Whenever discussing the dominance of a particular fighter it’s become customary to add the disclaimer that in MMA no one is infallible.
The reason is simple: No matter how great a fighter seems, no matter how unbeatable they appear, this is MMA, and eventually everyone loses.
That’s why we love this sport though, isn’t it?
After all, we watched in amazement as Matt Serra shocked the world by knocking out Georges St. Pierre when he seemed invincible. We were dazzled when Ryo Chonan busted out a radical flying-scissor-heel-hook on Anderson Silva. We wept when Fabricio Werdum locked that triangle onto the mighty Fedor.
The one incontrovertible truth in MMA is that everyone loses.
Jon Jones is the latest hype train we’ve hopped onto. He’s young, freakishly gifted, and it looks like it’s going to be a while before he loses.
His 2011, four-fight run of absolute conquest is without question the most impressive single year by any mixed martial artist of any time. Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida—he didn’t simply beat them. He destroyed them.
So does Rashad Evans have a chance when he faces Jon Jones on April 21?
Of course he does. He’s a bad dude with a lot of power. He has a chance…it’s just not a very good one.
Jones isn’t the best striker out there, nor is he the best grappler. What he is the best at is utilizing his gifts, in particular his length. His 84.5” reach is the longest in the sport. A jab appears to come from across the cage, a front kick from the fourth row.
Others with similar reach, such as Stefan Struve, have no clue how to utilize that immense advantage to their benefit. Jones gets it, and it’s that ability to control the distance that makes him so dominant.
If an opponent is lucky enough to get inside of his range, they then have to contend with his devastating Greco-Roman skills, spinning back-fists, suplexes, flying knees and a plethora of other forms of hurt.
Basically, what makes that huge reach so advantageous is that it’s complemented by his impressive short game.
And that’s what makes Jon Jones so great; not one particular skill, but the sum of all his components. It’s rare that a fighter is ever able to concoct such a potent elixir of all their particular talents, especially at the tender age of 24.
Jones’ trainer, the esteemed Greg Jackson, has done a masterful job molding his gifted pupil into—dare I say it—the perfect fighter.
Most fighters are limited by their abilities, so their trainers must work around those limitations to accentuate strengths while protecting weaknesses.
Jones has no such confines.
His primacy at such a young age is a testament to that. Even the lone blemish on his record (a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill) was a brutal display of other-worldly dominion.
The most terrifying thing about Jon Jones is that he is the UFC light-heavyweight champion who has run through the division’s top competitors, and he has yet to be really tested.
Against Rampage, he ran into a guy he couldn’t easily toss around like a grappling dummy. Against Machida he finally got punched square in the face. He easily adapted to those contingencies, and still dominated.
What’s going to happen when someone finally puts Jones on his back? That’s what we need to see before we go declaring Jon Jones the Second Coming.
If anyone can test him it’s Rashad Evans.
Rashad is probably the most effective wrestler in the light-heavyweight division. It’s quite clear that standing outside of Jones’ range eating knuckles and shins all night is a fool’s errand. Someone has to get in his face and put him in some trouble.
Rashad could be that guy. Make no mistake, aside from being a skilled fighter, Rashad is a winner, and that’s his greatest asset.
I fully expect Jones to beat Rashad in a fairly commanding performance, but I will feel cheated if I don’t get to see Jon Jones put into another challenging position, just to see how he reacts to it.
You would think that as the champion any questions about passing tests would be put to rest. The guy is at the top of his division. He’s already passed all the tests.
But this isn’t about that. He’s already the best 205-pounder in the world. These tests are to see if he’s the best fighter in MMA.
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