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[Cat--Smasher]

Hendo: I have to avoid Jones 'goofy elbows' - MMA News

When you win the SuperBowl, the next day they are not talking about who you compete with next. But this is not football, it is fighting, and Jon Jones was already talking Dan Henderson.

"Dan Henderson is an awesome opponent," Jones said. "It's just going to be a lot of things to conquer in this fight. He has extreme knockout power."

"I feel great that I already have a mission. He's a winner. He has a huge fanbase. I'm sure the haters will come right away, which I'm OK with."

Jones' greatest strengths are his ability to throw powerful shots from awkward angles, and his ability to take it from the clinch to the ground with Greco.

Neither of those skillsets matches up well with Henderson, who can take a hell of a shot, and is highly unlikely to be skyed by Jones.

"You've really got to get inside and fight with him and end up in the clinch with him a lot," said Henderson. "Jones is better than most guys in the clinch. ... (But) that's where I'm most comfortable. At the same time I need to be real careful with catching one of those goofy elbows that he throws."

"He looked pretty solid," Henderson said of Saturday's fight with former champion Rashad Evans. "He threw a lot of stuff that's, I guess, typical of him. Unorthodox with some nasty elbows. A lot of kicks."

"Rashad's game should have been a little bit more mix it up from the outside and threaten more with takedowns and put Jones on his back. Rashad fought Jon Jones' fight, not his own. ... I definitely saw (openings) that Rashad should have capitalized on."

In 2009 Jones compared his clinch game to that of the team Quest principals, Lindland, Couture, and Henderson, that brought it to MMA.

"Their Greco's a lot different than mine. They don't execute a lot of throws. They just use their Greco tie-up just to maintain good positioning, or maybe to hold their opponents against the cage.

"I look at my clinch as a little more active clinch, where I'm always looking for takedowns or different angles or strikes and things, (so) I don't really look to those guys for clinch knowledge. I think we have two different views on the clinch."

[CtGreat]

Shogun took Dan down pretty easily, and Shields absolutely dominated him with takedowns. I have 0 faith in Hendersons TDD anymore, especially against Jones.

[Firemass]

Only Hendo could get away with saying "Goofy Elbows" when referring to Jones. I've never rooted for Hendo more than right now!

[MIZjitsZOU]

Originally Posted by CtGreat

Shogun took Dan down pretty easily, and Shields absolutely dominated him with takedowns. I have 0 faith in Hendersons TDD anymore, especially against Jones.

That was after he was gassed like a mug, cmon.

[Firemass]

Evans wobbled Jones a couple of times, if Jones got caught with an H-Bomb from Hendo it'll be interesting if Hendo can impliment what Rashad never had the oppertunity to capitalize on. Hendo would wobble Jones on a far more epic scale than Rashad.

[joeodd2]

I think people underrate Jone's toughness. The kid's thinking in there and is always dangerous. If Dan can land early and plays patty cake with Jones for 2 rounds, he's gonna follow Jones around gassed and that's when Jones closes for the finish. Dan's only chance is a catching Jones coming in or backing out. And if he can't hurt Jones with the H-bomb, then he's done......

[Y2JUBAE]

Hendo will be choked out by the 3rd round.

[The Donosaur]

All i want for Christmas is one elbow dodge followed by a massive earth shattering H bomb (so hard that it knocks bisping out again from the aftershock) right to bone's jaw.

[Rumble]

I like how he calls them goofy, and then turns around and calls them nasty. Those were some serious elbows, no need to down play them.

The H-Bomb is gonna be the real test for Jones' toughness. As long as he can stay outta range and survive the bomb, then Hendo will gas and Jones should be able to finish him. TKO or sub, either one.

[CanaanCreed]

I'm pretty sure Dan wasn't making a disparaging comment regarding Jones' elbows. I think he's referring to how awkward they are. I'm with Y2...I say Hendo gets subbed in the 3rd.