With 2011 coming to a close, it’s very clear who the fighter of the year is—Jon Jones.
Jones began the year with an impressive victory over fellow prospect Ryan Bader then parlayed that momentum into a title shot against Shogun Rua in which he battered the champ for two rounds before earning the belt with a third-round TKO stoppage.
Jones’ continued his impressive year by easily dispatching of one of the biggest names in the division—Rampage Jackson.
Then came the most pivotal win of the year for Jones—an impressive victory over Lyoto Machida in which we saw Jones rally from the most trouble he’s ever been in—which wasn’t much.
With Jones’ meteoric rise to the top, the question now comes up: Where does Jon Jones belong among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport?
Pound-for-pound rankings are always a point of contention and debate, however, they serve as a great way to compare fighters across weight divisions and get an idea of who the best fighters are regardless of weight.
For the longest time, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre have battled for the top spot on the pound-for-pound lists across the sport.
With 2011 now coming to a close, it’s now time to put Jon Jones firmly ahead of the welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
At this point Silva tops most lists—and with good reason. However, Jones has done enough to take GSP’s spot in the pound-for-pound rankings for a couple reasons…