Today's lunch special is a plate of Bones and a side order of Kool-Aid! This shit is selling like crack! Damn, people, slow your roll!
Styles make fights, this is a fact. If you logically look at the top fighters in the LHW division, Lyoto Machida has the perfect style and skillset to beat Bones Jones. No one Bones has fought so far has the type of skills and style that Lyoto brings to the cage. No other potential contenders do either, that's just the way it is!
Let's break down the specifics:
Lyoto has by far the best movement in the division. He is ALWAYS a moving target. His use of footwork to create angles of attacks is second to none. Not only is his movement top notch, he couples that with serious speed. His speed is in both his footwork and his attacks. Techniques just fly out of nowhere, whether it's a kick, a punch or a knee. When you add his timing and rhythm into the mix, you're talking about a whole bunch of problems for Bones to contend with and completely unlike anything he has dealt with before. Clearly, Lyoto has a definitive advantage in speed and overall movement. One thing is for shit sure, Lyoto will not be an immobile target like Shogun was against Bones. Shogun was like a soft, lumpy heavy bag out there. In fact, a swinging heavy bag moves more than Shogun did that night. I am still having a hard time processing just how bad Shogun looked in that fight.
Most would say that Bones has the wrestling advantage. That is probably true as far as straight up wrestling goes, but Lyoto has an extensive sumo and judo background. Those two arts are perfect foils for Bones' Greco takedowns, all three being upper body grappling/throwing arts. These two dudes are the best in the division at this, maybe the entire sport. Neither fighter shoots for single and/or double leg takedowns much, if at all. It's really a wash here as far as I'm concerned and a very intriguing part of this potential match-up. Where I see Lyoto having an advantage is with sweeps from the standing position. He's damn good at disguising and executing them. At a minimum, he can use them to create an imbalance which can set up something else. Lyoto also excels at trips from the clinch. It will be interesting to see how Bones deals with those.
As far as takedown defense, Lyoto has some of the best in the game. His understanding and use of leverage and balance are at a ridiculously high level. Again, a lot of that has to be credited to his sumo training. Bones will have a VERY hard time getting Lyoto's back on the mat, which is where he will want this fight to be. Once they clinch, he will have trouble finishing the takedown, but getting the clinch in the first place will be his first obstacle. He's going to have to be very creative and exhibit a whole lot of speed to get the clinch unless Lyoto decides he wants the fight to go there, which might very well be the case.
If the fight does end up on the mat, Lyoto could be in some serious trouble. Bones has proven to have some insane ground & pound. Those elbows he throws are NASTY! All it takes is one to land in the right spot and the fight is over. Brandon Vera's broken face is testament to that reality. I doubt anyone would argue that Lyoto has the considerably better jits skills, but the question is, can technique overcome the length, leverage and ferocity that Bones brings with his vicious GnP. I'm inclined to think that Lyoto can nullify his ground attack, but that's a BIG maybe, at best. Bones is just that devastating when he's in top position. The interesting thing would be to see the opposite. We haven't seen Bones on his back yet and if anyone can get him there, it's Lyoto. I'm really curious to see what Bones has as far as a guard and sub attempts from his back. He certainly has the perfect frame to do well there. His outrageously long arms and legs can create distance and can also be used offensively to attack with some sub attempts. I've never seen Bones on his back or practicing jiu-jitsu in any of the training footage I've seen of him. There's some serious question marks in regards to that aspect of his game. Does he even train BJJ? I know he has to, you just never see it or even hear him talk about it in any interviews. Hmmm?
Bones' most clear advantage is obviously his size, particularly his otherworldly length. It's freaky to see how much reach this dude has with his hands and feet. He doesn't have what I'd consider true power in his striking but he can definitely hurt people with cumulative strikes. He's a bit like Nick Diaz in that regard. You don't have to worry so much about getting caught with one big blow, but he can quickly hurt you with repeated clean shots that add up very quickly. The key for Lyoto will be to do what he always does and excels at. He has to use his speed and footwork, along with his uncanny ability to implement his unique, karate version of sticking and moving. This fight will come down to whichever fighter can control the range of the fight. Lyoto has excellent defense as far as blocking and evasion, so I don't think Bones can pick him apart. Bones' stand-up defense will play a critical role as well. If he can avoid getting hit by Lyoto's blitzing/stinging attacks, it will be a long night for both of them, a 25 minute, exhausting grind to a decision.
I have said it before and I will say it again, anyone who fights Bones has to attack his legs. By his own admission, Bones has skinny chicken legs. They're bony, pun intended. You would have to think that they aren't all that durable. Lyoto is very good at using lead leg attacks to his opponents lead leg, both inside and outside. If he can effectively land that little shuffle lead leg attack that he likes to use, and also a low round kick, it would go a long way toward slowing Bones down and taking away some of his explosiveness. We haven't seen Bones take much, if any punishment to his legs. Actually, we haven't seen Bones take much punishment at all. The same was said about Lyoto a few fights back. Things can change very quickly in this game.
That leads us to some question marks about Bones:
~How is his chin?
~How will he handle serious in-fight adversary?
~How is his gas tank?
~How will he handle all that comes with being a champion?
~How are his skills off his back?
Styles make fights and Lyoto has the style that can bring this fight to the point where some of these questions will be answered. For me, this is undoubtedly the most compelling match-up in the division. This fight is most likely a while away from happening as both fighters have other fights booked already. It might not even happen as a title fight, depending on how things shake out. Bones has to defend against Rashad and Lyoto has to get past old man Randy. I see both of those things happening, so after that, this amazing match-up could come to fruition. Fighting is all about timing and so is matchmaking. That's proven by Bones' current situation. His champion status was all about timing and taking advantage of opportunities afforded him through other fighters' injuries, both Rashad's and Shogun's. He capitalized, big time!
If all the chips fall in the right places, this fight could and should happen. I can guarantee this, Lyoto is the last guy that Bones and Greg Jackson want to have to face. He's very difficult to prepare for since no one moves like he does or as fast as he does. The same can be said about Lyoto not wanting to fight Bones. He's also very hard to prepare for and emulate in training. No sparring partners will have Bones' size and skillset. None! That said, both of these dudes are game warriors who will welcome the challenge of facing each other.
This fight would be INSANE!
It NEEDS to happen SOON!
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