Jones and Shogun at UFC press conference / Photo: Carlos Ozório
Jon Jones put away Ryan Bader with a guillotine choke at UFC 126 this Saturday in Las Vegas. Besides winning and earning submission-of-the-night honors, he placed himself next in line for a shot at Maurício Shogun’s light heavyweight belt. Surprised by the news, the new challenger was overjoyed. Now the current champion stepped into the fenced-in area and approved: “I don’t pick opponents.” The challenge is set for March 19.
Away from the octagon since his last win against Lyoto Machida, in August 2010, after which he underwent knee surgery, Shogun says he is up to the task:
“He deserves this more than anyone,” he said.
“It’s not good to go without fighting, you lose a bit of rhythm, but I’m used to it…”
“I’ve been training, as I was supposed to face Rashad Evans, but he got injured. They are similar fighters, so my training will go along similarly…”
Check out this video fresh in from the Mandalay Bay: