Opinionz from Lackey: Will Jon Jones Deliver?

This is an editorial blog by Justin Lackey.

Am I the only one saying it? Heck no. But I'll say it anyway, "Bones" Jones looked amazing in the first round of his main bout with Stephan Bonnar. Jones tossed "The American Psycho" like a used rag doll the entire first round. It was entertaining to watch Jones control in the clinch as you waited for an exiting throw. He kept it interesting with spinning leg kicks and midway through the round, a booming suplex. Upon recovering, Jones started by attempting a single leg takedown, but let go into a spinning back fist that leveled Bonnar to the canvas. The hit looked like a KO for a mere second, as Joe Silva jumped to the air in excitement, but Stephan Bonnar quickly recovered. "Bones" looked skillfull, and he wasn't afraid to play around with his unorthodox style, even against a seasoned veteran. Jones, with a height of 6' 4" at 205 pounds, tossed the equally large Bonnar like a welterweight.

Unlike other upcoming stars such as Houston Alexander, Jon Jones has an excellent Greco Roman base to work from, but has no problem pulling off a flashy knockout. In fact, all of Jones's 6 wins prior to the UFC ended via KO or TKO, and 4 of the Knockouts were first round stoppages. Provided the Ultimate Fighting Championship does not follow its recent trends with Sokoudjou and Alexander, we can see a young Jones build up gradually and maybe even become, the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion of the world. Premature? Based on his last performance, I have no reason to believe the potential is not present, but let us take this one step at a time.

The next roadblock is seasoned wrestler Jake O'Brien. The 11-2 Indianapolis grappler has had his roadbumbs in the past, but is determined to follow the road to recovery after his two loss streak against the illustrious Cain Velasquez and former UFC Champion Andrei Arlovski. His comeback started with the less than propitious split descision victory against Christian Wellisch at UFC 94. Next stop on the O'Brien revival train: Jon "Bones" Jones.

It is of my subservient opinion that Jon Jones has the tools to defeat O'Brien. After seeing the clinic against the equally large and twice as strong Stephan Bonnar, there is no reason to believe the strength of O'Brien will be an issue. The guy has quickly become one of the most exiting prospects in the sport today, and for good reason. I can't wait to see what he pulls out of his bag of tricks for this one. My final preditction for this light heavyweight showdown? One hell of a brawl.