I'm referring to experienced, respected, knowledgable posters making claims like these: Can someone please explain to me how beating down on... - This content is protected (lost his next 2 after Jones to Mark "Help The Aged" Coleman and Krzysztof "Mediocrity" Soszyński) - This content is protected (knocked out by Rich Franklin the year before, and had to go to an SD with the fossilized remains of Keith Jardine in his next fight) - This content is protected (got bitchslapped senseless and facially disfigured by Thiago Silva in his next outing, then cut from the organization altogether) - This content is protected (a 39 year old who had come off an SD with the mighty Eliot Marshall in his previous fight, and who'd been KO'd by L'il Nog in '09 in his only fight with a top opponent since Arlovski KO'd him in '03) - This content is protected (undefeated, but a one-dimensional wrestler who was lucky to get the decision in his previous fight with a version of L'il Nog who basically lost to Jason Brilz 4 months earlier and got a gift decision) ...means he tanks both This content is protected and This content is protected ? :huh So what is the point of this thread, is it just to badmouth Jones? Of course not. :nono The guy looks like an absolute phenomenon. He has demolished everything in his path so far. Note the key words there. Jones has not beaten a single, solitary proven top-class lightheavyweight yet. Not one. He looks the business, for sure. But looking is not the same as proving. Lest we forget, the last time a fighter was being promoted as being the new breed of MMA and ushering in a new era was when Lyoto Machida was lined up to face Rua... ...and Machida's resume at the time was better than Jones's! Rather than unproven one-dimensional Bader and cans like Vera and Bonnar, Machida had taken Rashad Evans's zero and the title, after blasting out Thiago Silva within seconds. And Rua beat him. Look, Jones is going to be a great champion, but at this stage to state with certainty that he is capable of annihilating elite ATG fighters like Rua and Silva, on the basis that he has beaten Bader and Matyushenko in his last 2 seems a bit... ...:nut. No?
I honestly thought bader had him, going by the strange weigh in and entrance, but there is no doubt the kid is special. 23 year old, man. The thing is I think he can best rua on the ground. However, he's never been hurt or pressured, and the one guy you don't want to experience that first with is Rua. So very good on his feet, and Jon Jones is so very open for a big counter when he does things like throw a flying knee. I can't wait, man. Will this be in March still?
I admit the hype is high but, Bones is something special. If i heard correctly rogan said hes only been training for 3 years! That's insane for the level of skill he is showing. Either way though, the Rua fight isn't far off and we will see the truth soon.
he is natural talent, I dont agree with the term hype train here. I see no hype This is a sport where we want to get excited by a fighters, and this is one of those moments . and your trying to attack peoples excitement in the moment?
Jones is the future, the man's hype isn't because he won those fights its the fact he hadn't lost a second of those fights, pure domination over fighters that know how to fight. He just beat a guy who went to Arizona State for wrestling on the ground and didn't look troubled at all. Shogun better come with his A game because if he thinks experience is going to carry him, Jones is going to leave with the belt.
Jones is the present. No ones beating a guy who can grab a guy in the neck an literally throw them out of the cage if he wants to. The future? I cant even think of that coz when this kid learns to use his range, people might refuse to fight him. His arms are two meters long and he can jab with his elbows. Its kind of sad because its bad enough that he is a physiological freak but you hear him speak and he is all up there mentally as well.
i agree. rua KO'd an undefeated machida in his last fight. bones could be in for some serious hurt. rua is going to be champ for a long time if he can go with out getting injured.
I have to agree with Popkins here. But I will go further. Jones biggest strength is his wrestling and his athleticism his striking is not very technical remember Urijah faber? he paid for his unorthodox moves when he threw that elbow on Mike Brown and was ko'd, a while before that he was ko'd by tyson griffin when his superman punch was countered with a hard right hand. I am reminded of these when I see some of Jones impromptu moves. Remember it will be rua who will get the chance to capitalize on this not some wrestler with little striking ability except power. Jones leaves himself open to be countered this is bad. athleticism can let you get away with a lot of things, but it will catch up to you at some point. In the mean time he is not learning to close up his openings and become responsible in his attacks because his unpredictability has been his strength. I am sure that Rua will expose this at least to some degree. their was also a guillotine choke that Bader caught Jones early with in there fight a dangerous submission artist might have made more of that- remember bader was never proven either so dominating him is fantastic win but not the best test of Jon Jones skills and mental strength. I want to add I am not a hater of jones just someone who thinks he is still a work in progress. a much more technical fighter with equal athleticism at about the same age ran into matt Hughes in 2004, he did well but then was submitted. st peirre bounced back, and became a better fighter for it. Will Jones, or will it ruin him.
Agreed on all counts. I remember people literally creaming themselves over Paul Williams's reach in boxing... until he got timed and caught and knocked out by Sergio Martinez... and unlike Jones, Williams had already proven to have a strong chin. To watch Jones crush Matyushenko and Bader, and conclude he would walk through Silva and Rua is madness.
one of jones biggest assets is his size, 6'4 is huge and he was towering over shogun who was wearing shoes and jones was bare foot, another year or two max and he will have to move up
Yes he is a outstanding young fighter but his resume isnt all that impressive. Now of course if he handles Shogun WTF can we say then ? I think the hype is because he makes it look easy. Come on he ragdolled Ryan Bader one of the strongest fighters in the divison and choked him out guys like Red Schafer and Lil Nog couldnt do jack to Bader with their highly touted submission games. Everytime this kid trys a takedown it looks perfect and so flawless that he could do it to anyone in the world.
The Jone Jones Top 5 ATG thread title made me laugh out loud. It's not even worth dignifying with a reply. I didn't watch last night's UFC (as I don't pay for them as a rule, and they've stepped up their efforts to prohibit other means of viewing) but have seen Jones' last few efforts prior...and even adding any kind of dominant win over Bader to them, the mere suggestion of top 5 ATG is an absurd joke. Yes, he's shown dominance, supreme athleticism, and versatility - but no more of any of those than Jose Aldo has since he broke on the scene a couple of years ago. Where is the Jose Aldo top 5 ATG bandwagon? :roll: