UFC 182 ended with Jon Jones getting his hand raised once again, for his 8th straight title defense. He is by far the most decorated fighter in the UFC’s marquee division and is the best pound-for-pound fighter today, but is Jon Jones the greatest fighter in the history of Mixed Martial Arts?
Georges St-Pierre has won 12 championship bouts at welterweight, with 9 defenses of his UFC title. Anderson Silva on the other hand, had 10 straight title defenses and won 14 fights in two divisions during his reign.
While Jones’ numbers may not be more than those so far, the dominant UFC champion says he already has the best resume in MMA. After all, he has defeated a murderer’s row of fighters and former champions at light heavyweight.
Is that enough to warrant his G.O.A.T status? Maybe. This year though, his goal is to put a stamp on that claim where no one will even be able to argue otherwise.
“My plan is to be the greatest fighter of all time. It’s so feasible. It’s so attainable,” Jones said. “All I have to do is to stay focused, keep believing, and keep working. I do believe 2015 will be the year I solidify it.”
“Anderson is the guy I’ve been looking up to since I was 18, 19 years old. I’ve studied his fights, and I really want to model my career after him,” he said about Silva, who has long been considered as MMA’s best. “Anderson has won so many world titles and you can’t discredit what he’s done. That being said, with all due respect, I believe I’ve had the toughest resume in the history of the sport. I’ve fought so many tremendous athletes.”
“I will put Georges and Anderson above me, and that will keep me honest. It will keep me determined and driven. I’ll keep that as my psychology until it can’t be argued anymore,” he states. “2015 will be my best year.”
Even at this point in time, it’s already hard to argue that Jones isn’t the top candidate for the Greatest of All Time status. That said, the scary thing is that the 27-year-old is far from being done and still keeps improving. He says he’s moved to New Mexico full-time and will just now be looking to improve more during the off season.
“The big thing I’m excited about is getting back to Albuquerque,” he said. “I do not train in between fights. That has been well documented, and I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of me having this big gut.”
“Now that I live in Albuquerque, it’s going to be huge. This next fight is going to be something else. I’m going right back to strength and conditioning, and actually start working towards a black belt in jiujitsu,” Jon claims. “I get to work on things, and I’m so excited for this development and maturity by training in the off season.”
Instead of being in the couch, playing video games all day, Jones says he’ll be constantly training and improving at an even better rate now that he’s made the move.
As he proves time and time again, Jones shows new developments to his overall MMA game every time he steps into the cage. If a fighter who is arguably the best in history hasn’t even been training full-time, nor has he reached his athletic prime, how will he look when he does?
“Expect whoever I fight next to have his hands full,” Jones simply states. “I’m excited on seeing what this does for me.”
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