Although clinch striking probably played the biggest role in Jon Jones defending his light heavyweight championship against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 over the weekend, the 205-pound titleholder also scored three takedowns on Saturday.
While Jones’ reach and striking have gotten most of the attention lately, it was the champion’s wrestling and ground-and-pound that carried him to the top of the light heavyweight class. Bones has scored at least one takedown in his past 12 outings.
Only 26 years old, Jones still seems to be making improvements to his MMA wrestling. That is a scary idea to process for 205-pound contenders hoping to dethrone the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Clearly, Jones is among the best wrestlers in MMA. Here is a look at where he stands among the top 10 wrestlers competing in the UFC based on results inside the Octagon.