UFC 135 Fight Card: What a Win Over Rampage Would Mean for Jon Jones

The hot topic in the MMA world is how UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will smash the challenger Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135. However, no one is talking about the more important thing—what would that win mean for Jones.

Many pundits and fans are touting Jon Jones as the next big thing but, of course, there is a legion of doubters and critics. Would a win over Jackson finally silence them?

Unfortunately for Jones, it wouldn't.

Jones is hovering around a -600 favorite in the odds and the consensus among the MMA community is that Jones is far too skilled for Jackson to even have a decent chance; the champ is expected to make short, easy work of the Pride veteran.

Therefore, if Jones wins, the haters won't be impressed.

"Big deal, he beat Jackson just like he was supposed to, I'm not impressed," will be the mantra adopted by the army of haters. People would also deride Jackson's perceived one-dimensional skill set. Thus, another critique of Jones should he win will be "he beat a fighter who is basically a boxer, big deal."

However, there are more than just critics in the MMA world (as hard as that is to believe sometimes).

If Jones convincingly beats Jackson, he will be a true champion in the sense that he defended his belt and was the first light heavyweight champion to do so without controversy since Chuck Liddell; he will have restored order to the light heavyweight division.

In addition, a win for Jones would mean even more promotion and a potentially huge fight against Dan Henderson if he triumphs over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139. A rematch with Rua would be all right but not as big as a fight with Henderson since new fights are always better and Henderson is a much more intriguing matchup due to his wrestling and patented "H-bomb" right hand.

What does a win really mean for Jones? It means the army of haters still exists but it also means that Jones will ascend to the next level of stardom. He will become what Chuck Liddell was to the UFC but something more.