UFC 140 Fight Predictions:  Jones Will Steamroll Machida Tonight

The fight between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida tonight won’t even be close.

Jones is too good. Better yet, Jones is quickly becoming the pound-for-pound best fighter in MMA. I know that he has yet to accomplish what Anderson Silva has, but I’ve yet to see Jones get tested inside the Octagon, and if he continues to dominate every opponent he squares off against, he has to be seriously considered.

But that’s many title defenses away, and the only person on Jones’ mind tonight is Machida. Machida is known as the Karate guy in the sport, and he’s seen tremendous success inside the Octagon with his utilization of distance and counterstriking.

He’s a former champion, but he won’t be getting his belt back any time soon. I’m having a rough time coming up with winning scenarios for Machida in my head.

He has a puncher’s chance because we still don’t know how strong Jones’ chin is because no one has yet to get close on connecting with a big shot.

But other than the puncher’s chance, I can’t see Machida winning this fight. I look for Jones to utilize his long reach to nullify the distance game that Machida loves to play. Machida will try to keep his distance and rush in with strikes and then get back on the outside without getting caught.

When he rushes in, he may be able to catch Jones with a shot or two, but he’s going to be receiving some shots on his way out. Jones has the longest reach in the UFC, so the distance game doesn’t bode well for Machida.

Should Machida try to rush in, Jones will take him down and use his elbows to break Machida down and look for submissions. Jones has impressed so many this year with his dominations over Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quintin “Rampage” Jackson, and I look for him to impress once again tonight.

Jones stops Machida tonight with a third-round TKO.