Jones on track to immortality

Brandon Vera's intent was to crack Jon Jones' aura. He implemented a couple schemes: trash-talking and a heated staredown at the weigh-in that sent the normally tranquil 22-year-old into a rage. Vera walked away laughing, confident half the battle was won.

Then the horn sounded Sunday night in suburban Denver. That's when Vera realized true core cracking in MMA happens inside the Octagon. Three minutes and 19 seconds later, the only things cracking were Vera's orbital bone and the ladder he had been climbing towards a light-heavyweight title shot.

I've written and said this many times: Jones could end up one of the best in MMA - ever. He took another step towards immortality by doing what three former UFC heavyweight champions, including Hall of Famer Randy Couture, couldn't do to Vera, destroying The Truth in a UFC on Versus main event that was hardly in doubt. Jones executed one of his slick takedowns seconds into the fight and it was Joe Rogan's astute commentary that had me concerned when Vera was on his back. It appeared that Jones was leaving his left arm too extended and vulenerable for an armbar. While Bones is already one of the great ones, he's just 22 and the experienced Vera had a plan to make his opponent pay for a rookie mistake.

So much for that. Jones ate an illegal kick to the chin and once Herb Dean - for my money the best referee in the business - deducted a point and ordered a restart from the exact same position, it didn't take long for Jones to end the fight with an elbow so brutal it echoed around the arena and through the TV microphones at ringside.

Think about this for a moment: Vera knocked Couture down and had him staring at the clock in hopes the seconds would move faster. He lost that fight, but his reputation gained in stature and was set up to be Jones' biggest challenge. Alas, Jones made it look too easy - just like he did against Matt Hamill, Jake O'Brien and Stephan Bonnar. And because Jones is one of the most mature 22-year-olds you'll ever meet, he allowed himself to learn another lesson.

“In the future, I’ll deal with trash talkers better and focus on what the task is,” Jones said.

The questions began immediately after Dean stopped the fight, who's next? Couture? Mauricio Rua? Rashad Evans? Quinton Jackson? Not exactly.The UFC is going to handle Jones carefully, despite his success, similar to the Washington Nationals sending top-pick Stephen Strasburg to Double-A despite his 100-MPH fastball, writes Kevin Iole. If I were matchmaker: Jones gets either the winner of Forrest Griffin-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (UFC 114) or another light-heavyweight on a rapid rise to the top: Ryan Bader.
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How good is Junior Dos Santos? He toyed with top contender Gabriel Gonzaga before smashing him 3:53 into their bout Sunday night. Four of Dos Santos' five UFC wins have come via a first-round knockout or TKO. This heavyweight division is so loaded a matchup of any of the top guns would be main-event caliber. Again, if I were matchmaker, Cain Velazquez is next for Cigano, with the winner to take on the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin/Frank Mir.

Couture amazing story, but No. 1 contender?

I'm a firm believer that age isn't measured in years. It's about how you life your life, take care of your body and apply to your craft while making the required adjustments to cope with bones and muscles that tend to bark a bit louder as your chronological number increases. There is a small part of it, though, that's up to a greater power: God's genetic programming.

Mark Coleman is 45 years old. Randy Couture is 46. Saturday night showed that Couture is aging like fine wine while Father Time is demanding Coleman, "Enough is Enough." Coleman is a decorated fighter, the UFC's first heavyweight champion, and a man of dignity. And it's sad to see him go out this way. Coleman offered little to no resistance against The Natural, yet said afterwords he still wants to fight. Dana White made it clear it won't be in the UFC - against Tito Ortiz or anyone. There's an awful lot The Hammer can contribute to the sport, but he no longer belongs inside the Octagon.

Couture is an incredible athlete and an amazing story. He's 2-2 in his last four fights, which includes the stiffest test anyone's provided Brock Lesnar, a heart-and-soul battle against Minotauro Nogueira, and a controversial decision over Brandon Vera. He appears to be on course for a shot at becoming a three-time light-heavyweight champion, a goal that if accomplished would put Captain America on the immortal level.

But is Couture a legit No. 1 contender? On paper, not yet. I'd like to see him in a rematch against Vera; to this day The Truth believes the judges screwed him out of a win at UFC 105. Coleman's heart is admirable, but his tools of today is not the ideal litmus test that Vera or even Jon Jones would be.

That said, does Urijah Faber deserve a shot at Jose Aldo over Mike Brown? I don't think so, but the UFC/WEC at times places a premium on a compelling matchup over merit (unlike Dan Hardy's fair chance at Georges St. Pierre). You can make an argument for Rashad Evans if he defeats Rampage Jackson, but also point out Evans' 0-1 record against champion Lyoto Machida. Then again, Brown is 2-0 against Faber, yet he's on the undercard of WEC's first pay-per-view while Faber-Aldo is the bout between two of world's most exciting featherweights that everyone wants to see.

Couture could benefit from timing. Beyond Evans and Vera (if he defeats Jones), there's no light-heavyweight that's ready for a title fight. If Vera wins he could draw the lucky number, but those convinced that Couture won that fight would probably want more proof out a rematch too. This puzzle can take well into the summer to complete.

UPDATE 12:04 p.m. Dana White confirmed that Couture is in the title picture. Machida's second defense against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 113, as well as the Evans-Rampage Jackson showdown expected to be settled at UFC 114 in May, will have to sort itself out.

"There's some unfinished business in the light heavyweight division," White said. "We've got to do Rashad and Rampage. We've got to do the Machida and 'Shogun' fight, and Randy falls in the middle of that whole mess somewhere. We'll see what happens. I've got to see what happens with the next couple fights."