Jon “Bones” Jones is riding on some serious hype. You can’t blame him as he has beat some top competition early at this stage of his career. At age 23 he is young and has plenty of opportunities waiting for him. But Vladimir Matyushenko is looking to steal the spotlight. Matyushenko is not some old veteran looking to get some cage time before he retires he looking to make a run at the title. The former IFL Heavyweight champ is as dangerous as any opponent Jones will face. But if Matyushenko wants to win he’ll need to take Jones down early and hold him down there and work for submissions and work some ground and pound. On the feet is where it can get dangerous for the Belarusian. Jones is dynamic and incredibly fast. Strikes from Jones can from almost in any direction. One thing Matyushenko will need to be worry about is Bone’s double underhooks lateral throw. Closing the distance on a good striker is a good idea, except for on Jones. With his 6′ 4″ frame Jones utilizes his height advantage and leverage to get his opponent into the air and onto the floor. In the end, I see Matyushenko unable to get his opponent down to the floor and succumbing to Jone’s superior striking.
My Picks:
Tyson Griffin beats Takinori Gomi
Jake Ellenberger beats John Howard
Mark Munoz beats Yushin Okami
Jon Jones beats Vladimir Matyushenko