I think the GOAT discussion, having only three candidates previously, now must include a fourth. Jon Jones' resounding victory over Daniel Cormier puts him in the same class as Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, and Georges St-Pierre. Jones is now in the same space as Fedor was pre-Werdum. No legit losses, mostly dominant wins, and a respectable finishing rate as champion (4/8). Jones obviously trails behind the aforementioned champions only in terms of longevity. The only speck on Jones' record, other than the retarded DQ to Hamill, is the split decision victory over Gustafsson. Jones isn't bothered by it but most fans would like to see a rematch happen. The UFC, in their infinite wisdom, have pitted Gustafsson against another title contender in Anthony Johnson, so the rematch may never even happen. Where do you rank these guys 1-4? Is Jones better than 4th?
This guy is a douche. But you have to include him in the conversation for best ever. Unless his body fails him early, he will probably end up best ever when it's all said and done. He has gone through an absolute gauntlet in the lhw division. If he were able to beat Cain (doubt it) would it leave any question? Jones has basically cleaned out what was thought to be the best division in the ufc
Right now it's a toss-up and Jones doesn't train full-time, a shocking revelation from the post-fight presser. He has relocated his family to ABQ so he can train between camps. A year or two from now? Prime Fedor gets rekt.
But how much better can Jones realistically get? Personally, I think Jones is at his peak, now. Its not like he is unhittable. He ate a lot of shots from DC. DC isn't known to KO power. Fedor had inhumane strength for someone his size. He had nasty power, too. I think Fedor would be able to land on Jones. Can JJ beat prime Fedor? Yes, of course he can. But Prime Fedor can beat Jones, IMO. They say that Fedor avoided top competition...which is somewhat true, but it isn't like he fought nothing but nobodies. He has some very reputable wins on his resume. I think Jones beats a prime Silva. His wrestling would be too much. If he struck with him though, I think he would get made a fool. However, his dominance isn't on Silva's level, yet.
The closest we've seen Silva at a size disadvantage would be against Griffin who was considerably less skilled. I don't think prime Silva can deal with Jones' combination of size and skill. In the clinch Jones can threaten with take-downs or run him up into the cage. AS's leg kicks would be his best weapon in the fight but Jones' reach would allow him to counter.
I think Spider's advantage would be in his ability to make a striker miss and return fire. His speed is unreal when he's motivated and wants to dispatch someone. If he screwed around too much he'd get finished though.
I agree with this. Jones has proven to be very hittable. Prime Silva was the master at making people miss (look at Vitor) and countering them. I would pick Jones in the fight, but would not be surprised at all if Silva was able to land some solid counter punches.
