Pros Pick: Shogun vs. Jones

According to the pros, Jones (right) may become a superstar on Saturday at UFC 128. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Jones by TKO, maybe even in the first. He’s too talented and hungry for Shogun.

A few different factors should be looked at going into this one: experience, time between fights and previous injuries. On paper, hands down Shogun has fought higher-caliber opponents over his career that started back in ’02. This has given him the edge in experience, but with all those years of battle comes injuries. The layoff between his Machida fights due to an injury and the last one to now from yet another tough injury will eventually take a toll on his body. With a career just beginning in ’08, Jones has faced quality opponents but not to the level Shogun has. He continues to rise and meet each new challenge while gaining experience. I don’t believe the short turnaround from his last fight to this [one] will affect him too much due to his youth. Going back to my point from earlier, he has not yet accumulated the injuries Shogun has. I look for a slow start, but once the action begins, it will increase at a rapid pace. Shogun’s injuries are going to get the best of him in this fight and affect his reactions and counters as the fight goes on. Jones is a finisher and will capitalize on these opportunities. I see Jones pulling out the win via KO in the fourth.

Jones will leave a trail of bones.

I bet on Shogun’s victory.

Shogun is a great fighter, and I bet on his victory.

Wow! That’s what I’m thinking. Gonna be a sick fight. Jones [has] not [been] tested yet, but [he is] up for the test of his life in a very tough Shogun. When you look at their records, it’s obvious the experience factor goes to Shogun. However, Jones is dangerous everywhere and always seems to find a way to get it done. They both have momentum and will both show [it] in the fight. Don’t see this going to a decision. I give the advantage in aggression and resume to Rua, but I give the advantage of craftiness and youth to Jones. Either way it goes, I think Jones is young but ready for the task of possibly defeating a legend [to] become the next UFC champ. No matter what, I think the fans will be pleased.

Shogun is the truth. I don’t think he’s ready to pass the torch yet, but odds aren’t good for guys coming off knee surgery. I’m gonna say Shogun wins and calls out Anderson [Silva] in what would be the sickest super fight ever.

I think Jones wins this in the third round by ground-and-pound. Very close fight up to that point. Shogun wins first two rounds, but Jones gets a takedown in third round and finishes him.

Jones by TKO in the second. He has too many weapons and stamina.

Rua by decision.

Hard fight. Jones is very talented but doesn’t have the experience of Shogun. I do not bet on anyone, but I think that the fight does not reach the fifth round.

I’ll go with Jones. I can’t tell which Shogun will show up, the post-injury Shogun or the man who defeated Machida and [Chuck] Liddell. It’s gonna be cool to see Jones fight after the third round, but training with Jackson’s will have him well-prepared.

I think Jones is a monster; he’s young and ready to get that title. He has the best of both worlds [as he is] a great wrestler and can strike standing. Plus, he [has] got gansta elbows, none like Shogun has seen. He obliterated [Vladimir] Matyushenko, the great wrestler, and everybody else he’s faced. The only person that can beat Jones is himself -- with mistakes. If he pressures Shogun the whole fight, it will be a wrap and he will be champ. He’s just gotta be able to go five rounds hard; I know Rua can. Jones by TKO [via] cuts with elbows in four.

I think Jones’ length and wrestling is a problem. He also has shown some submissions. That’s where I think he will win. Shogun will be prepared, and he always brings it. The more Jones stands with him the more I give the edge to Rua. Jones will be well-coached and stay away from the dangerous exchanges and win with a submission.

I’m rooting for Shogun, but I think Jones is gonna take it. Bones is just too crazy.

I am picking Jones in this one. His wrestling and athleticism, I think, will be too much for Shogun.

I love this matchup. My thoughts in a nutshell are that if Jones doesn’t finish Shogun, he’ll outhustle him for the W. I say this with all the respect to Shogun. I just think the best of him was five years ago; too many wars and wear and tear on his body and mind. And Jones is so fresh in his mind, body and soul.

I think that Shogun wins by knockout in the first round.

Bones Jones takes this fight.

I think it’s going to be a great, exciting fight, and it’s going to really test Bones to the core, but I think Bones’ superior wrestling and unorthodox striking is going to be too much for Shogun to handle. By no means do I think it’s going to be an easy test for Jones because he’s going to need to be on his “A” game, which he sure seems to be all the time. I’m not going to pick knockout or decision or anything, but I am picking him. I just think he’s going to have too many tools in his toolbox for Shogun.

I pick Jones.

I think Shogun will win using his jiu-jitsu.

I think Shogun has the style to beat Jones. He’s an aggressive striker, and heavy hands are a key to beating Jones. Shogun has to be able to stop the takedown and get up off his back if taken down. That is what is going to win this fight. If Jones can get the takedown, throughout the rounds and keep mixing it up with strikes, I think he wins. Now, if Shogun can execute his aggressive striking with takedown defense, on paper that looks to be the key to victory. But this is MMA, so we really do not have a clue what’s really going to happen.

I’m going to have to take Jones via Diamond Dave judo chop.

Don’t care. Awesome fight. Can’t wait. It’s like Christmas.

The Jones vs. Shogun Rua fight is a really tough one to call. It reminds me of the time that I was living on the street and was forced to beg for food outside of Nick Thompson’s law firm. Unfortunately for Nick, the associates in his law firm were very bored one day and decided to place a bet with each other that they could take a begging con man like myself and switch me with Nick just to see what the results would be. The next day at work, Nick was caught with an illegal substance in his coat pocket and taken to jail. While he was being taken to jail, I was escorted into the law firm to meet the associates. To my surprise, they asked me if I was interested in a job. Even though I did not have the proper education, they pulled some strings and I was brought on as a part of the firm. In the meantime, Nick’s life was spiraling out of control. He had all of his possessions seized, and his wife left him. He was out on the street forced to beg like I once had to do. Luckily for Nick, he met a prostitute that took him in and gave him a place to stay. During this time, I was prospering at the firm as a very good up-and-coming lawyer. One day, I was in the restroom and I overheard the two associates talking about the bet they had made. They bet that Nick would not be able to cope without his high-profile job and that any con man could be a successful lawyer. All of this was done for a $1 bet. I immediately let Nick know of the bet, and we came up with an elaborate scheme to get the associates back for what they had done. It is this scheme that we employed that I think will be the deciding factor in the Jones-Rua fight. Most likely Jones will be seduced in the dressing room by a Swedish hooker named Inga and then hit over the head by a gorilla. He will come into the fight already dazed and exhausted, and Rua will win by TKO in the third. Nick and I have a $1 bet on this outcome.

You can also contact Mike Sloan at www.facebook.com/mikesloan19. Gleidson Venga and Brian Knapp contributed to this report.