Tag: Jon Jones

Will Jon Jones Break Anderson Silva’s Records If He Stays at Light Heavyweight?

Anderson Silva’s loss at UFC 162 moved Jon Jones up to the No. 1 position in the pound-for-pound rankings. The new king is the dominant champion of the UFC’s most storied division.
Can “Bones” rise up to the challenge of Silva’s legacy? If …

Anderson Silva‘s loss at UFC 162 moved Jon Jones up to the No. 1 position in the pound-for-pound rankings. The new king is the dominant champion of the UFC’s most storied division.

Can “Bones” rise up to the challenge of Silva’s legacy? If he stays at light heavyweight throughout his career, which seems unlikely, can he topple Silva from the record books?

For the most part, I say yes.

There is no one in the division today that should be able to challenge Jones, and all the while he is growing as a fighter. He has won the title and defended it five times (a divisional record), while still learning new techniques in all the appropriate areas. His physical gifts took him to the top of the sport.

 

16 Consecutive UFC Wins

Currently, Jones stands at nine wins. If not for a missed call against Matt Hamill, it would be at 12 already. A defeat of Alexander Gustafsson later this year will make it 10.

To reach 16 he will need to keep the winning going for three years. Jones fought four times in 2011, but that included coming in against Shogun Rua on late notice to win the title. The past two years he will have fought two times in each year. That seems to be the pace for UFC champions now.

His biggest challenge may Daniel Cormier, but there is no guarantee he will drop to 205. Outside of Cormier, it is hard to envision another fighter challenging Jones. For the foreseeable future, he owns the division and can easily collect this record.

 

10 Title Defenses

Jones is already halfway there. He can make it six by winning against Gustafsson.

That means over the course of the next three years, he needs to tie the consecutive win mark to surpass the title defense threshold. However, there is the chance that the record gets broken before Jones gets there. GSP already has eight title defenses to his credit with a ninth scheduled against Johny Hendricks.

Until that happens, the record is 10. Jones can definitely exceed that.

 

12 Post-Fight Award Bonuses

Silva knows how to collect extra paychecks when he fights. He is the all-time leader.

Jones has five post-fight bonuses to his credit. This may be the first record for Silva that is safe.

The 26-year-old has plenty of time, but his current adopted style is not conducive to winning post-fight bonuses. He has become more methodical. He has yet to show true one-punch or kick power in the stand-up, and his submission game is still evolving.

His dominance is entertaining, but we often see an undercard fighter do something more to warrant the extra paycheck prior to Jones running through his competition. He has time on his side to reach the mark, but it is hard to imagine him getting there. It has already taken him five years to get five bonus checks. At an average of one a year, he would need to fight for at least another eight years to capture this particular record.

 

Striking Records

Silva currently holds three striking records, and Jones is not the most polished striker in the sport. It will be difficult for him to reach these.

Eleven TKO/KO finishes, 17 knockdowns and 67.5 percent significant striking accuracy—ridiculous numbers.

Where is Jones at right now? Four TKO finishes, four knockdowns and a 53 percent significant striking accuracy. He is nowhere close.

Even if Jones wins all six of his next bouts by TKO, he will still be short of the record and most likely behind on the other statistics as well. Matching Silva’s extraordinary striking numbers will be difficult for a fighter who utilizes his grappling as much as Jones.

This is certainly not a knock on the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter today. It is more a testament to Silva’s brilliance standing. If Jones goes on to break the other records, I think he’ll be fine with coming up short in the striking department.

All in all, the important records are within Jones’ reach. If he makes the trek to heavyweight, it will be even harder to reach. His physical skills, along with his growing technical advantages, make him the hardest fighter in any division to knock off. No one has come close, and it doesn’t look like any current light heavyweight will be for the foreseeable future.

Jones has a lot of work to put in. The light heavyweight kingpin’s determination to be the best ever makes it likely we could be arguing that he is the greatest mixed martial artist ever in just a few years.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Will Jon Jones Break Anderson Silva’s Records If He Stays at Light Heavyweight?

Anderson Silva’s loss at UFC 162 moved Jon Jones up to the No. 1 position in the pound-for-pound rankings. The new king is the dominant champion of the UFC’s most storied division.
Can “Bones” rise up to the challenge of Silva’s legacy? If …

Anderson Silva‘s loss at UFC 162 moved Jon Jones up to the No. 1 position in the pound-for-pound rankings. The new king is the dominant champion of the UFC’s most storied division.

