It's a question that may be premature. After all, Jon Jones secured his status as the UFC's top light heavyweight in the world just last night. But we've been down similar paths before with other dominant champions. Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and the bevy of enormous fighters in the upper reaches of the UFC's heavyweight division have all had a profound effect on the rest of the division.
But that's exactly what Jon Jones was doing on Saturday night. Hours before the event's card kicked off, Jones assisted in subduing a burglar with the help of Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn. As if the hype couldn't get any thicker, hours later -- Jones walked into the Octagon and demolished champion Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in emphatic fashion, completely outclassing the Brazilian in every area of the fight.
Mike Pyle proved that he had enough striking prowess and takedown defense to batter Ricardo Almeida over three rounds to secure an unanimous decision victory on Saturday night at UFC 128.
Gleison Tibau stifled any thoughts that he may be on the verge of being released from the UFC on Saturday night as he edged out New Jersey's own Kurt Pellegrino via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Bantamweights Joseph Benavidez and Ian Loveland took center stage on Saturday night in the third preliminary bout on the UFC 128 undercard. Benavidez impressed in his most recent appearance as he submitted Wagnney Fabiano in the second round of action at WEC 52.
In featherweight action, Duke Roufus-trained fighter Erik Koch battled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Raphael Assuncao on the UFC 128 preliminary card. Koch has been heralded as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the UFC's featherweight division, losing only once in his career to NCAA Division I wrestler Chad Mendes.
BloodyElbow.com's Leland Roling breaks down the UFC 128 main event title showdown between Jon Jones and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, taking place on Saturday night at 10:00 PM ET, only on pay-per-view.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua knows the feeling all too well. The celebrated hype surrounding a young superstar. The praising attention of a loving fanbase. Rua was once in the bright lights himself, soaking up the acclaim from fans and media for brutally burying any man who dared to step into the ring against him.
