5 current light heavyweights who could’ve beaten Jon Jones
Is Jon Jones the greatest fighter the sport of MMA has ever seen?
His incredible list of stats and accolades speak for themselves. No one has ever beaten Jon Jones. The one loss on his record came by way of a disqualification. Essentially, Jones beat himself which sums up both the man’s career highs and lows in a nutshell.
One of the most complete fighters the world’s ever seen, ‘Bones’ Jones has proven himself to be a killer in all aspects of MMA. On the ground, he’s an elite level grappler with some of the most vicious ground-and-pound in light heavyweight history.
On the feet, he’s a devastating striker with an insanely long reach (over 84”) and skull-cracking elbow shots. He also utilizes his long legs to execute night-ending head kicks and knee strikes.
Throughout the 2010s, Jon Jones carved his way through a murderers’ row of light heavyweight contenders. Seemingly invincible come bell time, the controversial Jones is now bulking his way up to a heavyweight debut in 2022.
We may never see him at light heavyweight again, which begs the question, was there anyone who could’ve beaten him?
Here are five fighters who might’ve just been able to squeeze out an upset against Jon Jones:
#5. Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson
A UFC light heavyweight dream fight that never was. There was a time where ‘Rumble’ Johnson fights were must-see events for UFC fans. One of the scariest, hardest-hitting tough guys in light heavyweight history, Johnson was regarded as a boogeyman in the division.
Over the course of his 15-year career, Johnson has dropped bombs across four weight classes. Amazingly, despite his insane power and intimidation factor, Johnson never secured light heavyweight gold.
The reason?
Daniel Cormier.
At both UFC 187 and UFC 210, Cormier exposed Johnson’s achilles heel: the rear naked choke. As killer as Johnson is on his feet, his ground game isn’t quite up to scratch. To defeat the former NJCAA standout, Jones would have to keep this fight grounded. Assuming he can slap on Johnson’s most feared hold (three more of his losses also came by way of it), Jones is walking away with the win.
Despite being the obvious favorite, Jon Jones would simply have to leave his chin unprotected for even a fraction of a second to lose here. They call him ‘Rumble’ for a reason and Jon Jones, like everyone else, would be in danger of lights out at any given moment on the feet.