With UFC 145 now in the rear-view mirror, the Internet remains buzzing about the dominance of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, as he picked apart Rashad Evans in Saturday night’s main event on his way to a one-sided decision victory.
Many believed that Evans’ game would bring a serious challenge to Jones, especially given the two fighters’ history of training together. But that wasn’t the case. Evans looked just as lost in the cage against Jones as all others who preceded him.
The scariest part? At 24 years old, “Bones” hasn’t even reached his prime. He’s still getting better.
Using his long limbs and innovative striking, Jones held Evans at a distance throughout the fight, rarely allowing Evans an opportunity to even lay a hand on him. One of the top ranked light heavyweight fighters of all time barely even challenged Jones.
… And yet, he still has room for improvement.
There are some things that cannot be taught. Jones’ natural physical gifts would make him an exceptional mixed martial artist even if he wasn’t learning from arguably the best coaches in the sport today. But when you consider that Jones has the benefit of working with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that he seems to get better by leaps and bounds with every performance.
At UFC 145, Jones showed more innovation as he repeatedly tagged Evans with standing, lightning-fast, jab-like elbows that the challenger had absolutely no answer for. But seemingly dissatisfied with himself—despite dominating round after round—Jones could be heard conversing with his corner between frames, very calmly asking them what he should look to do in the next round. They gave him their advice and then, like a machine, he executed with perfection.
His unpredictability and physical stature has carried him this far, but it’s his insistence on learning more and gaining experience both inside the cage and in training sessions that will make Jones a legend in this sport well before he even reaches his 30s.
Argue all you want, but Jon Jones is already the greatest light heavyweight of all time. Now he’s going to run up the score.
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