June 29, 2009, at 3:37 pm
Did you ever watch an athlete, no matter what the sport, and find yourself saying “My god, If he ever puts it all together, He could be one of the greatest of all time.” Well, in my short foray into Mixed Martial Arts so far, I’ve only said that once. It wasn’t about guys like Georges St. Piere, or B.J. Penn. Those guys are established and it’s no fun trying to tell everyone that an established guy is going to be great. He’s already great. It wasn’t about a guy who was on The Ultimate Fighter. Everyone has already seen those guys. It was about a guy who’s brother plays defensive tackle for Syracuse, who was a junior college wrestler and has not even come close to rounding out his game yet.
Here’s the thing about MMA. While the best in this sport are remarkable skilled, it is just now growing to the point where it is attracting elite level athletes. Think about how many guys in the UFC there are that you think could be successful in other sports. I can only think of one, and GSP is the best fighter in the world for just that reason. His sick athleticism makes him more dangerous than just about anyone. Well, Jon Jones is that guy. He is GSP when it comes to being a natural athlete. His brother, Arthur Jones, is an All-American defensive tackle for the Syracuse Orange, so you know that the bloodlines are good. He is 6′4 and weighs in at 205 pounds. That long frame presents problems for a lot of fighters due to his incredible reach. Not to mention that fact that once he starts learning jiu-jitsu, those limbs can present submission opportunities that shorter men would not have.
As I said, Jones is far from a finished product. While his wrestling is decent, it certainly isn’t top level. He has some Muay Thai, but it’s raw. He has virtually zero jiu-jitsu training. While most people would say that he is a flawed fighter because of all these things, I would point them to two numbers: 8 and 21. Jones has only had eight professional fights, (two in the UFC) and is only 21 years old. That is a world of time to make all of those changes, and since he is in the Light Heavyweight division, one of the UFC’s deepest, he shouldn’t get pushed along too quickly. He’ll fight middling and low-level guys while he gets his game together.
For his next fight at UFC 100 against Jake O’Brien, the game plan is simple. Stuff O’Brien’s shots, and make him pay with punches and knees. The fight won’t take long. However, the real challenge for Jones is going to be down the road. In two years, when we see Jones against guys like Forrest Griffin and Shogun Rua, don’t be shocked. I told you that it would happen.
So to answer my own question: That ceiling is high. Cathedral high.
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I think Jake O’Brien is going to be a much bigger test for Jones than you think. O’Brien is a great wrestler and coming down from heavyweight. If he’s in great shape he has a better than average chance to sneak out a lay and pray win.
Reply to Jason ComackO’Brien’s stand up is really weak. The goal for Jones has to be to stuff the takedowns and stand. I’d take him by TKO in almost any scenario.
Reply to Anthony De Franco