So, I started thinking about this whole Sean Strickland versus Jon Jones thing people throw around. Sounds kinda wild, right? But it got me curious, so I figured I’d actually sit down and look into it myself, see what the fuss was about.
First thing I did was pull up some tape. You gotta watch the guys fight to get a real feel, not just read stats. I started with Strickland. Watched that Adesanya fight again, maybe a couple others before that. What I saw was, well, Strickland being Strickland. Walks forward, keeps that weird shell defense up, throws straight punches. Real simple stuff, almost basic, but man, he makes it work. He pressures guys, gets in their heads. It’s effective, you can’t deny that.
Then, I switched over to Jones. Man, talk about a different animal. Went back to some of his light heavyweight days, then watched that Gane fight at heavyweight. It’s just… creativity overload. Spinning stuff, weird kicks to the legs, elbows, and that wrestling is obviously top-notch. He uses his length like a weapon, finds ways to win that you don’t expect. Totally unpredictable in a lot of ways.
Okay, so I had these two styles in my head. Then I tried to picture them fighting.
- Strickland marching forward, talking trash probably.
- Jones circling, using his reach, throwing those kicks.
- How does Strickland close the distance?
- What happens if Jones gets a takedown? Big difference in size and grappling pedigree there.
Honestly, the more I watched and thought, the less sense it made as a real competitive fight right now. It’s like comparing a really solid, dependable pickup truck to some kind of experimental space shuttle.
My Takeaway from This Little Exercise
It kinda reminded me of back when I was trying to learn guitar. I spent ages trying to perfectly copy Eddie Van Halen solos. Watched videos, slowed ’em down, everything. But my fingers just didn’t work that way, and my cheap guitar sounded nothing like his. I got frustrated trying to be something I wasn’t, trying to make two completely different things match up.
Looking at Strickland and Jones felt similar. You got one guy who’s perfected his specific, kinda awkward style for middleweight. Then you got another guy who’s arguably the most talented fighter ever, adapting and moving up to heavyweight. Their paths, their tools, their physical realities are just worlds apart right now. Trying to force a comparison or imagine a realistic fight felt like trying to play ‘Eruption’ on a ukulele. It just doesn’t translate well.
So yeah, spent some time on it. Didn’t come away with any magic prediction. Mostly just confirmed that it’s fun internet talk, but the actual mechanics of it? Way more complicated and probably not very competitive if it actually happened. Still interesting to see the different ways guys approach fighting, though.
