Between rounds four and five of what ultimately became Jon Jones‘ record seventh straight light heavyweight title defense, Greg Jackson told the young champ that he was putting together “an amazing artistic fight.” Elbows, knees, ax kicks, punches from odd and unearthly angles; everything was in play at UFC 172, and really, everything was working. Jones beat Glover Teixeira from the outside, just like we all knew he would, then he obstinately pummeled Teixeira on the inside too, a realm that was supposedly Teixeira’s greatest strength, seemingly just to prove that he could.
But while Saturday night belonged once again to the champion, the road won’t get any easier from here. Light heavyweight, which once looked like a wasteland of shopworn stars, is suddenly teeming with potential threats. Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier are out there waiting, we already knew that. But now Anthony Johnson, the welterweight who never quite seemed like a welterweight, is looming in the wings as well, after demolishing Phil Davis in a way that nobody ever had before.
Jon Jones may be the greatest right now. But if he can survive the next year and a half, there’s a very real possibility he’ll be the greatest ever.
Jones has Glover questioning himself now. That’s not good. He can’t hesitate. Jones looks good. Hes settling into this fight.
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 27, 2014
@JonnyBones wow first class performance you the man!
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) April 27, 2014
The Mauler wouldn’t be able to beat the @JonnyBones we just saw in the cage IMO
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) April 27, 2014
Damn i was a fan of Glover and I am even more now !! What a warrior !!! Amazing performance of Jones tho !!!! #UFC172
— patrick cote (@patrick_cote) April 27, 2014
Texeira’s right eyebrow is literally hanging off. Jones landing uppercuts and elbows almost at will #ufc172
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) April 27, 2014
I can only dream and strive to be as dominant as a champ like Jones. Glover gave his best but Jones proved why hes still the champ #UFC172
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterAljO) April 27, 2014
@JonnyBones impersonated Roy jones(hands behind back) @SpiderAnderson(up elbows)foreman w/peekaboo defense and gsp by not finishing #UFC172
— Junior Hernandez (@86_JRHernandez) April 27, 2014
I’m impressed by how deep Jones gets in, but Glover still stays on his feet. #UFC172 Those elbows from Jones are doing work though!
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 27, 2014
That was impressive. @JonnyBones had some crazy weapons. @gloverteixeira is a tough mofo! @ufc
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) April 27, 2014
Cormier hits him like that and he’s done. Buts jones is so good
— Jared Rosholt (@JaredRosholt) April 27, 2014
A lot of people not liking Jones, and I may be one of them but damn that boy can fight! Champ is the champ and it is what it is!
— John Alessio (@johnalessio79) April 27, 2014
Anyone notice that @JonnyBones just mimicked Roy Jones Jr., George Foreman, and then Muhammad Ali in the final round of that fight? @ufc
— Matt Bessette (@ManglerBJJ) April 27, 2014
Jones is something else. #respect
— Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) April 27, 2014
Fingers all up in the eyes. Like not even a question. #UFC172
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) April 27, 2014
That was a performance! Congrats bones
— Scott jorgensen (@Scottjorgensen) April 27, 2014
John Jones is the truth
— Melvin Guillard (@Young__Assassin) April 27, 2014
Jones watched some Georges Foreman fights!
— Tarec Saffiedine (@tarecfighter) April 27, 2014
I love this sport
— jimi manuwa (@POSTERBOYJM) April 27, 2014
“@ufc: .@JonnyBones on his way to defend the title! #UFC172 https://t.co/XHaAasTUwC” Classic
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) April 27, 2014
@JonnyBones is my favorite painter. He is an artist of the “8 deadly limbs.” Congrats Champ! @UFC @UFC_CA #UFC172
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) April 27, 2014
@JonnyBones breaking out some Roy Jones Jr fakes in the last round before a big hook @ufc #UFC172
— Bubba McDaniel (@BubbaTheMenace) April 27, 2014
Anyone wants a title shot at 205, after tonight… I thinks nada ! #UFC172
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunsonMMA) April 27, 2014
Pretty one sided win for Jones. Can’t wait to see the Sweed next! #UFC172
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) April 27, 2014
Elbow buffet! #UFC172
— Akira Corassani (@AkiraCorassani) April 27, 2014
Amazing performance by jones. Wasnt expecting a clean victory like that. #ufc #ufc172 #mma
— ROBERT DRYSDALE (@robertdrysdale) April 27, 2014
O Jon Jones é realmente impressionante lutando! Jon Jones really is impressive while fighting! Respect
— Junior Dos Santos (@junior_cigano) April 27, 2014
Jon Jones can fight tho! Fuck! Why can’t he just be REAL so that I can like him?
