Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Predictions for UFC 145 main event between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans
Apr 21, 2012 - 5:45:11 PM ROUNDTABLE: Predictions for UFC 145 main event between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

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

Who wins the Jones-Evans bout, and how? What does Evans need to do in order to pull off the upset?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Evans ain't winning that fight. The more relevant question to ask would be how and when will Jones finish the fight, and the most accurate answer to that question would be to say whenever he wants to finish it, by whichever method is most convenient.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think Jones wins by ref stoppage around the third round. He could win the fight earlier, but that would require being super aggressive because you know Rashad is going to be looking to counter all night. Rashad can win if he keeps using his wrestling. I think Rashad is a better wrestler, evidenced by his takedown ability in the heavyweight division. I am interested in seeing how Rashad's health is, he's had some knee issues so I want to see how his body has recovered. This wouldn't be the biggest upset ever, but it would be very surprising if Rashad were to win.


ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I don't think many people are going to be wrong as many have picked Jon Jones to win. I also see him winning via TKO to mark a definitive end to the feud between these two. Evans needs to be allowed to bring in a sledgehammer to the fight or a run-in by Dan Henderson to win. But, in all seriousness, Evans has beaten fighters that many thought he would lose to, but he has come out on top. We'll see soon enough if he can do the same to Jones.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I'm Chicago born and bred, as is Rashad Evans; my brother is a fan of his, my wife is a fan of his, and I'm a fan of his, so what does he need to pull off an upset? Everything that he's already got. He has the speed and endurance to give Jones more trouble than anyone before him, and I have no doubt that he will find his way inside and smack Jonny around a bit before taking him down for the first time. I fully expect to see the same dominant Rashad we all saw at UFC on Fox beating the daylights out of Phil Davis. Phil was Mr.Wonderboy until Evans came in and put him on his back at will. Rashad's speed, strength, and ability to strike with the best will in fact make him the winner of this fight. I am betting on Rashad via either a shocking submission or a decision. It's odd that the champion has more to prove in this fight than the challenger, but I expect Rashad to leave with the belt around his waist once again.


ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Jon Jones. He is too good of a wrestler and too well-rounded of a mixed martial artist. Rashad Evans has to land a lotto punch or ground & pound him for 25 minutes to win. I don't think he can do it.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

Jon Jones is a supremely gifted athlete, who's blessed with a phenomenal skill set unrivaled in the light heavyweight division. Then factor in his huge height and reach advantage, the extra motivation he'll bring, and I'm really struggling to imagine how Rashad Evans wins this fight. If Evans did actually get the better of Jones when they trained together, it was probably because Jones had his hands tied together. Either that or Evans simply made it all up as a joke. I would always give Evans a realistic chance against any other fighter in this division, but I'm riding on the Jones bandwagon. Jones also knows only too well, that Evans, like Machida before him, has never been submitted. Jon Jones therefore wins at a canter by submission, in round three.

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]