UFC
Alexander Gustafsson believes Anthony Johnson hits harder than Jon Jones, but thinks Jones wins at UFC 187
Mar 31, 2015 - 10:30:47 AM Alexander Gustafsson believes Anthony Johnson hits harder than Jon Jones, but thinks Jones wins at UFC 187

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"Oh, he hits harder than Jones, yeah. Rumble, when he connects, you feel it. That's what Jones has to be careful of, his power. When he comes with the pressure, he has really good pressure. He's really dangerous as a light heavyweight... [That fight is] a tough call. I think Jones will win the fight, because he has more leverage and he has a little bit more, he mixes things up, as everyone knows. So I think he will win this fight. But that said, Rumble is a great fighter, and a great person and he's heavy handed. So, you know, anything can happen in a fight. You have to keep your chin down and your hands up. I'm very excited for that fight."

-Alexander Gustafsson talks about Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Jon Jones in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

Penick's Analysis: I don't think there's any real question about the power difference between the two. Jones isn't a known knockout artist with his strikes; he's capable of finishing fights on the ground with his strikes, and his ground and pound game can be vicious, but he's not going to be scoring one-punch knockouts. Anthony Johnson can do that. He can stop a fight in an instant, and that can absolutely change the course of any fight he's in. However, Jones is certainly a more dynamic fighter overall, with many more ways to win the fight. Punching power isn't everything in an MMA fight, and though it's a fantastic asset for Johnson, it's not guaranteed to play a part in their eventual matchup come May 23.