It was only two years ago that a 23-year-old kid achieved a lifelong dream by winning a world title, but now Jon Jones stands as a man who is one win away from being the greatest light heavyweight in UFC history.
At UFC 159, Jones continued his dominant ways by putting a gag on “Oregon Gangster” Chael Sonnen and earning a first-round TKO stoppage.
It marked the fifth successful title defense for Jones, which ties the record held by UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz. There are many in the sport who would call him the best right now. Ortiz’s reign was nothing short of spectacular, but he wasn’t facing nearly the same level of opposition as Jones.
Sonnen has competed against some of the best fighters in the world, including UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. At the post-fight press conference, even he admitted Jones was the best fighter he has ever faced:
“He’s the best fighter I’ve ever fought. The last thing I want to do is disparage Anderson Silva, but it’s tough for me. I whipped him for 30 minutes, he whipped me for less than 30 seconds. I whipped Jon for 0 seconds, and he whipped me for the entire fight. It’s just tough. If you’re asking me for my opinion, Jon is better.”
Jones is a rare talent, and his instantaneous rise through the light heavyweight ranks can only be categorized as otherworldly.
He isn’t defeating up-and-comers or challengers with pipe dreams of one day wearing a UFC title. The wins have come over highly-respected legends of the sport in dominant fashion.
MMA fans should take advantage of every opportunity to witness greatness, and there are very few, if any, greater than Jon Jones.
Today, we rank all of his UFC title defenses.