The month of January was absolutely jam-packed with exciting Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, and while there was a fair share of scandal, there was also a ton of intriguing storylines to take away from the first month of 2015.
Arguably the most enticing storyline was the birth of a new light heavyweight title match-up, as UFC champion Jon Jones will attempt to defend his title this coming May against former UFC welterweight, Anthony Johnson.
"Rumble" earned a crack at "Bones" by knocking out former No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden at UFC on FOX 14 (highlights here). Johnson became the first person to finish Gus via strikes, and he hopes he can do the same to Jones in May.
Former UFC champion and "Rumble's" Blackzilians training partner, Rashad Evans already gave his thoughts on Johnson's monumental victory over the Swede last month, stating that Gustafsson let the hype get to him.
"Suga" was recently on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, and delved into the Johnson vs Jones title fight. His prediction? Evans expects Johnson to close out Jones' lights within 10 minutes.
From BloodyElbow:
"The thing about Jon Jones that makes him so dynamic and probably one of the best ever is that he is able to adapt his gameplan to the guy he's fighting, and fight him at his own game. That is something he could do against a lot of athletes that he has faced, but you can't get punching power."
"You either have punching power or you don't, and Jon does not have that sort of punching power. Now if you look to take him down, good luck. You are going to be hit before you go in. Jon is very creative, and AJ has never been in there with someone as creative a striker as Jon, but let's be honest here, Jon can get hit. AJ's hardest punch is the uppercut, and I think that if they start exchanging, and they will start exchanging, he'll knock Jon out."
"Will it be early? Ya, I'd say within the first two rounds."
That is quite the bold statement from Evans, especially considering he has faced off against Jones inside the Octagon, as well as trained with him during his meteoric rise to becoming UFC champion.
As for his prediction, we will have to wait and see whether or not it comes to fruition this May.