— War Machine (@WarMachine170) April 27, 2014
And Still… #AndStill pic.twitter.com/qOBveJBlW8
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) April 27, 2014
“@AngeloBodetti:Interesting list @ufc Last I checked @titoortiz had 15 wins between 199&206lbs. #HBBB #UFCHoF pic.twitter.com/RfPsUjCiux“
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) April 27, 2014
Now I’m being erased from @ufc history! Wow that is low! It will come back three fold. Sorry fans. @espn @foxsports
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) April 27, 2014
INSTANT CONTENDER
Rumble looked fantastic tonight
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) April 27, 2014
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. Good work rumble. Great striking
— ROBERT DRYSDALE (@robertdrysdale) April 27, 2014
@Anthony_Rumble bro you were born to be a bully just like your Pitbulls! Badass fight…. Psalms 23
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) April 27, 2014
Anthony Johnson is a problem at this weight class wow. He’s lookin fantastic. #UFC172
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) April 27, 2014
Great job @Anthony_Rumble ! Head up @PhilMrWonderful u will fight another day!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 27, 2014
Welcome back to the @ufc @Anthony_Rumble
— Cung Le (@CungLe185) April 27, 2014
What a performance by Johnson … Damn #welcomeHome ! @ufc #UFC172
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunsonMMA) April 27, 2014
Congrats @Anthony_Rumble great fight great win!! #wsof
— Georgi Karakhanyan (@georgimma) April 27, 2014
Guess what!!! @Anthony_Rumble is back babyyyyyyy!! Now that’s what you call domination!! Congrats Aj
— TyroneSpong (@Tyrone_spong) April 27, 2014
Very very interesting.
— jimi manuwa (@POSTERBOYJM) April 27, 2014
That was impressive! #AnthonyJohnson #UFC172 no one has ever made @PhilMrWonderful look like he was in the wrong profession. #StillAPhilFan
— Yves Edwards (@thugjitsumaster) April 27, 2014
That’s a huge Johnson
— Cody Donovan (@donnybrookcody) April 27, 2014
I can’t believe how much Johnson has improved in the last few years. #soshocked
— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) April 27, 2014
Damn boy!! Rumble looked nice tonight!! Good shit brotha. Welcome back to the UFC #ufc #ufc172 #lhwcontender
— JackMayUFC (@JackMayUFC) April 27, 2014
Rumble has shaken the LHW division, no pun intended. #wow
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) April 27, 2014
I think I am a jinx… I thought Davis would win this one… clearly not. Great fight by RUMBLE. #UFC172
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 27, 2014
It baffles me that this big 205’er, ever made 170… #MindBlown
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) April 27, 2014
Some one who’s bigger and stronger then Phil Davis? Fml that’s scary
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) April 27, 2014
AJ is a FREAK!!! #blackzilians
— Ryan LaFlare (@RLaFlare) April 27, 2014
Sorry guys…..(audible sigh) thanks so much for all the support
— Phil Davis (@PhilMrWonderful) April 27, 2014
ROUND TWO? ROCKHOLD’S NOT A FAN
Sub of the year candidate?? I think so! Super funky Luke! I dig it! #UFC172
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterAljO) April 27, 2014
Rockhold is tough, very tough. He’d murder bisping.
— Jared Rosholt (@JaredRosholt) April 27, 2014
Beautiful transition from reverse #triangle to #kimura by luke. #ufc172 #ufc #mma
— ROBERT DRYSDALE (@robertdrysdale) April 27, 2014
Some real nice work from Luke Rockhold right there. That was nasty. #UFC172
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) April 27, 2014
When all else fails, hold them in place with your legs and rip their limbs in the wrong direction @LukeRockhold @ufc great fight #UFC172
— Josh Samman (@JoshSamman) April 27, 2014
What a total stud you are @LukeRockhold
— Kyle Kingsbury (@Kingsbu) April 27, 2014
I’m not gay or anything but I would totally bone Luke Rockhold.
— Ulysses Gomez (@uselessgomez) April 27, 2014
That was such a sick set up Rockhold used to get that inverted triangle! @ufc
— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) April 27, 2014
Rockhold didn’t even mess up his hair!!!!
— Dana White (@danawhite) April 27, 2014
Tim boetch will be cut, watch it
— Kevin Lee (@MoTownPhenom) April 27, 2014
I guess I’m a little sadistic considering I wanted the camera to show me rockhold’s broken toe #ufc172
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) April 27, 2014
Reverse triangle to the kimura. Brilliant finish for Rockhold. #UFC172
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) April 27, 2014
Shit. @LukeRockhold is a surf ninja. I hope Barbie rewards Ken tonight. Bravo. # #UFC172
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) April 27, 2014
That was sick @LukeRockhold @ufc showed he’s ready for the belt
— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) April 27, 2014
Le-git-su 🙂
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) April 27, 2014
JIM MILLER IS A BAD, BAD MAN
Oh wow miller jumps hard into an arm in guillotine. Yancy fought it hard but went to sleep giving miller the win #ufc172
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) April 27, 2014
My man Miller trynna celebrate but ppl was sleep on him haha. That was a joke but Yancy went out on his shield like a boss! #UFC172
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterAljO) April 27, 2014
Shows what a great guy Jim is… he wins, and instead of kicking his opponent off him… he takes his time and lets Yancy wake up. #UFC172
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 27, 2014
Awesome job by miller. Awesome fighter
— TJ Grant (@TJ_Grant) April 27, 2014
This has been a hell of night for casual fans. Let everybody get performance bonuses! #UFC172
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) April 27, 2014
Lol till the lights go out … @ymedeiros going out on his shield. Shoots!
