A big light heavyweight bout between two hot prospects looking to break into title contention is in the works for the early stages of 2011. According to multiple published reports, a fight between The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner Ryan Bader and Jon "Bones" Jones is being targeted for the beginning of the year.
The bout is rumoured to take place on the Super Bowl weekend UFC 127 event, but Jones' agent Malki Kawa claims that Jones is looking to return at UFC 125 on New Year's Day regardless of who the opponent is.
Jones was expected to face the winner of the UFC 119 bout between Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which Bader took by decision. So the news of this fight being in the works comes as no surprise. Should the bout be put together, the winner could be one fight away from a title shot in the light heavyweight division.
This is the fight people were expecting after Bader won at UFC 119. Although this fight has the potential to be a classic, it might not be as close as first thought. The way Bader won and what he showed against Nogueira really suggests that his skill set might not match up well to the wrestling ability Jones possesses. In recent fights Bader has been solid but not dominating. I think Jones will be a heavy favourite coming into this fight.
The bout is rumoured to take place on the Super Bowl weekend UFC 127 event, but Jones' agent Malki Kawa claims that Jones is looking to return at UFC 125 on New Year's Day regardless of who the opponent is.
Jones was expected to face the winner of the UFC 119 bout between Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which Bader took by decision. So the news of this fight being in the works comes as no surprise. Should the bout be put together, the winner could be one fight away from a title shot in the light heavyweight division.
This is the fight people were expecting after Bader won at UFC 119. Although this fight has the potential to be a classic, it might not be as close as first thought. The way Bader won and what he showed against Nogueira really suggests that his skill set might not match up well to the wrestling ability Jones possesses. In recent fights Bader has been solid but not dominating. I think Jones will be a heavy favourite coming into this fight.
