We are just hours away before the upcoming cage battle between UFC Light Heavyweight title-match-champion Jon 'Bones' Jones and brawly contender Chael 'The American Gangster' Sonnen. But before these two gladiators trad blows and exchange wild kicks in the octagon, here are some intriguing scenarios we could witness in the UFC 159 main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey starting at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Jon Jones winning via submission
Jones is a master of submitting his opponents, whether on the ground or on standing position. At UFC 140, Jones used a variety of strikes before finishing off former pound-for-pound fighter Lyoto Machida with a standing guillotine choke. Jones also had a great choking job against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 and recently forced Vitor Belfort to tap out with an Americana armbar at UFC 159.
Against Sonnen, Jones will be pitted against an aggressive fighter who has a terrific ground-and-pound attack. However, Sonnen's propensity to go straight-forward could open opportunities for Jones to utilize his vast repertoire of submission attacks, making it another easy victory for the light heavyweight kingpin.
Jones via knockout
Like his wide range of submission moves, Jones has developed into an elite striker with a very good counter-attacking game. The last time Jones scored a TKO win took place at UFC 128, when he unleashed devastating punches and knees on Mauricio Rua to take the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Aside from his incredible chin, Sonnen proves to be an easy target for elite fighters like Jones. In his fight against Anderson Silva, Sonnen had no match against the Spider's sublime combination of speed, agility, and power as he went on to absorb a knockout loss in the second round of UFC 148.
This looks to be bad news for Sonnen heading into his fight with Jones, who possessed the same weapons and instinct as Silva. Again, Sonnen's aggressive fighting style bodes well for Jones's counter-attacks. If Sonnen does not bring in an ideal gameplan at fight night, then this would be a pretty quick night for him inside the octagon.
Sonnen's winning via unanimous decision
There's only one way Sonnen would be pulling an upset against Jones and that's making the fight really ugly. With a 6-foo-1, 205-pound frame, Sonnen is arguably the biggest opponent Jones has ever faced. Moreover, the challenger has a solid grappling background and the strength to outpower any opponent.
In short, the key for Sonnen is his wrestling skills. For him to win arguably the biggest match of his career, Sonnen has to unleash the 'gangster' in him and keep the fight on the ground. By that way, he can be able to score points and at the same time cancel out Jones's striking game. No matter how boring the fight it would be, a win is always a win.
We sure don't know what will happen next, but UFC 159 is set to be an entertaining match. Remember, style makes fight and this one really lives up to that mantra.
Live Streaming
UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen [Live Streaming] (Subscription Required)
UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen [ Post Fight Press Conference Live Streaming]
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