The UFC has a big problem, and there is no way to currently fix it.
Jon “Bones” Jones is destroying every opponent who stands in his way, and it’s sucking all of the drama out of the sport. His latest victim was Rashad Evans, who was only able to muster two legitimate punches on the lightweight champion.
According to Compustrike (h/t Ithaca Journal), Jones issued more blows than Evans in all five rounds. During the 25-minute bout, Jones registered 112 blows to only 56 for Evans.
Jones joined Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock as the only fighters to ever win four consecutive UFC title fights at 205 pounds, and there doesn’t appear to be a single fighter in the sport who can unseat his reign of dominance.
How has the 24-year-old become possibly the most dominant fighter in the history of the sport?
Length.
Registering an 84.5-inch reach before the match, it was officially the longest in UFC history. Jones’ reach forces opponents to become defensive almost right off the bat. They can’t land a punch with any real force because they can’t reach the guy. Meanwhile, Jones chips away at opponents with kicks and jabs that seem to really wear down the other fighter, regardless of conditioning.
He uses this physical blessing to his full advantage by consistently keeping his opponent at bay. It frustrates them to the point where they try and get out of their comfort zone in an attempt to be the aggressor. This technique backfires, and Jones systematically destroys the opposition.
Future challengers have to figure out a way to neutralize his length advantage, or we are going to witness the greatest run of sheer dominance that the sport has ever seen.
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan summed it up best with this comment after the fight (via the Baltimore Sun):
“We may not have ever seen anyone as talented as Jon Jones in the octagon.”
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