Jon Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title for a fifth time as he battles former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen later this evening. The two fighters, who coached opposite one another on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, will head line tonight’s 12-fight card. UFC 159, which has a scheduled start time of 10:00pm ET, will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey; the main card (Jones/Sonnen, Bisping/Belcher, Nelson/Kongo, Davis/Magalhaes, Miller/Healy) can be seen live on Pay Par View while seven preliminary fights will air live on FX and Facebook. The latest UFC 159 Fight Predictions and Odds have Jones listed as a prohibitive -750 moneyline favorite ($750 wins $100) to retain his title. The challenger, Sonnen, is drawing +500 odds ($100 wins $500) to claim the UFC light heavyweight belt as his own.
UFC 159 Fight Predictions: It is difficult to lay $750 to win $100, especially in an MMA fight, but Jones should handle Sonnen with relative ease. Sonnen is an aggressive fighter and an exceptional wrestler, but he has a severe size disadvantage against Jones. Sonnen relies mostly on his ability to take opponents down, a finely honed skill which allows him to unleash a smothering ground and pound attack, but getting Jones to the mat will be a monumental task for the Oregon native. Wading through the champion's incredibly accurate striking is the first challenge; should he manage to do that, there is the issue of actually bringing Jones, who also possesses a wonderful wrestling base, down. If this fight, which is scheduled to go five-rounds, goes past two rounds color me stunned.
Potential Parlay considerations: Jon Jones (-750), Phil Davis (-300), Jim Miller (-300). Live Dogs: Alan Belcher (+160), Cheick Kongo (+200).
Jon Jones -750 vs Chael Sonnen +500
Michael Bisping -200 vs Alan Belcher +160
Roy Nelson -260 vs Cheick Kongo +200
Phil Davis -300 vs Vinny Magalhaes +240
Jim Miller -300 vs Pat Healy +240
Johnny Bedford -160 vs Bryan Caraway +130
Ovince St. Preux -170 vs Gian Villante +140
Sara McMann -650 vs Sheila Gaff +450
Rustam Khabilov -370 vs Yancy Medeiros +280
Leonard Garcia -200 vs Cody McKenzie +160
Steven Siler -135 vs Kurt Holobaugh +105