Written by: Kevin Early

It's official, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida will face Jon "Bones" Jones on December 10th in Toronto for UFC 140. It will be one of the most unique matchups in UFC history.

This match will be a litmuss test to just how dominant Jones really is. Jones has dominated the likes of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (two elite light heavyweights), but Machida had a run to the title in similar fashion. Jones is one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC. His striking is creative and unorthodox, and he has record-breaking reach. Machida has a lot of tools to nullify Jones' strengths: Machida's stance and elusiveness counters Jones' reach; Machida arguably has more power; Machida has one of the best take down defenses in the division; Machida has a beefy right arm; and although Machida can not take down Jones with wrestling, he has great trips, throws and burninating abilities to get him to the ground (although he will probably look to keep this one standing). I am not declaring Machida will win, but everyone is writing "The Dragon" off and he has the tools to pull off the upset.

I like Jon Jones. He is the evolution of the sport, an amazing athlete, and comes off as a polite and intelligent young man (something you do not see enough in sports). But I have loved Machida since I saw his first fight. His unique style and approach to MMA is fun to watch and talk about. Both fighters are on my top fighters list so it's hard to cheer for one or the other. One thing I know, is it will be a great and competitive fight. Machida can pull the upset, easily if Jones gets careless. The only other thing I wish this fight had was a sooner fight date.

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