Can “Bones” rise up to the challenge of Silva’s legacy? If he stays at light heavyweight throughout his career, which seems unlikely, can he topple Silva from the record books?

For the most part, I say yes.

There is no one in the division today that should be able to challenge Jones, and all the while he is growing as a fighter. He has won the title and defended it five times (a divisional record), while still learning new techniques in all the appropriate areas. His physical gifts took him to the top of the sport.

 

16 Consecutive UFC Wins

Currently, Jones stands at nine wins. If not for a missed call against Matt Hamill, it would be at 12 already. A defeat of Alexander Gustafsson later this year will make it 10.

To reach 16 he will need to keep the winning going for three years. Jones fought four times in 2011, but that included coming in against Shogun Rua on late notice to win the title. The past two years he will have fought two times in each year. That seems to be the pace for UFC champions now.

His biggest challenge may Daniel Cormier, but there is no guarantee he will drop to 205. Outside of Cormier, it is hard to envision another fighter challenging Jones. For the foreseeable future, he owns the division and can easily collect this record.

 

10 Title Defenses

Jones is already halfway there. He can make it six by winning against Gustafsson.

That means over the course of the next three years, he needs to tie the consecutive win mark to surpass the title defense threshold. However, there is the chance that the record gets broken before Jones gets there. GSP already has eight title defenses to his credit with a ninth scheduled against Johny Hendricks.

Until that happens, the record is 10. Jones can definitely exceed that.

 

12 Post-Fight Award Bonuses

Silva knows how to collect extra paychecks when he fights. He is the all-time leader.

Jones has five post-fight bonuses to his credit. This may be the first record for Silva that is safe.

The 26-year-old has plenty of time, but his current adopted style is not conducive to winning post-fight bonuses. He has become more methodical. He has yet to show true one-punch or kick power in the stand-up, and his submission game is still evolving.

His dominance is entertaining, but we often see an undercard fighter do something more to warrant the extra paycheck prior to Jones running through his competition. He has time on his side to reach the mark, but it is hard to imagine him getting there. It has already taken him five years to get five bonus checks. At an average of one a year, he would need to fight for at least another eight years to capture this particular record.

 

Striking Records

Silva currently holds three striking records, and Jones is not the most polished striker in the sport. It will be difficult for him to reach these.

Eleven TKO/KO finishes, 17 knockdowns and 67.5 percent significant striking accuracy—ridiculous numbers.

Where is Jones at right now? Four TKO finishes, four knockdowns and a 53 percent significant striking accuracy. He is nowhere close.

Even if Jones wins all six of his next bouts by TKO, he will still be short of the record and most likely behind on the other statistics as well. Matching Silva’s extraordinary striking numbers will be difficult for a fighter who utilizes his grappling as much as Jones.

This is certainly not a knock on the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter today. It is more a testament to Silva’s brilliance standing. If Jones goes on to break the other records, I think he’ll be fine with coming up short in the striking department.

All in all, the important records are within Jones’ reach. If he makes the trek to heavyweight, it will be even harder to reach. His physical skills, along with his growing technical advantages, make him the hardest fighter in any division to knock off. No one has come close, and it doesn’t look like any current light heavyweight will be for the foreseeable future.

Jones has a lot of work to put in. The light heavyweight kingpin’s determination to be the best ever makes it likely we could be arguing that he is the greatest mixed martial artist ever in just a few years.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Tired of Talking About Daniel Cormier, Cormier Not Tired of Verbally Owning Jones


(“Short? No cardio? That’s not what your mother said last night.” / Photo via Getty Images)

Over the course of his dominant UFC career, Jon Jones had proven at least two things — he is an amazing fighter, and it isn’t that hard to get under his skin. Although, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans can attest to, simply making Jones feel uncomfortable and irritable doesn’t make much of a difference when it’s time to actually fight him.

Jones is making his next light-heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September, but the Swede isn’t the guy “Bones” is tired of talking about. That would be heavyweight contender and two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier.

Cormier faces Roy Nelson next in a winner-eats-town bout at UFC 166, but after that, the undersized heavyweight says that he is moving down to Jones’s division and that he plans to get an immediate title shot once he does. No less than UFC President Dana White has all but said the same.

