Thursday, July 29 6:13 am PT: At 23 years old and with an undefeated UFC record, you can understand if Jon Jones occasionally lapses into the kind of hubris we’ve come to expect from athletes who enjoy success at an age most of us are enjoying Top Ramen.
Commenting on Saturday’s fight with Vladimir Matyushenko when it was first signed months ago, Jones described the bout as “a solid step sideways.” This hints at boredom in the UFC’s preference to bring him up slowly. (Compare him to other prodigies like Brock Lesnar or B.J. Penn, both of whom received title bouts in under four fights: Jones is 10-0, not including a DQ loss in a bout he had under control.) It also assumes Matyushenko brings nothing to the table Jones hasn’t already seen with other wrestling-foundation fighters in Jake O’Brien or Matt Hamill.
This is dangerous thinking. O’Brien, while gutsy, is B-level opposition; Hamill seems to have forgotten he’s a grappler. Matyushenko is the first opponent for Jones that has the ability to drag him into a long, dirty fight in the clinch, forcing Jones to bleed lactic acid in a struggle against the fence. He’s strong -- the kind of strong you get from being a 40-something grappler -- and he’s seen just about everything. He’s been stopped once in the last 13 years. He’s proven more than Hamill, O’Brien, or Brandon Vera.
ESPN MMA Live: UFC President Dana White will share his thoughts on Sunday’s UFC on Versus 2 with the hosts of MMA Live. Airs at 1 a.m. ET Friday morning on ESPN2, but that’s Thursday night at 10 p.m. PT for you folks on the West Coast.
Friday
“Fighting Words with Mike Straka”: UFC hall of famer Randy Couture will discuss his bout against James Toney at UFC 118. Watch it at 8:30 p.m. ET on HDNet.
“Inside MMA”:Muhammed Lawal will appear on Friday’s show with Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice. 9:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.
”The Voice vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller”: Michael “The Voice” Schiavello sits down with Jason Miller to delve into the Strikeforce brawl, “Bully Beatdown” and his next fight. Premiers at 10:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.
Saturday
UFC on Versus 2 Weigh-ins: Saturday’s weigh-in event will air live on UFC.com/live and Sherdog.com at 7 p.m. ET.
Sunday
UFC on Versus 2: Light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones will lock horns with Vladimir Matyushenko at 9 p.m. ET on Versus.
