MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
At just 24 years old, Jon Jones has already built a r�sum� that most would sacrifice virtually anything for. Fighters train endlessly, with some of the greatest coaches and training partners for hours incalculable, and never accomplish what ?Bones? has. Tito Ortiz helped usher MMA and the UFC into the mainstream spotlight; Randy Couture defied odds time and again, between two weight classes; Wanderlei Silva ran through the Pride middleweight division for roughly five straight years. All of these examples speak volumes to the level in which each man has reached in the sport. That said, none of them have ever completely outclassed (in damn near embarrassing fashion) four former champions and current top five ranked fighters consecutively. Only Johnny ?Bones? Jones has managed this feat, and amazingly, he hasn?t even reached his physical prime yet.<BR><BR>
Equipped with an 84.5 inch reach, a potent wrestling base, wildly flashy strikes and the most brutal ground and pound north of 170 pounds, Jones looks to be the second coming of longtime middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, with a few extra tools on his belt. Unlike Silva, Jones? offensive and defensive wrestling is absolutely top notch, and rather unorthodox, as the Jackson?s MMA rep has a knack for unrivaled upper body control and takedown defense unlike anything we?ve ever seen. The man is able to hurl quality wrestlers to the mat from a thai plum stance, secure double legs with ease, and trip opponents to the canvas in a tangle of gangly limbs. Did I mention not a single man has managed to take the champion down within the confines of the octagon?<BR><BR>
Jones is, in short, a phenomenon this sport has seen too few times. Outside of Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, Jon?s talent appears unrivalled. Having now finished Ryan Bader, Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua, Quinton ?Rampage? Jackson and Lyoto Machida back to back, followed by a dominant five round decision win over Rashad Evans, Jones? list of challengers is depleted in a serious way. Alexander Gustafsson looks as though he could be prepared for a title bid, but he needs to topple a few top five opponents before he should rightfully be awarded the opportunity to fight Jon Jones. Beyond ?The Mauler?, there aren?t too many prospects to examine at 205 pounds; remember that as I pointed out, Jones already put the hype behind Bader in perspective, back at UFC 126.<BR><BR>
Prospects disregarded, only one man now looks to potentially pose any form of legitimate threat to the champion. That man is Dan ?Hendo? Henderson, who quite frankly, at nearly 42 years old, is running out of time. Henderson himself is obviously well aware of the ticking clock; he?s opted to avoid just about every fight available to him that doesn?t showcase a title up for grabs. And honestly, who should fault the man for picking fights at this point in his career? He?s been a marquee draw for the UFC, Strikeforce and the now defunct Pride. He?s battered elite competition in Mauricio Rua, Vitor Belfort, Fedor Emelianenko, Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva, to name just a select handful. The man?s competed at 185 pounds, 205 pounds and even heavyweight, with extreme levels of success. Dan Henderson is unquestionably one of the greatest fighters in history, and he?s earned the right to wait on a title fight.<BR><BR>
But will Henderson bring anything to the table that Jones has not already seen, and overcome? In regards to skillset, Henderson is awfully similar to Rashad Evans in the sense that both are aggressive wrestlers with extremely powerful right hands. He?s also remarkably durable, able to absorb a comparable amount of punishment to that of ?Shogun? Rua. We already know that Jones had little trouble with either man, so what will make a bout with Henderson any different?<BR><BR>
If anything alters the dynamics of this fight (which looks to be targeted for summer), it is pressure. Jones is a single fight away from cleaning out the division. One final hurdle and the champion will have cemented himself a living, active legend with virtually zero challenges remaining at light heavyweight. I?m certain Henderson will do everything in his power to land his much-feared ?H-Bomb?, but Jones? range will likely make that one damn gnarly challenge for the fifteen year veteran, and that leads me to believe that you?ll be reading more on the nearly mythical Jon Jones before too long.<BR><BR>
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