Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen (SWOT Analysis)

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones will square off against Chael Sonnen on April 27th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This will likely be the most anticipated fight the UFC will have to offer in 2013. For those of you familiar with MMA, you are aware of how this matchup came to fruition. Unfortunately this post will specifically cater to those of you who are informed. So lets take a closer look with a SWOT (strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats) analysis of this matchup.

Sonnen (left) and Jones (right) share some Thanksgiving
turkey at the TUF house.
Image courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Strengths: There is no denying the draw power of these two. According to a report done, these two men rank sixth and third, respectively, among the top 10 draws in the company. Jon Jones has the mystique among even the most hardcore fan that this phenom simply can't be beaten. Chael Sonnen has the WWE-esque trash talk to hype a fight that can be seen here. Love them or hate them, people will buy the PPV. It's just a fact. Also the fact that these two men are coaching opposites on this season of the Ultimate Fighter, will expose them in different lights for fans to invest in. Why search online for pre-fight interviews when you can tune in every Tuesday night on FX?

Opportunities: It is well known that the light-heavyweight division was lacking in true contenders at the time of this matchup. This is the result of  Jon Jones having already run through all of them without remorse. Also with the acquisition of the Strikeforce talent to the roster and current injury to Jones, it gives the UFC light-heavyweight division time to get fights taken care of to develop a true contender. There are two-main possibilities, Dan Henderson and Alexander Gustaffson. These two men will square off against their respective opponents roughly the same time Chael and Jones will fight. This will give a perfect timeframe and contender to whoever comes out of this fight victorious.

Threats: One threat to this matchup is the fact that most casual MMA fans flamed the UFC brass for setting it up. No one saw this coming, at all. This fight also goes against the golden rule of which UFC president Dana white preaches. Title shots are earned. This one however, was not. It's a simple truth. Fans want to see the number one contender against the champ. This won't be the case come April 27th. This really outraged a lot of fans and UFC fighters alike. Will it effect pay-per-view and ticket sales?  Probably not. There is also no denying that skepticism is at an all-time high among the fans and fighters when it comes to fight match-making.

Weaknesses: I'm going to be 100% honest about this. There aren't any weaknesses. If Jones wins, he shuts up the smack-talking kingpin. If Chael wins, we will see the biggest upset since Matt Serra-GSP. MMA media sites would implode.

Do yourself a favor and tune in every Tuesday night at 8 pm for the newest episode of The Ultimate Fighter. You won't be upset you did.