shogun finally give in and let the inevitable happen.

The result was such a shock as Rua had finally made his case as the best light heavyweight in the world just ten months earlier when he himself dominated then champion Lyoto Machida and now he looked as if it may had been time to call it quits.

Now, in Jones first title defense, he goes up against another elite fighter in Rampage, who has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best fighters in the world and has fared well against them.

In the pre-fight press conference, Jackson stated that he respected Jon Jones for his skills, but his victory over Shogun was not that impressive because the Brazilian had been out for close to a year.

"I just have to say, straight up, I respect you dog. I do think you are the future of MMA, straight-up. I'm keeping it real," said Jackson.

"But you fought Shogun when he was rusty as hell. He hadn't fought for a year. He had like two knee surgeries."

Jones came back to say that there will always be excuses and that he's sure Jackson will have some too,

"There will always be excuses. He didn't fight the PRIDE Rampage, he fought the movie-star Rampage, so there will always be excuses."

Whatever the excuses may be, if Jones can dominate another elite fighter, it may be time to introduce the youngster to his first super fight, possibly against Anderson Silva or in the heavyweight division.

4) Can Rampage Return to His Knockout Performances

Rampage Jackson has always been known for the incredible strength and power in his punches. The majority of his 32 MMA victories came by way of knockout, whether by his hook or one of his powerful slams.

However, lately, Rampage has not been able to finish an opponent in familiar fashion. In fact, Jackson's last four fights have gone to a decision, including a fight with Keith Jardine, whose questionable chin was one of his biggest weaknesses and a reason for his eventual cut from the UFC.

Rampage has not knocked an opponent out since 2008, when he was able to finally score a victory over long-time enemy Wanderlei Silva.

One reason why this may be is the fact that Jackson has not been completely focused on fighting.

After his decision victory over Jardine, Jackson decided to step away from fighting so that he could play B.A. Baracus in the movie "A-Team."

Jackson was slated to face off against his fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Rashad Evans in a fight that would lead the winner to a title shot.

However, because of the film, Jackson was forced off the card and the fight was cancelled all together.

Jackson then decided to retire from the UFC in September of 2009 because he felt mistreated by the organization. Only a couple months later, the 33-year-old retracted his statement and said he would finish his contract and finally settle the score with Rashad Evans. 

That contract seems like it will be Rampage's last, as he has plans of calling it quits in the UFC when the "movie money is right." 

The former light heavyweight champ could be in for a rude awakening if he is focusing more on what his next major film role is going to be rather than on his fight against a focused Jon Jones. 

5) Has the Light Heavyweight Title Found a Permanent Home?

After Quinton Jackson defeated Chuck Liddell to become the light heavyweight champion in 2007, Jackson ended the Iceman's two-year reign of dominance over the division, where he successfully defended the belt four times.

Since then, the belt has not been successfully defended more than once.

From 2007 to now, six different fighters have held the belt. Three of those fighters lost it in their first defense, including Shogun Rua's first defense against Jon Jones.

With how quickly and dominant Jones made it to the top, one wonders how long he can stay there.

Rampage said himself in the pre-fight press conference that Jones is the least experienced UFC champion.

He has only fought one elite fighter so far in Shogun Rua, and apparently it was not the "real" Shogun. There are still plenty of tests in the light heavyweight division for Jones, including a rematch with Rua, if he can get another win under his belt.

If Jones can defeat Rampage in dominant fashion, his next test will be against former training partner Rashad Evans.

The two were supposed to meet at UFC 133, but Jones withdrew because of an injury, only to be cleared after pulling out of the fight.

Jon Jones still has a lot to prove in the light heavyweight division, but if he can continue his dominance, he could break Tito Ortiz's record for most successful light heavyweight title defenses.