What Would Beating Chael Sonnen Do For Jon Jones?
It’s obvious who the clear favorite is in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC 159. Jon Jones has established himself as one of the best fighters in the world, Light-Heavyweight or otherwise. His match against Chael Sonnen has been labeled a ‘Moneymaker’ by pundits and fans alike, but there are no easy fights in MMA.
This leaves me asking the question “What will Jon Jones gain by beating Sonnen?”. The obvious answer is nothing at all, but if you look at it a bit closer you may find some different answers. In my opinion Sonnen has a rather slim chance of winning, but a chance nonetheless. What chance did people give Chael Sonnen of beating Anderson Silva in their first match? I know he didn’t beat ‘The Spider’ but he came closer than many before, and did a good job of putting hands on the consensus number one P4P fighter.
Something tells me that when a guy like Sonnen has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and a young fighter like Jones has everything to lose-things could get interesting. What I mean by that is ‘The American Gangster’ is a bit of a dark horse in this fight. A heavy underdog indeed, but one with great tenacity, wrestling and work rate.
So the questions stops being “What will JJ gain?” and becomes “What could he lose?”, the answer is everything. The belt, his reputation as the top guy at LHW, and his unbeatable aura. If anyone can play mind games it’s Chael P, and the world will be truly turned upside down if the master of banter can topple ‘Bones’ at UFC 159.
Obviously this is all speculation, but what we are left with is some facts. Jones has to make sure he either puts Chael away or absolutely dominates him. A cagey, tense or nervous Jones might find himself being upset by a gangster in New Jersey. Chael doesn’t really lose in this fight considering the caliber of fighters JJ has beaten. A loss to the champ would not be a big bump in the road, where as the ground might swallow Jones up if the opposite should occur.
You know, part of me is kind of rooting for Sonnen. Although my brain knows better. Stay tuned to Lowkick!
