The big fight is here, or is it?  Is this truly one of the blockbusters we dream about?  I think not but it will be an interesting fight nonetheless.  While I don’t mean to throw a wet blanket on Jones’s first title defense, I feel a match against Rashad Evans would have made for more compelling theater (he trains with Jones) and is quite frankly a better fight.  That being said, a victory over Rampage would quell the chorus of doubters and establish Jon Jones as a legitimate champion instead of simply a rising star. 
Rampage Jackson winningRampage Jackson (32-8 with 1 loss by DQ)
Rampage Jackson firmly entrenched himself as a force to be reckoned with when he knocked out Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 back in ’07 to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title.  He certainly came to the UFC with a boatload of street cred as a big name in the PRIDE organization but his star shone brightest on the UFC stage.  Rampage is 7-2 in the UFC and he has racked up two wins in a row since a disappointing performance against his nemesis, Rashad Evans. 
Rampage has exceptional power and his reliance on that brute force may be his greatest asset but it is also his greatest liability.  The fact is, Rampage is strictly too one dimensional.  He has not had a win by submission in over seven years and that was by knees to the body.  If you want to learn when Rampage actually tapped somebody out via choke, you would have to go back to a time when the twin towers were still standing, June 17th of 2001 against the immortal Kenneth Williams.
Rampage has integrated enough BJJ into his repertoire to expertly defense the brilliant mat games of more highly skilled wrestlers and jiu-jitsu artists.  Amazingly, he has only been tapped out once in his entire career and that was to legendary submission artist Kazushi Sakuraba when both plied their trade in the PRIDE organization.  Rampage likes to stand up and go toe to toe with the fiercest punchers and strikers in the game…because he is one. 
There is no doubt he can throw with anyone as 14 of his 32 victories have come by knockout.  But it should also be noted that 4 of his last 5 wins have been by decision and not by KO.  Could this be due to a better caliber of competition in the UFC or could it be that Rampage, at 33 years of age, may not be able to catch his opponents as cleanly as in years past?  There is no doubt he still possesses bone jarring power but whether or not he can still harness the speed to unleash that power may be in question.
Jon Bones JonesJon Bones Jones (13-1 only loss by DQ)
It’s hard to fathom but there are still Jones doubters in the land of MMA.  You heard them before his fight with rising phenom Ryan Bader, whom he choked out, and again when he fought for the title against Shogun at UFC 128 in March of this year.  Jones dominated the fight from start up until 2:37 of the 3rd round when the referee mercifully ended the hellacious beating that the champ was receiving from his lethal young adversary. 
Jon Jones is a flat out, one man wrecking crew who can beat you so many different ways he reminds me of a Swiss Army knife.  He’s got the longest reach in UFC history at almost 85 inches (compared to just 73 for Rampage) and strikes from more angles than a protractor.  His ground game is superb, his elbows are so dangerous they’re criminal and his speed is blinding.  Eight of his wins have been by knockout, three by submission and two went to the judges’ scorecards. 
The only blemish on his record was a DQ to Matt Hamill when Jones assailed him with consecutive “midnight to six” elbow strikes which were ruled illegal.  Had that not been the case, Hamill was literally seconds from either blacking out or being rescued by the ref.  A bloodied and battered Hamill could not even make it to the center of the cage to get his hand raised.  And this is the guy who “beat” Jones?!
Rampage’s recent fights
If we examine their last two fights, we can get a pretty good idea of where these two fighters are in their careers.  In his most recent fight, Rampage handled the wrestler Matt Hamill with relative ease.  He was not daunted by Hamill’s prowess on the ground and did an admirable job stuffing his takedowns and generally punishing Hamill when the fight stood up.   When the match ended, there was no mystery who had won.  The judges were unanimous in their decision and Jackson’s hand was raised in victory.
Prior to that in November of ‘10, Rampage fought the former UFC Light Heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida and took as well as he gave.  Both fighters exchanged big shots and weathered storms most fighters could not.  But that’s why they are the elite of their division.  Rampage worked well in the clinch but Machida gained advantage on the ground.  When the judge’s revealed their score, Rampage was awarded a controversial split decision.
Jon Jones’ recent fights
After a 1st round demolition of battle tested cage veteran Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko, Jones was pitted against fellow phenom and rising star, Ryan Bader.  Bones dominated Round 1 and then seamlessly blended an array of Muay Thai strikes accompanied by a lightning quick lead jab followed by a thunderous head kick that grazed Bader’s head before the fight hit the mat.  Moments later, Jones would submit Bader by guillotine choke at 4:20 of Round 2.
When Rashad Evans had to pull out of his title fight with Shogun, it was rumored that Rampage received a call before Jon Jones.  Unfortunately, the only rampaging Jackson had done was through buffet lines across North America and to shed all that excess baggage within four weeks was deemed too daunting a prospect by the new Krispy Kreme spokesman.  Jon Jones then got the call and the inevitable coronation commenced. 
Jones took the first two rounds to soften the champion up but in the third round exploded with a brutal symphony of whipping leg kicks and organ puncturing knee strikes.  With Rua in panic mode, the young challenger then took the fight to the mat and launched a dizzying array of stinging elbows and big looping punches while in the mount position.  Rua struggled to get to his feet before Jones put him down for good and claimed the UFC Light Heavyweight strap.
So what happens at UFC 135?
Jackson and Jones share two common opponents.  Jackson decisioned Hamill in convincing fashion while Jones almost killed him before being disqualified.  Next, Jones TKO’ed Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to claim the UFC Light Heavyweight championship back in March while Rampage was TKO’ed by Rua in March of ’05.
This fight will be fought exactly how Jones chooses to fight it.  He will give Jackson a taste of his unorthodox striking angles which include haymakers, knees, murderous elbows and spinning backfists.  If that fails, he’ll just take him down to the mat and make life miserable where at worst Jones will score points and at best will submit Jackson.  The only unanswered question concerning Jones is his ability to take a punch.  Nobody has really rocked his world in the Octagon and I’m betting that streak stays alive.  Rampage has a punchers chance but the smart money says Jones by a knockout.