UFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Early Breakdown

In a stunning change of events, Dana White tweeted on Thursday that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon "Bones" Jones will face off against Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.

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Dana White's tweet: "Alright Toronto!!! Dec 10th UFC 140 tix go on sale next weekend and ur main event is Bones Jones vs Machida!!!" 

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UFC 140 is scheduled for December 10th, and now will be headlined by the LHW title fight. It seems fans will have to wait a little longer to see the rivalry between Rashad and Jon take place and get settled, but for now, he will be facing another dangerous striker.

Lyoto's recent win over Randy Couture ended in an astonishing front kick that knocked out the veteran fighter. After a couple of lackluster fights, Machida burst back onto the rankings with that bout. Now it seems after turning down the fight that Ortiz ended up taking, he made a smart move for his career. 

Originally asking for "Anderson Silva" money, due to the risk involved with the fight for his career, his actions paid off with an immediate title shot in his next fight. How the fans will react to this change up is yet to be seen, but it bodes well for a great LHW showdown. 

Both are unorthodox fighters, and both are very hard to hit. This said, the fight could be the most exciting fight, or could be a stand off. Based on Jones' style though, he is one to push the pace and can definitely bring the fight to Machida. 

Machida's elusiveness makes him a dangerous counter-striker to any fighter at 205, but with Jones' reach advantage, it may not make any difference.

Jones will most certainly like to use his wrestling ability, as he originally tried to do against Rampage. Once on the ground, Jones has a distinct advantage. Not discounting Lyoto's submission game, but Jones works enough during his fights to stay busy getting a more dominant position, or standing back up.

Lyoto's signature style of sitting back at the hips and waiting for a counter moment, may prove a different task for Jones. As with Machida's training partner, Anderson Silva, a fighter cannot fully understand fighting someone like Machida or Silva until they actually do.

Randy Couture took the fight with Machida since he seemed to be the "Rubik's Cube" of the LHW division. Jones' recent success has begun to put him in that category as well. Many fighters want to test their skills and see how they fare against someone who is so unorthodox.

Inevitably, if Lyoto is able to defeat Jon Jones, he will be cast once again amongst the pound-for-pound lists and rankings. Vice Versa, if Jones wins, he will certainly move up toward the top. If Aldo loses his fight on Saturday, we all may be looking at a new number three or four come December.

Jones' spinning kicks and punches will be great to test against someone like Machida, and the potential in the striking department is exciting.    

Time will tell, but with Lesnar and Overeem slated to fight, and with this new announcement, December is looking to close out the MMA 2011 year strong. Stay tuned for updates!