UFC fans can get ready for a big treat when Jon “Bones “Jones (19-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) defends his title against Glover Teixeira (22-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at the Maryland’s Baltimore Arena tonight
Neither of these men are lacking in confidence going into this fight. Jones aims to defend the title he won in March 2011 against Shogun Rua for a seventh time, while Teixeira is on a 20-fight unbeaten that stretches back to 2005, and four of his five UFC wins have come within the distance. Jones has 10 wins on the trot, and he is coming off a tough fight against Alexander Gustafsson last September. The Swede really took the challenge to Jones in the early going, but Jones absorbed the early punishment and rebounded in the championship rounds to win a unanimous decision.
Both men have shown each other respect in the run up to this, and any minor controversy has been generated by peripheral figures to the main event. Light heavyweight Phil Davis, who faces Anthony Jackson in the co-main event, took time to call out Jones during a media call this week. Jones took the high road on the affair, telling Fox Sports that he wasn’t ducking anyone and advising Davis to worry about his own fight this weekend.
UFC legend Chuck Liddell, a friend and mentor of Teixeira (the two used to be training partners), then publicly stated that he expects the 34-year-old Brazilian to beat the 26-year-old Jones. Liddell went even further and said he felt that he had the tools to beat Jones himself if the two has ever fought when Liddell was in his pomp. When Jones was told this in an interview with Chael Sonnen on Fox Sports, he made light of it at first, but when he was pressed on it he said that if Liddell was so sure of himself, he should come out of retirement to arrange a superfight!
But it’s not Liddell in the Octagon this weekend against Jones, it is Teixeira. The dynamic champion with the long reach and the unpredictable style (remember the reverse elbow against Gustafsson?) will take on the supremely focused challenger who has knockout power in both hands. It should be one helluva fight. Who do you think will take it?
Check out the height difference between the pair in this photo from Jones’ Twitter:
