UFC 135: 5 Things 'Rampage' Must Do to Beat Jon Jones

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will be stepping into the Octagon once again at UFC 135, and will be looking to once again hold the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Standing in his way is the very talented Jon “Bones” Jones, who is the youngest champion in UFC history.

With an unorthodox style, energy and unprecedented reach advantage, Jones looks to successfully defend his newly acquired belt for the first time. 

As obvious as some of these are, these are the five areas that Quinton Jackson needs to focus on if he wants to have those 14 pounds of gold around his waist at the end of the night. 

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No. 5: Mental Preparedness

Rampage is a veteran in the sport and has kept up with high-level competition to this day.

He is sometimes criticized, however, for not having the drive to fully prepare for fights. By not mentally checking himself out before and during the fight, he will have much more confidence and better chances. 

As he looks across at Jon Jones, he must realize that Jones is the younger star, whom he has had exchanges with, accusations and media attention in the lead up to this fight.

He cannot let the hype from Jones come into play, nor the feud between themselves. If Rampage comes in determined to get the belt back, he may very well pull off a huge upset at UFC 135. 

No. 4: Takedown Defense

Jones comes from a great amateur wrestling background and can utilize that part of his game to stuff Rampage’s advantage in power.

Rampage has notoriously bad legs, but if he can be ready to stop the takedown, he could throw Jones off his gameplan.

Whether or not this is Jones’ tactic is yet to be seen, but no fighter wants Jon Jones on top of them. Rampage must be ready for the takedown and have the ability to get back to his feet if need be. But who knows, maybe we’ll see another Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader. 

No. 3: Throw Combos

Odds are Rampage isn’t going to take Jones down and submit him.

As everyone knows, Rampage comes to knock you down and knock you out. His strikes are legendary in the sport and he is very quick to throw them.

Just throwing jabs will not work for Rampage. His best bet is to wait for the opportunity to counter, and then come with quick combos.

Giving a 1-2 combo and following with that with hooks can be beneficial for him since it will be a lot coming at Jones, who will not want to stand front and center for those shots. Putting the back pedal on Jones into the cage is a good bet for him. 

No. 2: Stamina

Rampage needs stamina for this fight. He has been fighting for much longer than Jones has, and thus has a seasoned body.

Not that his age hinders him, but the younger and faster Jones brings energy to his fights that you usually see in lower weight classes.

In Jackson’s fight with Rashad Evans, he had been performing well before succumbing to his stamina and became gassed. He will not have the time to recover against an opponent such as Jones. 

By throwing heavy hits, Rampage must be wary of what he decides to capitalize on. Similar to a difference of Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin vs. Lesnar, Rampage needs to pick his shots and make sure he utilizes his energy where he needs to, especially if the fight goes to the ground. 

No. 1: Close the Distance

Arguably one of the most dangerous tools in Jones’ arsenal is his reach advantage.

With an 84 1/2-inch reach, he poses a threat to any fighter across the cage from him. Jones uses this distance to setup unorthodox strikes and move in and move out.

Tagging Rampage with quick shots will be one half of Jones' striking game, the other would inevitably be his jumping, spinning, reversed-like strikes to really hurt him. 

Rampage needs to figure out Jones’ timing and not stay on the outside. Similar to a strategy against Anderson Silva, Rampage must not give Jones time to figure him out. If Rampage can close the distance, he will work much better with his strikes.

A self-defense move for an attacker with a bat is to move in close to the one swinging as he begins to wind up. What this does is it takes away the distance of the two bodies and prevents the bat from doing harm, since the bat typically requires a wind up.

Rampage in close quarters is a deadly foe. His counter striking and close hooks can make a short night for anyone, and have many times in the past.