Can Jon Jones be beat?
He has wrestling chops. His striking game is phenomenal. His elbows are devastating. He exhibits a creativity in the Octagon that most fighters don’t possess.
Yes, like any other fighter in history, on any given night he is beatable.
But barely. At this moment, Jon “Bones” Jones is the UFC’s finest fighter, and he proved it once more with a fairly easy unanimous decision over Rashad Evans on Saturday night.
That makes it seven straight wins for Jones, with the last four coming over previous light heavyweight title holders Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and now Evans. And the only blemish in his 16-1 career mark came when he was disqualified for throwing illegal elbow strikes at Matt Hamill.
He’ll face another difficult opponent in his next fight in Dan Henderson, whose excellent wrestling could give him trouble. Or it could be just another day at the office for Bones.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Anderson Silva is the UFC’s best fighter, with 14 consecutive victories and a UFC-record nine title defenses in the middleweight division.
It’s a fair argument, though since 2010 we’ve only seen an injury-prone Silva fight four times. In that same span, Bones has rattled off his streak of seven wins. He’s younger and longer than Silva, and his recent run of success is more impressive than anything the Spider has ever accomplished, at least in such a short time frame.
Jones is 24, and he’s already at the top of his sport. If he remains focused and hungry, he’ll only get better. His legend has room to grow.
Jon Jones, like any other fighter, can be beat. But as of now, it’s just about an impossible task for any fighter unlucky enough to draw him.
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