Will Sonnen get at least one takedown vs Jones, or not?

Jones is obviously taller and longer, but Sonnen isn't tiny compared to him. You say that Jones is standing slightly in front of Sonnen in the second photo - that makes Jones look slightly bigger. Onscreen on TUF, they looked like two guys in the same weight class, one taller and the other stockier.

Look at the photo and you see that Sonnen's arms and shoulders are clearly bigger than Jones'. On TUF he appeared bigger through the chest as well.

Jones is certainly a big LHW, though he maintains that he doesn't cut too much weight.

Sonnen was making monster cuts down to MW. Look how drained his body appears at his last couple of weigh-ins.

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Look at how gaunt and drawn his face is in the Silva rematch. See the hollows in his cheeks and jawline and eye sockets. He looks like the cut half-killed him.

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Well, I predict that Sonnen will get defeated quite easily. But it won't be from not being big enough to compete at the weight. :good

:hat

 

If Chael had a different background other than Wrestling he would of always been competing at LHW. But he comes from that wrestling background of cutting INSANE amounts of weight and then competing.

The pictures Haggis posted prove that. Look how gaunt and drawn he is, does that look like a healthy man to you? does that look like a man who should be fighting for a world title in 24 hours? Nope.

I imagine he'll be bigger, stronger and have more stamina at LHW as the cut won't kill him.

He'll still get smashed to ****ing death by Jones, but it won't be because he's not a true LHW.

 

You guys so concerned about how guys can put on bodyweight don't account for the fact that structurally, Jones is the bigger man by a huge margin.

While it seems his lankiness might leave him at a disadvantage vs. wrestlers, he has proved it to be an advantage with his ability to stuff takedowns and use leverages and angles that are pretty exceptional to him, he really takes advantage of his size advantage over smaller guys..

He's a smaller wrestler than Jones is used to fighting. I'm sure Sonnen is strong, but so were Bader, Hammil, and Rashad. Each of them are more or less versions of Chael Sonnen in much larger frames, most of them with better striking, all of them with dangerous striking, but Chael has no dangerous striking at any weight. As wrestlers, Collegiate sorts, they are all used to cutting.

He's a step down in class. It's a pure spectacle. :good I'll get a kick out of it if Jones decides to open up on him with some elbows while in the mount and opens him up. Jones will do whatever the hell he want's to Chael.

Jones should move up to heavy. At this point there isn't anything left for him to prove. As Haggis points out, Jones doesn't do much to cut. Which should be pretty freaking alarming considering how easily he's handled and at least matched wrestlers strengths, which according to you are bigger than him..

 

Yes he must get one

 

i agree. the way to beat jones is to bulldog him. you have to completely disregard his reach and dont let him dictate anything. once your inside his defence is at amateur levels.
there was a point in the Machida fight were lyoto started opening up on him and jones reverted to basically sticking his arms straight out like a kid might. he tried to make it look like some sort of karate guard but i saw then and there that the first guy that really goes after him is going to go a long way to wining the fight.

 

I agree. And the way to beat Floyd Mayweather is to outbox him and the way to beat Usain Bolt is to run faster than him. Simple.

'once your inside his defence is at amateur levels'? Clinch, trip, elbow, cut. You sir, are a ****ing idiot.

 

As good as Sonnen is, I dont see him taking Jones to the mat, if he does it could get interesting but I dont think he will.

In fact I have stated clearly that Jones will go back to his wrestling in this fight and put Sonnen on his back first! ......................... :good

 

Haggis,

Not for the first time you are wrong, Mike Dolce has revealed that Sonnen was never ever struggling to make 185 under him, in fact he said it he made it with ease.

I follow Dolce's work closely the guy is a wealth of knowledge, he has said this personally in many of his blogs and videos.

 

Sonnen woke up 200+ the morning of the weigh in against Silva for the 2nd fight, he walked for 20 mins in a sauna suit and was 185, he made the weight with ease, technically speaking what he weighed in the cage doesn't really bare that much relevance, he can make 185 easily, therefore he's a MW

Jon Jones could not make 185 full stop, therefore he's a LHW / small HW

Jones is the bigger man, we will see this come fight night, Sonnen will get nothing from Jones in terms of out-muscling him!

 

Dolce can say what he wants, and what he is inevitably going to say. Sonnen looked terribly gaunt and half dead at the weigh-ins, and then he visibly gassed out completely after one round for the second fight in a row. Which is something that you NEVER expect to see from him. :good

:hat

 

Based on him never being on his back he has virtually no fight experience there. Stories from training partners and people on the inside say its his weak point as well plus he's a wrestler not a jiu jitsu guy.

 

Dolce spoke the truth, which was Sonnen made weight with ease, having not skipped a single meal or spending a minute in the sauna, your interpretation of what you think Sonnens body size is super seeded by his dietitian

Dont you think :yep

 

I don't know man, I might be totally wrong. Dolce is a respected pro, who the **** am I? :conf

All I can know is what I saw on the tape. Something Sonnen did wasn't right. Maybe he spent too much time promoting and not enough time training. Maybe he got a massive adrenaline dump, maybe the nerves and the pressure got to him. But whatever it was, he was completely spent after one round. And to my untrained eye, he looked like death warmed up on the scales. :good

:hat

 

[url]http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/9/19/1697367/chael-sonnen-fails-his-ufc-117[/url]

 

Sonnen will get Jones down at least once. Now what happens after that is completely up in the air.

We should start an avatar bet thread.