When is jones vs belfort

The betting lines have been as steep as , or a 9 to 1 favorite for Jon Jones. Outside of this major win, almost every time he has stepped up to fight a top opponent he has lost. Many point out that he lacks mental fortitude.

This is not to place harsh criticism, but point out the reasoning behind the betting line. He has a track record of fading after a few minutes and losing his big fights. German Suplexes, Saltos, back arch throws, backstep tosses, and pretty much anything he wants, he does.

He has demonstrated and improved striking with standing elbows, paying more attention to distance and measure, and has been vocal about wanting to get more KOs standing. This is a fight where Vitor needs to do what Vitor does: come out with all cannons firing, be fast, explosive, and get the fight over with as early as possible.

Power never leaves and Belfort has it in spades. He can KO anyone in any weight class. He needs to end this fight ASAP. For Jones to win, he simply needs to not get pompous and arrogant and try to get flashy and fancy. NBG Pick: Jones. They are both busy, fast-paced, fighters who always put on an exciting show. Benavidez who has only ever lost to Dominick Cruz 2x has string together four wins in a row. While a finisher early on in his career, at the top of the heap it gets more difficult to finish the best.

He has finished 2 of his last four fights. His wrestling credentials will get plenty of use and should be part of his gameplan. Demetrious Johnson moves so fast and at such a hectic pace that he looks like sped up film footage. He may be the fastest person in the sport today. While not as accomplished of a wrestler, DJ did wrestle in high school. He will be giving up size and wrestling experience so his gameplan needs to revolve around keeping the fight standing and avoiding being taken down or kept down.

This fight comes down to the wrestling factor: Can Benavidez take DJ down and keep him there? This is a championship fight, so as the fight goes on longer DJ will have a harder time fending off the takedowns.

For this reason the NBG pick is: Benavidez. The UFC built the British market on his shoulders and do not want him to go away. The one time he stepped up and fought a top ten opponent was Dan Henderson and his KO was one that is still discussed today.

Fighting Brian Stann is just the 17th fight where he is not fighting for the belt and not fighting a top ten opponent. It has gone past the point of being absurd now.

Brian Stann is a big, strong, powerful fighter. He has one method or way to win: KO. The problem is he will need to get near Bisping. One thing Bisping does well is utilize footwork and distance. Stann is going to have a hell of a time trying to catch Bisping, but what he needs to do to win is take a page from the Hendo fight and land a huge right hand…. NBG pick: Bisping. He is also coming off of two losses…against Rampage Jackson and Alexander Gustafsson.

There are fighters who have taken longer injury time between fights. However, what will be questioned is his motivation. Does he have a passion for the sport? He should count his blessings, because while tune-up fights are a common gift in boxing they are extremely rare in MMA.

Little is known of his opponent Roger Hollett. Whether on his feet or off his back, the year-old was unable to successfully attack Jones or preserve his own well being.

His height, power, reach, speed and technique all culminate into the most dangerous arsenal ever seen in the UFC. Opponents rarely get an opportunity to land significant strikes against Jones, so it should come as no surprise that a smaller Vitor Belfort struggled to inflict damage on a round-by-round basis. The bottom line is that Belfort was at a physical disadvantage from the first second he signed the dotted line.

Jones is such a smart fighter that he's never going to give up his reach and let an established striker like Belfort get his licks. It was a tough fight for the elder former champion, but you can't discredit his efforts based on natural aspects. Besides a few good head kicks, Vitor Belfort looked completely one-dimensional Saturday night against Jon Jones. Whether it was his age or the fact that he was fighting at a heavier weight class than usual, Belfort's speed really didn't play a major role in the fight.

Jones was able to block nearly every strike "The Phenom" threw, including his infamous flurry of punches.

For Belfort, a guy who makes his money by landing leather on fighter's faces, being unable to disrupt Jones had to be considerably frustrating. Nobody truly thought Belfort would KO Jones, but a few more significant strikes were certainly expected. It's never a good idea to pull guard against a physically superior opponent like Jon Jones. For some reason Vitor Belfort pulled guard on numerous occasions Saturday night, giving Jones valuable time to land sharp elbows.

Fighting off his back may have been part of Belfort's game plan, but it was more likely a product of Jones' ability to successfully land dynamic strikes. Belfort had Jones locked up in a nasty armbar.

It was the first time Jones was caught in such a precarious position, but the champion was able to slam Belfort a few times on his head and wiggle his arm free.