Even after back-to-back losses to Chris Weidman, former longtime UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva still carried the moniker of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
Silva won 16 UFC fights in a row between June 2006 and October 2012, defending his middleweight strap 10 times in the process.
Silva’s remarkable run still stands as one of the most prolific in the sport’s history, and it forever ingrained his name among the elite in MMA lore. However, a fighter who has long deserved a place in the conversation, Jon Jones, made a strong argument for passing Silva at the top of the GOAT list when he overcame arguably his greatest challenge in his 6.5-year UFC career on Saturday.
Jones beat second-ranked and previously unbeaten Daniel Cormier at his own game to score his fifth win over a current UFC Top 10-ranked light heavyweight on Saturday at UFC 182.
Had Bones not been disqualified for throwing illegal downward elbows on Matt Hamill’s face at The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale, Jones’ win over Cormier would have tied him with Silva for most consecutive UFC victories (16). Jones was beating Hamill handily before being disqualified.
By topping Cormier in such impressive fashion, Jones, who defended his light heavyweight strap for the eighth consecutive time, surpassed the great Silva in the highly debatable conversation of the sport’s GOAT.
Examining the careers of Silva and Jones,,it’s clear to see that Bones has faced stronger opponents and molded a more well-rounded skill set than The Spider. The 27-year-old Bones has also achieved his greatest at a younger age and has done so in a more evolved version of the sport that Silva once ruled.
Jones has triumphed over more UFC champs (five) than Silva (three), and he’s beaten them all in a less-than-four-year span. During his title run, Jones has only faced three challengers (his last three opponents) who were making their first and only appearance in a title fight.
Silva, conversely, has taken on five guys who were appearing in their first and only title bouts. And standing 6’4″ and enjoying a division-long 84.5-inch reach, Jones is an even more intimidating and imposing figure at 205 than Silva is at 185.
It’s a tricky debate delving into the skill sets of Jones and Silva as strikers, simply because both men have perpetually displayed such great resilience and such an array of dazzling techniques. But in terms of ground fighting, wrestling in particular, Jones, who has been taken down once in his career, holds a clear advantage over Silva, who surrendered three takedowns in one fight against Chael Sonnen.
While Jones may have—and may still—emulate Silva, the fact remains that he can do the things Silva does best, and The Spider can’t match his strong suits. Silva will never score an early takedown and pummel a foe into submission in top-guard position with elbows and punches like Jones has done. The Spider also wouldn’t attempt to wear an opponent down up against the cage round after round while blending in effective dirty boxing and elbow strikes like Jones did to Cormier.
In the same vein, Jones could easily mimic something out of Silva’s repertoire and render an opponent unconscious with a flying knee or a front kick.
Add in the fact that Jones, who’s arguably just entering his prime, has a sturdier chin and just as much perseverance and determination as Silva, and it becomes evident that Bones has surpassed his idol in terms of greatness.
During the UFC 182 post-fight press conference, company president Dana White didn’t quite declare Jones the GOAT, but he essentially said the Jackson’s MMA stalwart is heading in that direction.
“It’s hard for me because Jon Jones is so young and has so many more things to accomplish, but yeah, he’s beaten the who’s who, he’s cleaned out the division and he’s breaking records. If this continues, yeah, he’s probably the greatest ever.”
Jones’ longtime Jackson’s MMA teammate, Cub Swanson, chimed in with opinion of Jones’ legacy:
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) January 4, 2015
When asked at the UFC 182 post-fight presser where he stands in the GOAT conversation with Silva, Jones chose to respond modestly.
Anderson, I’ll start by saying is a guy I respect tremendously. I’ve been looking up to him since I was about 19 (or) 18 years old. I’ve studied all of his fights (and) I really want to model my career after him. Anderson has won so many world titles and you can’t discredit what he’s been able to do. At the same time, with that being said (and) with all due respect, I believe that I’ve had the toughest resume in the history of this sport. I’ve fought so many amazing athletes and so many times people thought I was going to lose. I will give Anderson and Georges (St-Pierre) being above me (because) I think that attitude will keep me honest (and) it will keep me determined and driven. I will keep that as my psychology until it can’t be argued anymore.
Jones will get a chance to further cement his legacy as the GOAT when he faces the winner of the matchup between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, which takes place on Jan. 24 at UFC on Fox 14.
Gustafsson gave Jones his stiffest test inside the Octagon to date at UFC 165 in September 2013. Jones won a controversial unanimous decision in what several major media outlets named the “Fight of the Year.”
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