Bones Following Shogun’s Lead

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Mauricio “Shogun” Rua ran the gauntlet at 205 pounds, besting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona -- all in an incredible four-month span -- to win the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix. At just 23 years of age, he was regarded by many as the best fighter in the world at his weight class.

Jon Jones was just 18 at the time, but Rua’s remarkable run helped teach him it was never too soon to dream big.

“He’s somebody I definitely used to look up to ... I just always thought it was cool that he was successful at a young age,” Jones says.

Heading into his bout with Ryan Bader at UFC 126 in February, “Bones” was not expecting to be vaulted to top contender status, even with a decisive victory. With Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts teammate Rashad Evans awaiting a title shot against Rua, he pointed toward 2012 as his potential breakout year. However, when Evans suffered a knee injury during training just before the Jones-Bader bout, the landscape of the UFC light heavyweight division shifted quickly and dramatically. Jones was aware of Evans’ setback, but he did not assume he would be next in line to challenge for the belt.

“Rashad talked to me that Friday at my weigh-in dinner and told me there was a possibility that I might get the title shot, depending on how I looked and if Rampage was going to accept the fight or not,” he says. “He told me not to focus on that, just [to] focus on Ryan Bader, go out there and do my thing, so that’s what I tried to do. It was a little pressure knowing that I could possibly be that close to my dreams coming true.”

The New York native dominated Bader, as he beat the former Arizona State wrestling standout at his own game before choking him into submission 4:20 into the second round. It was his first submission victory since he put away Jake O'Brien with a guillotine choke in 2009. When UFC color analyst Joe Rogan made the in-ring announcement that Jones would take Evans’ place at UFC 128 against the Brazilian champion, the talented light heavyweight fell to his knees.

Now Jones has the chance -- as Rua did back in 2005 -- to be viewed as the best in the sport at age 23.

“I was just excited and grateful,” he says. “The biggest thing: I was just trying to accept fast success instead of being afraid of it. A lot of people back down from challenges, and they get afraid to be successful and be on top. I just try to remind myself that I put myself in this situation, and that I’ve earned the spot that I’m in and to embrace [it].”

One man’s misfortune became another man’s opportunity, but Evans’ dilemma has become something of a sensitive subject within the Jackson camp. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 winner delayed his return to the Octagon for months so he could get a shot at Rua when the former Chute Boxe Academy representative recovered from knee surgery, only to be derailed by a knee ailment himself. A victory for the rapidly improving Jones seems a very real possibility. He has not discussed the implications with Evans.

“We haven’t really [talked about it],” Jones says. “Rashad and I have both stated many times that we never want to fight each other. Rashad is talking about maybe moving up to heavyweight or moving down to middleweight. First I have to get past Shogun before we start getting into any serious conversations about what me and Rashad are going to do.”

Greg Jackson bristles when the topic is broached, in part because he knows the questions are not likely to go away any time soon. The respected trainer reaffirmed
his focus on the immediate future.

“The Rashad thing I don’t have any comment on. I’ve always said if they want to fight each other, I’m not involved in any of that. That’s the fighters’ thing,” Jackson says. “All I care about is Jon Jones beating Shogun and making sure [he] is ready for that, and that’s all I focus on.”

Rua endured a rough introduction to the UFC, losing to Forrest Griffin via rear-naked choke in his debut. That was followed by a lackluster technical knockout victory over Mark Coleman in which both fighters gassed badly near the end of the bout.

Since then, the Universidade de Luta representative has regained the form that earned him Sherdog.com’s “Fighter of the Year” honors in 2005. His two bouts against Lyoto Machida eliminated much of the mystique surrounding “The Dragon,” as Rua became the first person in the UFC to take a round from the former champion in his controversial decision loss to karateka at UFC 104. He followed the performance with a stunning first-round knockout of Machida in their rematch at UFC 113.

“He has the belt and he’s supposedly one of the best in the world, and I believe that I could be the best in the world and just not know it yet,” Jones says. “Shogun could be the toughest fight of my life, or it could just be another fight. I’ll be ready for everything.”

Rust will not be a factor for Jones, who took a brief vacation following his triumph over Bader before jumping right back into another training camp.

“It’s a significant advantage because he started out in shape, so we can really work on his technical side and make sure that he’s ready for all the tools that Shogun has,” Jackson says. “We just have to make sure that he peaks in the right way.”

Now 29, the long-term durability of Rua’s knee remains a question. If there is a weakness there, Jones will try to expose it, but the Brazilian has come back strong from knee surgery before.

“Obviously, my game plan isn’t to go out there and try to break his knee,” Jones says, “but I’ve got to pay attention to all my slight advantages.”

The ease with which Jones dispatched Bader -- a prospect who was as nearly as highly regarded as he was heading into their match -- surprised many observers but not Jones. A devoted student of film, Jackson has lauded his protégé’s ability to absorb knowledge and apply it to practical fighting situations.

Jones has plowed through a number of accomplished wrestlers in recent fights, but the ultra-aggressive Rua figures to give him a different look in the cage. Jones vows to be ready, even if he is not exactly sure how it will end.

“At this point, I don’t really know what to expect from myself,” he says. “I work really hard, and, so far, every time I’ve gone out there, I surprise myself.”

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