This, combined with the near-constant battle of tweets and words between DC and JJ has apparently tried Jones’s patience a bit too much. Recently, while on the UFC’s “World Tour,” the 205-pound kingpin was asked, for what has to feel like the millionth time, about Cormier challenging him. Jones got downright catty with his response.

Trying out his best high school girl insults, Jones said that Cormier is short, fat, and that he isn’t even popular. “I hate answering questions about him,” Jones said of Cormier.

“I don’t think he wants to work hard. I think he just wants to be famous. You can see it in his physique…He has, like, 20,000 Twitter followers. He has short reach, bad cardio [and] he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”


(“Short? No cardio? That’s not what your mother said last night.” / Photo via Getty Images)

Over the course of his dominant UFC career, Jon Jones had proven at least two things — he is an amazing fighter, and it isn’t that hard to get under his skin. Although, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans can attest to, simply making Jones feel uncomfortable and irritable doesn’t make much of a difference when it’s time to actually fight him.

Jones is making his next light-heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September, but the Swede isn’t the guy “Bones” is tired of talking about. That would be heavyweight contender and two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier.

Cormier faces Roy Nelson next in a winner-eats-town bout at UFC 166, but after that, the undersized heavyweight says that he is moving down to Jones’s division and that he plans to get an immediate title shot once he does. No less than UFC President Dana White has all but said the same.

This, combined with the near-constant battle of tweets and words between DC and JJ has apparently tried Jones’s patience a bit too much. Recently, while on the UFC’s “World Tour,” the 205-pound kingpin was asked, for what has to feel like the millionth time, about Cormier challenging him. Jones got downright catty with his response.

Trying out his best high school girl insults, Jones said that Cormier is short, fat, and that he isn’t even popular. “I hate answering questions about him,” Jones said of Cormier.

“I don’t think he wants to work hard. I think he just wants to be famous. You can see it in his physique…He has, like, 20,000 Twitter followers. He has short reach, bad cardio [and] he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”

If Jones isn’t worried about a guy who would be the first person he’s ever faced that can take him down, and a man who just four years into his MMA career has already dominated two former heavyweight champions, then he’s lying or delusional. But despite the fact that he and Cormier appear to almost certainly be headed towards one another should they win their next fights, Jones insists that Cormier isn’t relevant to him.

“He’s just not relevant to me,” Jones said. “There’s so many great fighters in the light-heavyweight division. He’s not even top five in his division. I’m not sure if he is.”

Yeah, Jon, he is. Cormier is, at worst, the number three heavyweight in the world right now, despite having the height of a lightweight. And yes, Jon, everyone wants to see the two of you fight.

And for the record, Cormier like, totally has almost 60,000 twitter followers, so there. Faced with Jones’ hissy fit, Cormier decided to take the higher-looking road when he appeared on Fuel TV recently.

“When I heard his quote, it’s like a 16-year old girl,” Cormier said. “Jon Jones, grow up bud. We’re going to fight regardless of how you feel. And when we do and I’m cutting the line and you might as well pull guard because I’m taking you down.”

Who do you got, nation? Jon Jones, fueled by teen-like angst and awkwardness or Cormier with his super-chub Olympic powers and grown ass man strength?

– Elias Cepeda

Daniel Cormier to ’16-Year-Old Girl’ Jon Jones: ‘Grow Up Bud’

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may not fight in the same weight division, but that doesn’t mean that they are not tattooed on each other’s minds.
The two have bantered back and forth in the past, but those exchanges have ratcheted up in frequ…

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may not fight in the same weight division, but that doesn’t mean that they are not tattooed on each other’s minds.

The two have bantered back and forth in the past, but those exchanges have ratcheted up in frequency and fury over the last few weeks.

The reason behind those increases may have something to do with the fact that Cormier recently told UFC Tonight that his upcoming UFC 166 fight against Roy Nelson will be his last in the heavyweight division.

After that fight, if Cormier is victorious, he plans on taking to the microphone and requesting that he be allowed to jump the line and get an immediate title shot in the light heavyweight division.

Cormier’s plan caught the attention of Jones, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, who told MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco that Cormier is, “Just not relevant to me.”

Jones added: “He has short reach, bad cardio (and) he looked terrible in his last fight. It’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.”

