Jon Jones holds a massive record that puts him head and shoulders above all current UFC champions
In his 14-year run in the UFC, Jon Jones has put together one of the most impressive resumes ever. While MMA fans continue to compare the numbers of their favorite fighters for the 'greatest of all time' debate, only Jones can boast about having seven successful title defenses by the age of 27.
'Bones' made his UFC debut back in 2008. After an impressive three-fight win streak, Jones suffered an unfortunate disqualification loss to Matt Hamil. However, he quickly recovered from the loss and secured finishes over his next three opponents.
About a month after his seventh fight in the UFC, Jon Jones accepted a short-notice fight against Mauricio Rua for the light heavyweight title. The then-23-year-old Jones dominated 'Shogun' to secure a third-round TKO victory, marking his place in UFC history as the youngest champion ever.
Jones later defended his title against some of the best light heavyweight fighters ever. By the age of 27, he already had seven title defenses against Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, and Glover Teixeira.
Interestingly, none of the current champions won their titles before the age of 27. ESPN MMA recently tweeted a reminder of the incredible statistic:
"No current UFC champion won their title before the age of 27. Jon Jones already had SEVEN title defenses by the time he reached that age."
#UFC285 
No current UFC champion won their title before the age of 27.
Jon Jones already had SEVEN title defenses by the time he reached that age 😲 #UFC285
(via @ESPNStatsInfo) https://t.co/MDAQiGR3vS
Alex Pereira says Ciryl Gane is a tougher fight for Jon Jones compared to Francis Ngannou
UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira recently weighed in on the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. According to the Brazilian, the 35-year-old American will find 'Bon Gamin' a much harder challenger than Francis Ngannou would have been.
Jones will make his long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC 285. The headliner of the event will see 'Bones' going head-to-head against the former interim heavyweight champion for the vacant title. The pair will face off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Pereira shared his thoughts on the matchup and outlined why Gane will likely prove to be a harder test for Jones:
"It’s never easy, but I think this [Gane] fight will be much harder than if he had fought Ngannou... Jon Jones is very experienced, has great defense, so I think Jones would beat Ngannou. This next fight is a bit harder for him, but I also think he wins. It’s a bit more difficult because [Gane] is smart."
Read the full interview here.