Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Being Underestimated Against Jon "Bones" Jones?

Jon "Bones" Jones has stormed the UFC light heavyweight division leaving a wake of destruction in his path. It's no wonder that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is the underdog going into a title fight with Jones at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage in Denver, Colorado.

Many people have been left questioning Rampage's heart and dedication to the sport in recent years and to a certain extent these questions are all within reason.

Rampage had a massive breakdown after losing the UFC light heavyweight championship to Forrest Griffin and not long after that he backed out of his Ultimate Fighter coaches' fight with Rashad Evans to film a movie. More recently the former champion simply doesn't express himself in a way that imparts strength and dedication to his career.

Despite all the questions surrounding Rampage's fighting career, he is still one of the top-ranked light heavyweights in the UFC.

Bodog.ca has Jones ranked as the 5-to-1 favorite over Rampage and earlier this week they had him as high as 7 to 1. The betting odds simply seem to be underestimating Rampage's ability inside the octagon. 

Would I rank Rampage as the favorite against Jones? Of course not, but to say Jones is a 5-to-1 favorite is a little over the top.

If one really examines Rampage's body of work over his career, it is hard to sit there and say he's washed up and doesn't stand a chance against Jones.

Rampage has amassed a 32-8 record over a career in which he often faced the top guys in the world.

A tough run from 2003 to 2005 which saw him split six fights, losing one to Mauricio Rua and two to Wanderlei Silva in what were undoubtedly the worst losses of his career, was probably the lowest point of Rampage's career.

Since that loss to Rua in April 2005, Rampage hasn't been doing so bad. If you take away all the issues he had outside the cage and his general nonchalant attitude, his record is most certainly the envy of many.

Rampage is 10-2 over his last 12 fights, with the losses coming to Ultimate Fighter alum Forrest Griffin and to 16-1-1 Ultimate Fighter foe Rashad Evans.

Nobody besides Lyoto Machida has beaten Rashad Evans. Rampage did fight Evans after a very long layoff and despite the time away he came pretty close to finishing Evans with punches at one point during the fight.

It is very rare that one sees Rampage being thoroughly dominated in a fight. He can take some punishment to give some punishment and that is something that will be important for him against Jones.

Jones exhibits a tremendous amount of athleticism and creativity inside the octagon. He uses his relentless attack and high-pressure style to chip away and break his opponent down. The only thing he hasn't shown is the knockout power in his striking to drop guys with a single strike and this is where Rampage holds the advantage.

Jones' high-paced frenetic attack will give Rampage some chances to take some punishment but also land some counters. If Rampage lands the proper counter it usually means nighty-night for even the toughest-chinned fighters out there.

Jones will probably be most dangerous in the top position against Rampage but Rampage has always displayed strong take-down defense and the ability to return to his feet after being taken down.

The advantages are in Jones' favor and it definitely appears as if it his fight to win, but Rampage has a solid chance at upsetting the champion tonight and his big power and take-down defense are what gives him that chance.

Obviously, an unmotivated and out of shape Rampage would lose quickly to Jones, but in all the pre-fight interviews and footage of him, he hasn't shown any signs of lack of motivation and during the weigh-ins yesterday he looked more in-shape than ever.

Whether Jones wins or Rampage regains his title, expect a hard-fought battle that really does have the potential to go in either man's favor. This will probably be the toughest test of Jones' young career. Even though I think the fight will be closer than many think, if Jones does beat Jackson handily like he has his previous opponents he will be wearing that light heavyweight title around his waist for quite some time, but Rampage might have something to say about that later tonight.

 

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the BR MMA Interview Team, Follow @Leon_Horne

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