UFC 94 Bonnar vs Jones – Young Buck takes on an Old Warrior

As the UFC has evolved into a league filled with top-notch athletes, many of the old guard of fighters has seemingly been left behind. The only question is when it will happen to each fighter.

Chuck Liddell for example had a long reign of terror at the light heavyweight division, but the faster, more technically sound boxer Quinton “Rampage” Jackson came over from PRIDE Fighting in Japan and knocked him out with ease.

Stephan Bonnar is in the same class as Liddell and some other similar fighters in that he’s been around since the first “The Ultimate Fighter” TV show and he’s seen the infusion of exciting young talent enter the sport since then in subsequent seasons and years.

Bonnar is a big, powerful, old-fashioned brawler who’s tough to knock out and has the heart of a lion. He’s beaten some quality fighters in the weight class including Keith Jardine, James Irvin, and Eric Schaefer. But at UFC 94, he faces a different kind of challenge as he goes up against promising young contender Jon “Bones” Jones. Jones is an excellent athlete with explosive knockout power to boot and Bonnar hasn’t faced a whole lot of fighters who have that combination yet during his time in the UFC. Speed is Bonnar’s one weakness and if Jones keeps his hands up and fights his fight, he could have the edge.

Bonnar is currently listed as a -175 to +135 favorite over Jones in the BetOnline sportsbook.

So, can Jones pull the slight upset in this one? Absolutely. To win the fight, however, Jones will need to stay out of trouble on the ground and keep Bonnar off of him. While Jones is almost the same size, Bonnar probably has a slight advantage in terms of brute strength in this one.

If this fight were five rounds, Bonnar would be a good bet to outlast Jones with his conditioning, chin, heart, and experience, but the undefeated (7-0) Jones stands a good chance of winning this one because it’s only a three round fight and he can use his quickness and striking skills to either out-point Bonnar or perhaps set him up for the knockout punch.

While this is a close matchup at UFC 94, making a bet on Jones could be a good idea because of the better ufc odds and because he has the kind of raw ability Bonnar hasn’t quite seen yet in the Octagon. Betting against the favorite Bonnar is tough for a lot of people to do but Jones is a promising prospect with a lot to prove this weekend.