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By: Eric Hobaugh, MMATorch Contributor
Remember when Anderson Silva burst onto the UFC middleweight division? He ran through the best fighters in the world in quick fashion, and we had no idea back in 2006 he would be unstoppable for the next six plus years.
The same kind of entrance to the UFC can be said of Jon Jones. When he entered the UFC in 2008, who knew only five years later he would be in the same situation as Silva? He is not just winning against the best fighters in the world, he has only lost a few rounds in all that time.
Who in the top ten of the UFC's light heavyweight division has the most realistic chance to stop Jones from becoming the most dominant champion in the history MMA? Let's take a look:
Ryan Bader
Ryan Bader is young, but in my book he has always been overrated. You need look no further than him losing to an extraordinarily over the hill Tito Ortiz. He has great wrestling and decent power with his stand up, but realistically has a very small chance of even earning a title shot against Jones, let alone a realistic shot at defeating him. And lest we forget, he's already lost to the Champ.
Gegard Mousasi
Mousasi is a tough veteran of MMA and has a style that gives most in the division a tough fight. "Most" was the most important word in the last sentence. He's simply way too small to ever challenge for the light heavyweight title belt, so long as Jones is Champion. If he was ever to earn a shot against Jones, he would be overpowered and out-classed in all aspects of the game.
Phil Davis
Davis' strengths are Jones' strengths. He is a good wrestler, and Jones is an excellent wrestler. His striking is good, and Jones' is the best in the division. Davis has decent cardio, and Jones has never slowed in the cage. Davis can fight unpredictably, and Jones may be the most unorthodox fighter ever at 205. Davis may never get to a point where he competes for the belt, but if he does, he will be soundly beaten by Jon Jones.
Mauricio Rua
Rua has already been beaten by Jones and he was never really in the fight. I think he is at the end of his run in MMA and will not ever make it back into title contention.
Rashad Evans
Evans can make another run at a UFC Title, but it will not be at light heavyweight while Jones is the champ. His road to the title is at 185 and after Anderson Silva retires. I actually think if he can refocus his game, he will eventually win the Middleweight Title. He has lost two in a row, with one of those losses to Jon Jones and the other to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Evans has always been an undersized light heavyweight fighter, and this could be the key to his future in the UFC and cementing his legacy as an all time great. As far as a realistic chance to win a LHW Title goes, it is tiny at best.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Nogueira is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career against Rashad Evans at UFC 156 this past February. He looked good, but not great, and I think Evans lost that fight rather than Nogueira winning it. He is past his prime and as fun as it is to see this resurgance this late in his fight career, he will never compete for UFC gold. If he was ever to fight against Jones for his title, it would not be a close or entertaining fight in the least.
Glover Teixeira
Of all the fighters on this list, Teixeira may be the biggest wild card in the top ten. He is a good fighter with great stand up and is tough as nails. He has the skills to make it into a title shot and I think he will get that done some time in 2014. Can he win the title? He 100% can. If he can figure out the reach and unorthodox striking of Jones, he has as good a shot at the title as anyone in the top ten today.
Dan Henderson
Henderson has the best shot to beat Jones today. He has better wrestling and his power is legendary for a reason. He is an undersized light-heavyweight, but he has fought many fighters larger than Jon Jones and been successful. He has the experience and usually has very smart game plans in big fights. If he can use his wrestling in reverse to keep the fight standing, he can land one big shot, and that is the best hope any fighter in the world today has against Jon Jones. I think Henderson could get his chance next year if he can win his next fight against Rashad Evans.
Alexander Gustafsson
I love watching Gustafsson fight. He has a swagger and confidence that is hard not to love. His stand up and kickboxing is great, and the kid would win against almost any light-heavyweight except Jon Jones. If he can earn a title shot, he will not win. Gustafsson is just not a good enough grappler to keep Jones from taking him down. He is not a big enough light-heavyweight to muscle Jones in any aspect of the fight. Gustafsson can earn a title shot, but ultimately has very little chance of winning it.
Lyoto Machida
Machida was doing pretty well against Jones back at UFC 128 in 2011 when he got caught. He was moving well and getting in and out with his striking. He was landing regularly and was causing damage. Machida actually looked as if he had a shot against Jones until he let Jones get his hands on him. Jon Jones was eventually able to use his wrestling and strength to choke out Machida with a standing guillotine in the second round. Machida might get another shot at the light-heavyweight title, but he will never win it against Jones.
Jon Jones will probably stay the Champ as long as he stays at 205. If he fights the super fight against Anderson Silva, I think that he will best him; that could go down as an all-time great fight and I am sure it will be one of the best-selling PPV's of all time. I think after a few more fights at light heavyweight, he will move up to heavyweight and become a champ soon after. Only Jon Jones can beat Jon Jones at this point. He is still only 25 and has taken almost no damage in his fights. If he can keep his head and training together, I am convinced he will retire as the best fighter of all time.
Please send love, fan and hate mail to erichobaugh@gmail.com
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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