· Jon Jones Poised To Become Youngest UFC Champion In History

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 03/15 at 07:30 AM

On March 19, 2011, New York's own Jon Jones will face his toughest challenge yet when he squares off against current 205 pound kingpin Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Jones has the opportunity to become the youngest light heavyweight champion in UFC history and change the MMA landscape as it currently stands. Showcasing his rise up the ladder, Spike TV is premiering their "UFC Presents: In The Moment" television special to introduce the world to one of the brightest young fighters in the sport today.

On August 9, 2008, Jon "Bones" Jones, a native of New York, made his entrance into the UFC at UFC 87 with a unanimous decision win over Andre Gusmao. Following his Octagon debut, Jones was tapped to face the inaugural "Ultimate Fighter" runner-up Stephan Bonnar just four months later. Though the fight was a preliminary bout, his unanimous decision win over Bonnar put the division on notice. Five fights later, the only blemish on his near perfect record is a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in which Jones clearly dominated his outmatched opponent. An illegal elbow left Hamill unable to continue but the world had already seen that Jones had arrived.

Jones returned with dominating wins over Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko and put himself securely in the title mix as he stepped up to face the undefeated Ryan Bader at UFC 126, just one month ago. Bader was also working his way up the ranks rapidly but Jones wasted no time dispatching him. What happened next shocked everyone.

Following the bout, UFC commentator Joe Rogan announced to the crowd that Jone's teammate and current number one contender Rashad Evans had suffered an injury preparing for his title match and the UFC was offering Jones the chance to replace Evans on short notice. An emotional Jones immediately accepted the offer.

Speculation ran rampant about what would happen if Jones beat current champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the title, when Evans was ready to retake his spot as the number one contender. Members of the Greg Jackson training camp are known for not wanting to fight each other. Asked point blank if he would face Jones if he captured the title, Evans emphatically answered no. This creates a world of possibilities for the division as there is a chance Evans could leave the weight class and drop to 185 pounds, opening up a host of new fighting opportunities.

Should Jones capture the gold in a few short days, he will also become the youngest UFC champion in history at 23 years old, displacing Josh Barnett who currently holds that honor at age 24.

The special "UFC Presents: Jon Jones, In The Moment" airs on Spike TV on Thursday March 17, 2011 at 11 p.m. ET and "UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones" takes place in Newark, N.J. Saturday March 19, 2011, airing live on pay-per-view. The event marks the first time the UFC moves its starting time to 9 p.m. from it's normal 10 p.m. slot.