What makes Jon Jones almost unbeatable...

I think that people are over-exaggerating what happened because Jones looked human for a round. I suggest that everyone rewatch the fight when they have the time. Jones actually figured out Machida's timing in the second. He didn't get hit with nearly as many clean shots as he did in the first round. He also hit Machida flush with two excellently timed punches: a straight right counter earlier in the round before the takedown and the aforementioned hook that hurt Machida and setup the finish.

It was impressive to see Jones figure out a guy who only one other fighter has managed to look good against.

 

There are three things I believe that make Jones such a threat to everyone.

1) His reach. That **** is absolutely crazy. Machida handily won the first round, but not without getting hit, and not without a few dangerous moments. So Machida won the first round, but got knocked down in the second, which set up the fight ending choke. Even with out the submission, Machida had been knocked down in round 2 of a 5 round fight, he also had an enormous cut on his forehead which only would have become worse as the fight went on. Even if the fight had continued to a decision in a purely stand up affair, I doubt Machida would have had another round like the first. Jones' stand up is improving drastically every time we see it, he has the physical attributes and the unorthodox style to pose problems to all but the most accomplished strikers, and there probably isn't another striker at 205 right now that is as dynamic, as fast and as technical as Machida, with the possible exception of Shogun... and look what happened there.

2) His clinch. This is undoubtedly the position where Jones poses the most danger to everyone. From crazy long legs throwing up knees, to his elbows (esp. the spinning elbow when he exits) to his seemingly unstoppable take downs from this position (seriously, has he ever failed to take one of his opponents down, especially from the clinch?). So due to his reach, people can't stand on the outside to strike with him, if they try to get close enough to stand in the pocket and unleash Jones has shown time and time again that he can clinch up and either do some serious damage or rag doll them onto their back, which brings us to...

3) His top position grappling. He has made a fool of everyone on the mat. I don't think he's ever been on his back unless he's put him self there (jumping into a triangle against Rampage and a weird arse take down attempt against Bonnar or Gusmao). When he gets guys down it looks like a toddler trying to fight their dad. The best example of this was Bader and to a lesser extent Shogun. Both of them looked totally out of their depth on the ground with Jones, and when they eventually made it to their feet they looked scared as hell. Jones has the long legs which give him an impossibly wide base, making him hard as hell to sweep. His long arms not only let him unleash elbows with incredible leverage and power from almost any top position, they also give him crazy good leverage and angles when looking for chokes (O'Brien, Bader, Machida)

He's obviously not unbeatable, but he's pretty close to it especially considering the current opposition available to him.

 

The thing is that he beat Machida to the left hand and hurt him just before securing the choke. So ultimately he got the better of the stand up in the end. First round I think Machidas ability to close the range suprised him but he took some good shots and stayed calm. Went to the ground and threw one elbow that caused massive damage. The finish was badass, he looked like an adult choking out a toddler. JJ has to make a big mistake to lose. I cannot see any fighter out there that is better than him in any one area. He has manhandled wrestlers and proved he can strike with the best striker at 205 and is submitting guys for fun.

 

I realized that Jones is like a white or blue belt in BJJ, and he just strangled a skilled black belt.

 

Standing guilotines are what novices get caught in. JJ is tearing up the book, belts mean nothing when a guy is this naturally gifted. His atheticism means he can do whatever the **** he wants. Any kind of clinch and it's either going to the floor with JJ on top or it's a sub. He has the most effective and brutal GNP I have ever seen and he just cleared out a really competitive division in 12 months. People like this only come along once every generation. Most dominant sportsman on the planet imo.

 

jones really knows how to use his height and reach....smart fighter for his age

 

Impossible to say. Only two really fight changing blows landed. One elbow on the floor that led to a cut and one left hand on the feet that led to a sub, both from Jones. machida caused problems early but the evidence showed Jones figured him out and got the better of him.

 

After tonight I'm a little more confident in Silva's chances of beating Jones. I still have JJ as a favorite if that fight happens. But AS has a solid chance. It would get ugly for him if the fight goes to the ground but Silva's ground defense is underrated. I realize Silva plans to stay at MW but how sweet would it be to end his career with a victory over JJ? Don't see anyone currently at 205 beating Bones. He might even have to move up to HW to find decent competition.

Someone needs to test those very thin legs of his. There's a reason why they call him Bones. And it's not because he breaks bones.

 

He best Machida to the punch when they both threw lefts and Machida ended up face down on the canvass. Jones grabbed his neck and got him in the standinding guillotine. The last bit of stand up in the fight was jones Knocking Machida down. i would argue that in the long run jones DID get the better of the stand up

 

This is what happens when you try to commit to leg kicks on Jones.

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With regards to Silva, I don't see how this fight tells us anything about how a possible match up between him and Jones would go down. Machida is the worst stylistic match for Jones at 205 because of his unorthodox striking and defensive wrestling. The only reason that Jones stood with him for so long is that he was paying deference to Machida's heralded takedown defense. Jones would fight smart against Silva and take him down immediately, and I seriously doubt that his submission defense is as inept as Sonnen's is.

 

Everyone forgot Machida rocked Jones in the first round?

 

Jon Jones record is beginning to look like Fedors. 1 bogus loss and a pile of beaten corpses. The fact is on paper Jones is already one of the best 205s ever and he is well on his way to being the best and already challenging for all time p4p honours.