Jon Jones has made it clear that he plans on becoming the greatest fighter in MMA history. He’s still only 26 years old, but that dream is quickly becoming a reality.
At UFC 172, Jones cruised to a decision win over Glover Teixeira. Although Teixeira’s punching power was his biggest weapon, Jones stood and battered the Brazilian with elbows from the clinch. In total, Jones hit Teixeira with 138 significant strikes, according to FightMetric.com.
Teixeira spent most of the fight swinging for the fences and only landed 53 significant strikes. Despite being known for his ability to end a bout with one punch, Teixeira was never able to seriously hurt Jones on Saturday.
And still … #UFC172 pic.twitter.com/z8oIDR3kbV
— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) April 27, 2014
With seven consecutive title defenses, Jones has the longest UFC reign of any current champion with the promotion. More notably, Jones is now only two wins behind Georges St-Pierre for second and three wins behind Anderson Silva for the all-time UFC record.
Looking ahead, a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson will likely be next for Jones. If he can survive that matchup, Jones may be looking at wins over contenders like Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson to match Silva’s 10 straight title defenses.
Early on, Jones appeared to be something special. It hasn’t taken him long to fulfill his potential, but Jones still has some work to do before he can remove all doubt that he’s the best fighter to ever step into the Octagon.
Enjoy this, folks. Getting the chance to see someone like Jon Jones is a special thing.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) April 27, 2014
Meanwhile, at 34 years old, Teixeira is in a rough position. He’s going to have to climb the ladder again, but there may not be enough time left for him to get another crack at UFC gold.
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