The Jon Jones Hype Train continued to chug along last night in impressive fashion after Jones beat Ryan Bader like a redheaded stepchild en route to a second round guillotine choke victory.  The 23 year old star stuffed Bader's take down attempts, controlled him on the floor, battered him with elbows and strikes and finished him with a guillotine that, according to Jones himself, he learned from simply watching training partner Georges St-Pierre execute in practice.

...then the UFC pulled a page out of the WWE playbook with Joe Rogan's shocking announcement that #1 contender (and Jones' training partner) Rashad Evans was injured and that Jones was being given the title shot next month in Newark against Shogun for the Light Heavyweight title (Yes, I know most people rag on the WWE comparisons, but for anyone who's ever watched a WWE event, I could almost hear Jim Ross screaming "Oh mah God, mah God, that's SHOGUN'S MUSIC!" when he entered the cage following Rogan's announcement).

A lot of people are already debating whether next month will be Jones' ascent to greatness or Sunday, March 20th will be his funeral services.  Given the time crunch, here's why Jones is the best replacement despite even my own belief that he could use a little more seasoning:

Location, Location, Location - The UFC loves to stack international cards with countrymen and big stateside shows with fighters native (or somewhat native) to the area.  Jones is a born and bred New Yorker and, given the proximity to NYC, gives the crowd a pseudo-hometown boy to cheer for.

Lack of Fighter Options - Who else could the UFC rationalize for a title shot on such short notice? Rampage is booked for Thiago Silva at 130, Phil Davis (the next rising star on my list) is way too green to warrant and Couture/Machida are fighting at 129 (and coming of back to back losses, a Machida fighting Rua in a rubber match is an ill-conceived idea in and of itself).  Jones took on no damage from the fight, had already been training, is in excellent condition and sports a nearly unbeaten record.

Not A Lot Of Other Compelling Fights to Give a Promotion to Headliner - Given the proximity to the New York market and the promotion's success in the area, the UFC wants to make a splash, especially with the recent push for regulation.  While I personally am excited for Faber vs. Wineland, it does not scream main event and the other options would not bolster PPV sales or help the gate.

It's A Fun Match Up - Rua dominated the 2005 PRIDE MW Grand Prix tournament as a flashy young 23 year old much in the same way the now-23 year old Jones is dismantling the competition in the UFC.  You could easily argue that Rua's competition (a younger Rampage & Lil Nog, a noticeably-deflated but already experienced Alistair Overeem) at the time was greater than Jones' now (Bonnar, Hamill, Matyushenko and Bader), but Jones' size and Mr Fantastic-like reach makes it interesting to see if he can keep Rua at bay.

Again, Rua's experience, amazing muay thai striking and a BJJ/ground game that's superior to anyone Jones has faced makes him the odds on favorite and my pick, but maybe, just maybe, Jones is that special fighter who has what it takes to be the marketable, youthful and talented superstar the UFC has been waiting for to push as the face of the LHW division...even if many of us agree he isn't quite ready for the role.

After watching 107 this past weekend, I thought two things about the status of the UFC LW division: BJ Penn has become a seemingly unstoppable, motivated monster (hold your applause for that obvious statement) and, please feel free to disagree, that Clay Guida could be the new LW division gatekeeper.

As you all know, gatekeepers are the unofficial term for a fighter's equivalent of purgatory: you have to do something good (beat top level talent) to get into "heaven" (winning a title or be a considered a contender), but you haven't performed so poorly that you're in "hell" (the bottom of the pile or, worse, receiving a pink slip).

No one can doubt Guida's toughness and take down abilities.  He's got an extensive MMA record, 3 FOTN bonuses, and beaten enough quality competition to stay in the pack.  However, the losses to Sanchez/Florian show he may not rise too much further given his limited skill set.  Penn's back-to-back destruction of those two alone should be an indicator that Guida is not ready to move to the upper echelon of the division.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing (It could be worse: he could be the LW equivalent of Mostapha Al-turk...).  While I believe Guida's game plan sometimes moves to a "lay and pray" speed, he's a tough, young fighter who, if he keeps up his current tempo and record, has potential for longevity.  At the very least, he's currently putting on a good show, which always goes a long way with fans win, lose or draw.