Jon Jones is the Best Fighter Ever

Prepared and confident, Daniel Cormier showed why he is an all-time great in the main event of UFC 214. He kept the fight close in the first round and won the second round by tagging Jon Jones several times with clean punches. Although Cormier never got going in the third round as he had in the first and second, he appeared to be in a much better place than he had been in the same round in their first meeting.

And then Cormier’s toughness, often on display in his last four championship bouts, alongside the adjustments he had made that put him in a better position to beat Jones this time around, were for nought. He brings his hands down to block kicks and tends to lean to the right to avoid strikes. Anthony Johnson slammed his shin into Cormier’s face in April to take advantage of the same flaw, but Cormier escaped the attack with only a flattened nose.

Jones threw a steady diet of kicks and knees all night, beautifully working Cormier’s questionable knees and softening up his body. Midway through the third round, Jones sought a major return on his investment. He went high with a left kick. Cormier dropped his hands and leaned to the right, just as Jones hoped he would. His shin crashed into the side of Cormier’s head.

Jones ensured Cormier never had a chance to recover, chasing down a wildly unsteady Cormier until he stumbled to the ground. Jones then rained down a vicious series of elbows and punches that seemed to switch Cormier’s brain off and on a few times. The best challenger Jon Jones had ever fought was left face down on the mat, unconscious.

You could say the fight closed the chapter of the Jones vs. Cormier rivalry, but the history between the two is better suited for a book. Far more unlikely trilogies have occurred, but the odds are strongly against Cormier, 38, working his way back to Jones after such a decisive finish. Many have noted that Cormier is unlucky to fight in the same period as Jones, but the sport could not have asked for better luck than to have the two top light heavyweights ever compete at their best at the same time.

Jon Jones is the best mixed martial artist to ever live. Possessing an uncanny fight IQ, his ability to make in-fight adjustments sets him apart. When pushed, he can dig deep and come out on top. He has fought contenders of every size, shape, and skill set his weight class offers and came away the winner every single time. As with any long reign, there were two or three challengers that did not belong in the cage with him, but the rest were the best of the best.

Including Jones, there are four legitimate claimants to the “greatest of all-time” title. They are Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Fedor Emelianenko, and Georges St-Pierre.

Silva achieved success at the highest level in three weight classes, but Jones defeated superior competition.

Demetrious Johnson will likely set a new record for successful UFC title defenses in September. However, he has lorded over a nascent flyweight division in which UFC yanked some title challengers off preliminary card bouts on Facebook to meet him. Although Johnson has been more dominant than Jones in recent victories, he has not been afforded the opportunity to prove himself against the level of competition that Jones has had.

During his run on top, Fedor Emelianenko fought more opponents that did not belong in the ring with him than any of the other elite greats. Even considering only his best victories, they do not match Jones’ best triumphs.

Georges St-Pierre dominated every top welterweight of his era. However, he did not beat them in the way that Jones defeated his top contenders. St-Pierre finished opponents in four of fourteen title bouts, and lost twice in title fights (he eventually avenged both defeats). Jones has finished six of eleven opponents in title bouts, and he is effectively undefeated.

What is next for the greatest fighter of all-time? Jones ended the night by calling out Brock Lesnar, whose interest in returning to UFC has been rumored in the past couple of weeks. Fighting Brock Lesnar would be a good fight for Jones’ wallet and may take him to the next level as a star, but it is not the type of fight to extend his legacy.

If the bout does take place, it is still some time away. Lesnar has months remaining on his USADA suspension. For that suspension time to start ticking down again, he needs to reenter the drug testing pool. If Lesnar enters the USADA pool today, the fight could take place early next year. But first, Lesnar would need approval from WWE. His contract with the pro wrestling giant does not expire until next April.

Most likely, Jones will defend of his newly-retaken light heavyweight championship next. Although Volkan Oezdemir was the other light heavyweight star of UFC 214 with a knockout of Jimi Manuwa, the best challenger for Jones is Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson pushed Jones to the limit in September 2013 and then had his rematch taken away when the Jones-Cormier rivalry took precedence. Jones vs. Gustafsson is A rematch that needs to occur in order to answer lingering questions left from the first bout.

Jones allowed no questions to linger at UFC 214 against Cormier. He shut down the sport’s best rivalry and one of the highest level fights in history on his terms. A third fight would be welcome – Jones and Cormier combine for the type of fight that comes along so rarely but you could watch every day – but Jones left no doubt in the cage on Saturday. He is the best ever.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.