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) April 27, 2014
Good night Irene! #UFC172
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) April 27, 2014
Tough kid!!!! Fought that choke and went to sleep
— Dana White (@danawhite) April 27, 2014
Proud of you @ymedeiros instead of wasting energy tapping out, you used everything you had to fight the choke!! You are a true warrior!!
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) April 27, 2014
Win or lose, Hawaiians always show amazing heart. Awesome job @ymedeiros! Let’s eat! #teamhawaii
— russell doane (@RussellDoane135) April 27, 2014
Jim Miller is the epitome of everything that is great about #Merica #UFC172
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) April 27, 2014
Every time I watch Jim Miller fight… my scar tingles. I feel like Harry Potter. #UFC172
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 27, 2014
APPARENTLY AWESOME NICKNAMES AREN’T ALWAYS ENOUGH
Hawaii!!!!
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) April 27, 2014
Nice submission from Holloway! Congratz #UFC172
— Tarec Saffiedine (@tarecfighter) April 27, 2014
So much for Holloway’s Jiu-Jitsu game lacking… #UFC172
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 27, 2014
When a guy starts shooting too much u can almost be absolutely sure hes fading. Max landed the more cleaner strikes. Great fight by both men
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMasterAljO) April 27, 2014
Damn! Had that fight won but that’s how the game goes sometimes.
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) April 27, 2014
Small bump in the road for @TouchyFili congrats @maxholloway great fight! @peoplefinders @TheMemoryTag @TeamAlphaMale @Torque1net @MMAInc
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) April 27, 2014
Yah max!!! Beautiful fight!!! Nice finish! That deserves a Performance of the Night bonus! @BlessedMMA #UFC172
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) April 27, 2014
Whoa! awesome job guys! hard fight both ways… gotta hate those dang guillotines lol. @TouchyFili @BlessedMMA
— Michael McDonald (@MaydayMcDonald) April 27, 2014
Beauty submission.
— TJ Grant (@TJ_Grant) April 27, 2014
Yeeeesssss!!! Great work brotha! Let’s eat! @BlessedMMA #teamhawaii pic.twitter.com/An3Wajuxte
— russell doane (@RussellDoane135) April 27, 2014
Thank you @TouchyFili you are a warrior man! Thank you for a great fight! @ufc #UFC172
— Jerome-Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) April 27, 2014
I’m sorry everyone. I could barely stand after the body shot. I made some mistakes but I promise to be back better.
— Andre Fili (@TouchyFili) April 27, 2014
INTRODUCING THE JOA CONSTRICTOR
You just got a tap with the feet. Wow.
— Stipe Miocic (@smiocic) April 27, 2014
Protect yo neck!!! Fuck everything else!! Whatever else going on isn’t important.
— TJ Grant (@TJ_Grant) April 27, 2014
The dreaded leg tap… #UFC172
— Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) April 27, 2014
The Joa constrictor is legit but I’m wondering what I have to do to get a tye dye belt? #UFC172 @JoeJitsu
— Nick Newell (@NotoriousNewell) April 27, 2014
Nicely done @JoeJitsu
— Eddie Wineland (@EddieWineland) April 27, 2014
Nasty guillotine from Benevidez. #UFC172
— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) April 27, 2014
Proud of my brother @TElliott125 tonight. Followed the gameplan, listened well, and just 1 little mistake changes everything.
— James Krause (@TheJamesKrause) April 27, 2014
Great job @JoeJitsu winner by the #joaconstrictor
— Mark Muñoz (@mark_munoz) April 27, 2014
Yeah buddy ole @joejitsu strikes again! @teamalphamale @TheMemoryTag @UrijahsUltFit @mmainc #Joeaconstrictor
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) April 27, 2014
YEEEEESSS!! @TElliott125 came out like a mad man but my boy @JoeJitsu is to well rounded. Sick SUB. Congrats JOE B. #UFC172
— Chris Holdsworth (@holdsworth135) April 27, 2014
BOOOOYAAAAAH!!! @JoeJitsu with the killatine!!!
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) April 27, 2014
BOFA DEEEZ NUTS! @JoeJitsu @LancePalmer @chadmendes @UrijahFaber @holdsworth135 pic.twitter.com/oK9cvbOiGw
— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) April 27, 2014
Man can’t wait to get back in there. Great job @JoeJitsu get that belt.
— Tim Elliott (@TElliott125) April 27, 2014