Not surprisingly, Cormier had a response to the champion’s comments. “When I hear his quote, it’s like a 16-year-old girl,” he said on the FUEL TV UFC 163 post-fight show.

“Jon Jones, grow up bud, we’re going to fight regardless of how you feel. And when we do and I’m cutting the line and you might as well pull the guard because I’m taking you down.”

Jones and Cormier both have fights on their dance cards, so the bout between them is not a certainty. Jones will first have to defend his title against Alexander Gustafsson in the main event at UFC 165. That fight will take place on Sept. 21 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Cormier will meet Nelson in the co-main event of UFC 166 on Oct. 19 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Both fighters are on impressive winning streaks.

Jones (18-1) has not lost since a disqualification for illegal elbows in a December 2009 bout against Matt Hamill, while Cormier (12-0) remains unbeaten in his professional career.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones: “Gustafsson Wants What I Have, I Can’t Allow That to Happen”

Throughout his young career as UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has dealt with his fair share of trash talkers who wanted to make a fight with him personal.
Even before he was champion he dealt with brash fighters who believed he wasn’t as tal…

Throughout his young career as UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has dealt with his fair share of trash talkers who wanted to make a fight with him personal.

Even before he was champion he dealt with brash fighters who believed he wasn’t as talented as he was perceived to be, so it took Jones some serious time to earn the respect he’s been given.

The opponents who still didn’t respect him?

Jones has certainly taught all of them a lesson as well with his five consecutive light heavyweight title defenses, finishing four out of five opponents by either TKO or submission.

For his upcoming bout at UFC 165 against Alexander Gustafsson, there’s a different feeling in the air than some past bouts for Jones.

Gustafsson has never been known as a trash talker or really to say anything bad about an opponent before a fight. If anything, Gustafsson just displays a quiet confidence that might be scarier than any words a fighter could say before squaring off in the Octagon.

Jones recognizes the look of competitive hunger in Gustafsson‘s eyes, because it’s the same look he carried before he won the UFC light heavyweight title. It’s that very hunger and drive that Jones appreciates most about Gustafsson, so even if he never says another word before they fight, the motivation to win is already instilled in him.

“The way I find motivation to fight a guy like (Gustafsson) is he wants what I have,” Jones said recently. “I can’t allow that to happen.”

Jones has said time and again that he’s working towards bigger goals for his life, and that includes major sponsorship deals, being involved in huge matchups in the UFC and branching out his brand for the next several years.

That all stops or potentially goes away if he loses to Gustafsson, so Jones knows that losing is not an option.

Check out this interview with Jones where he talks about Gustafsson and the differences he sees in the Swedish born fighter as opposed to some of his past opponents that tried to go the route of trash talk ahead of a fight.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rashad Evans Won’t Fight Vitor or Any Other Teammate

Former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans made it perfectly clear in his interview with ESPN.com that he is not interested in fighting teammates.
“I won’t fight Vitor [Belfort]. I won’t fight Thiago Silva. I won’t fight Cezar “Mutante” Ferreir…

Former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans made it perfectly clear in his interview with ESPN.com that he is not interested in fighting teammates.

“I won’t fight Vitor [Belfort]. I won’t fight Thiago Silva. I won’t fight Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira. I won’t fight anybody who I train with,” Evans said, adding “I made that mistake before, and I won’t do that again. I lost a lot of relationships because I did that before.”

Evans’ “mistake” was in his decision to fight current light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The two had been teammates at Team Jackson before Evans left for Blackzilians in Florida.

Evans had previously stated he would never fight teammates when both he and friend Keith Jardine were fighting in the same weight class. Back then the two seemed to have a strong understanding of never taking such a bout. When asked if his friendship with Evans would prevent him from fighting for the title, Jardine simply stated “Absolutely.”

Evans can even be seen in his Fox Sports interview in 2009 (at mark 2:00-2:18) simply shaking his head and refusing the idea of potentially fighting Jardine for the title, despite Dana White‘s adamant assurance the fight would happen if necessary. It was as simple for Evans four years ago, and it appears he has turned back to his old ways on how he views friends fighting.

The comment from Evans comes on the heels of the ongoing struggles between the UFC and top middleweight contender Vitor Belfort. The wife and manager of Belfort, stated last week that Vitor will not take a middleweight fight outside a title shot, but will accept any bout at any higher weight class.

 

 

 

 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com