As we had the “Machida era” before him, we now have the Jon Jones era.
Fresh off an iconic win over a Patterson, New Jersey purse snatcher (and also legendary icon Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on the same night), new UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is now being mentioned as potentially one of the most dominant champions in the UFC’s history, all without making a single defense.
Reason being most people now think there is nobody out there that can beat his combination of world-class wrestling ability coupled with the flashy, yet ruthless, striking style he minted against the former champion, Shogun.
In order to assert his impending dominance, Jon Jones will have to talk on all-comers as he looks to hold on to his built and establish the dynasty many are predicting for him. And he will have to do this against the rest of the 205 division, long considered to contain the deepest pool of talent in the UFC.
Let’s examine the five most likely contenders to challenge for the new throne of Mr. Bones and see who has the best shot at altering hypothesized history.
The Top Five Contenders to Jon Jones and his UFC Light-Heavyweight Title
1. “Sugar” Rashad Evans
Already announced as next in line to face his former Jackson’s MMA teammate, the 5’11” wrestler and Rolles Gracie no-gi BJJ black belt knows Jones better than anybody else on this list. After all, they have trained together at Greg Jackson’s camp for well-over a year. When asked how he would fight Jones, Rashad replied, “I already know how to fight him, I train with him!” With that being said, does his combination of wrestling and slick head movement hold the key to countering Bones’ varied skill set? Will Evans be able to take the much-larger JuCo All-American down and put him on his back long enough to win a decision? Or will Jones simply use his reach and superior physical attributes to demolish his former teammate?
2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Fresh off a decision win over former 205 champion Lyoto Machida, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is a vicious two-fisted slugger who looks to know out his opponents every single time. A wrestler in his home state of Tennessee during his high school days, Rampage is also no slouch when it comes to submission defense and getting back to his feet when taken down the ground. A fight with Jonny “Bones” Jones would most likely result in a slugfest between the two. Jackson certainly has the power to knock anybody out but will he be able to get inside the 84” reach of Jones long enough to do damage without getting taken down?
3. Winner of Lyoto Machida / Randy Couture
In these two fighters, set to take on each other at UFC 129 on April 30th in Toronto, Canada, what you have are two master tacticians with contrasting styles. With the “Dragon,” what you have is a Karate-based fighter that relies on timing, distance, and counter-attacking to attack his opponents when they are at their most vulnerable. “The Natural,” Randy Couture is equally methodical but prefers to battle his opponents in the clinch, snuffing out any room to strike effectively and wearing them down with dirty boxing and Greco-Roman takedowns. If Machida wins and fights eventually fights Jones, he would have to adjust his timing to counter unpredictability as “Bones” is more unorthodox than most fighters he has ever seen. If Randy wins, he’ll likely devise an excellent plan to close the distance but does he have the physical strength at 47-years of age to outmuscle a bigger, younger opponent with Greco experience of his own?
4. Anderson “Spider” Silva
UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted immediately following the Jones/Rua fight, “Bones vs. Silva? Who wants it?” The answer to that is simple in that THIS is the fight which would bring in mega-dollars for the promotion. Forget GSP/Silva. This is the fight everybody would rather see after last Saturday night. The consensus #1 fighter in the world, Silva has been making his opponents look silly for years, dominating every opponent that’s come his way since 2006 with a ridiculous array of unpredictable and stylish array punches, knees, kicks, and elbows – much in the same way Jones did to Silva’s former Chute Boxe teammate last Saturday night. At 6’2″ and with a 77.6 inch reach himself, Silva is also one of the only fighters in the world with the timing, speed, and striking skill to counter the unpredictability of “Bones” Jones while possessing near-equal length and BJJ skill to possibly counter his fellow champion on the floor. But at 35 years old and with a Legacy already cemented, does he even want this fight? He’s mentioned absolutely no desire to chase this one, instead preferring a possible catch-weight bout with St. Pierre so we will likely never see this one happen.
5. “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis
Alas, we’ve come to the case of the young Phil Davis, the man they call “Mr. Wonderful” and a former NCAA champion wrestler from Penn State. With only three years on MMA experience behind him, the 6’2″ Davis has been an epiphany, going 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the UFC, literally making up a submissions along the way as in the case of his “wonderbar” submission of Tim Boetsch this past November at UFC 123. As in the case of Jones with “Shogun,” the talented Phil Davis will also be taking on the biggest test of his likewise young career as he takes on Antônio Rogério Nogueira this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Seattle (airing FREE on Spike). After that fight, will we be talking about “Mr. Wonderful” as the next great revelation that could challenge the champion? And if he is, has he developed enough of an offensive arsenal to challenge the new champ?
Other Fighters in Waiting – Gegard Mousasi, Muhammed Lawal, Dan Henderson, Roger Gracie, etc.
Not since Chuck Liddell defeated Tito Ortiz in 2006 for his sixth defense has the UFC Light-Heavyweight title been defended on more than one occasion by any champion without losing the belt. Will Jones be the first? Are we truly looking at the “Jon Jones era” or will this prove to be an era on par with Machida’s as he faces one of the deepest talent pools in the business with a target on his back?
How many fights will “Bones” be able to defend his 205 belt? Who’s eventually going to take Jones out? And how will they do it?
Chime in with your thoughts!