Jon Jones is on the path to legendary status as Jones defeating Ciryl Gane would make him the undisputed UFC GOAT

Jon Jones’ long-awaited heavyweight debut has finally arrived. Jones is undoubtedly the best light heavyweight champion in UFC history and possibly the greatest competitor in MMA history. He will compete against Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship on March 4 at UFC 285 in Las Vegas after a 37-month hiatus.

The announcement of the match was made along with the disheartening information that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had his championship revoked after leaving the company. By his superior wrestling, distance control, striking, and fight intelligence, Jones for a long time dominated the 205-pound class. Gane is a powerful attacker who is agile, rangy, and athletic. Since making his UFC debut in 2019, Gane has gone 8-1 with just one close decision loss to Ngannou as the sole blemish on his record.

Jon Jones is UFC Light-Heavyweight GOAT

Without a question, Jon Jones is one of the best fighters to ever participate in mixed martial arts (MMA). Even if it’s merely to exclude him due to all the drug allegations and/or personal problems, his name must be mentioned in any credible MMA “Best of all Time” (G.O.A.T.) discussion.

Jones is scheduled to make his UFC comeback against Ciryl Gane for the unexpectedly vacated Heavyweight championship at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, three years after his previous fight. It’s the ideal chance to reclaim the top rank among boxers pound for pound and put an end to the G.O.A.T. argument, but Jones doesn’t really feel the need to.

No one can dispute Jones’ reputation of excellence throughout the years, despite the fact that his most recent performances at light heavyweight were somewhat mediocre. He never fought in a match from 2011 to 2020 when a UFC championship wasn’t at stake. And he triumphed in every one of them (despite the fact that his second victory versus Daniel Cormier was reversed to a “No Contest” following a positive turinabol metabolite test).

Jones again made the implication that he was ready to completely demolish this ridiculous G.O.A.T. discussion when asked if he had a message for sports fans.

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Why is Jon Jones GOAT?

Jon Jones is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and is a controversial figure in the MMA community. While many people consider “Bones” to be the best mixed martial artist to ever compete professionally, others feel that the numerous scandals he has been associated with over the years have irreparably damaged his legacy.

Yet, Jones is ultimately one of the best combatants to have ever entered the cage of the UFC. He has made his share of errors, but given his talent and record of success, he is among the very finest to have ever done it.

Jon Jones has an almost-perfect record

Jon Jones has one of the most successful records in MMA history, with 26 victories and one defeat (one no-contest). The fact that his sole defeat was a disqualification for using illegal elbows in a battle he was obviously winning makes his record all the more impressive (against Matt Hamill in 2009).

Although Jones barely prevailed in a split decision against Thiago Santos, his unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes is notable for its dubious judging. On paper, though, “Bones” is essentially unbeaten and has disposed of his opponents for the majority of a decade.

Beating Shogun to become The Youngest Champion

Jon Jones made his professional MMA debut back in April 2008, where he recorded a TKO win over Brad Bernard. He hasn’t looked back since, and 13 years down the line, he’s still at the top of his game.

Jones made his UFC debut with only six professional fights under his belt and quickly cruised to three wins on the trot. The DQ loss to Hamill was a brief blip on his record, but he recovered quickly to clinch the UFC light heavyweight title in his eighth fight in the promotion. Coming in as a short-notice replacement, ‘Bones’ dominated Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to secure a third-round TKO victory.

Since then, a championship has been at stake in each of Jon Jones’ fights. The youngest champion in UFC history rattled off victory after victory against the best in the industry. He is probably the greatest boxer of all time because of his longevity, and a future heavyweight run will further strengthen this claim.

Jon Jones fight IQ makes him different

Are there any weaknesses in Jon Jones’ strategy? In the UFC, he became the first fighter to knock out Olympic legend Daniel Cormier, demonstrating that his wrestling is on par with the best in the world. With elbows and knees strewn across a wide variety of assaults, his striking, particularly his Muay Thai, is lethal.

Jones is an intimidating physical specimen, standing 6’4″ and with an astonishing 84.5″ reach. Being able to withstand some of the game’s most lethal punchers speaks well of his superb chin. Prior to his battle with Reyes, he had scarcely taken any serious hits. If you were to design the ideal MMA fighter in a lab, the result would undoubtedly look quite similar to Jon Jones.

Beating legends to cement himself as GOAT

The level of competition is the one area of the GOAT discussion where Jon Jones stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Facing brutes from the day he entered the UFC, the New Yorker has accumulated a CV that includes a number of world champions and future Hall of Famers. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rashad Evans, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier, Glover Teixeira, Chael Sonnen, and many others are just a few of the fighters he has defeated.

14 Title defenses

The UFC statistics for Jon Jones are astounding to read. He has records for most victories in championship bouts (14), most victories in the light heavyweight category (20), joint-most successful title defenses in UFC history (11), joint-most submission victories in the light heavyweight division (5), and longest undefeated run in UFC archives (18).

Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history, as was previously noted (23 years and 242 days). His encounter with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 has been honored by induction into the Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing.

Although other fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson brag of comparable exploits, these figures alone could not prove that Jon Jones is the best of all time. Yet when all of the other criteria on this list are taken into consideration, Jones has a strong case for being the finest to ever do it.

Beating Ciryl Gane makes Jon Jones the undisputed GOAT in UFC

Ciryl Gane makes excellent kicks. His main method of attack is through kicks, and he employs a variety of settings to make them. For instance, “Bon Gamin” pounces as his opponent begins anticipating low kicks. He turns to front kicks as his opponent raises a leg to block a low kick.

Because of this, the Frenchman frequently manages to catch his opponents off-balance when they are standing on one leg. His boxing skills are solid, but they are not his greatest attribute. His boxing relies heavily on the danger of his kicks. If Jon Jones is able to stop his opponent’s kicks, the Frenchman will perish.

Jones is regarded as one of the finest MMA in-fighters of all time. Kicks need space, timing, and leverage in order to be thrown with any force. Bones can use his internal strife to force his will on the Frenchman if he suffocates Gane and denies him the room to move.

Jon Jones is a master strategist

‘Bones’ is brutal, using wrist-grip setups to create spaces for his elbows and intercepting knees to stop opponents who try to duck beneath his elbows. Even while he might not have the one-punch knockout power to worry “Bon Gamin,” he could undoubtedly get a victory over Gane by putting on an inside-fighting display.

Many believe Jon Jones’ wrestling has declined over the years. It’s more probable, though, that he has simply found it difficult to outcompete today’s super-athletes. The opponents were significantly shorter and shorter than the former 205’er. His takedowns, therefore, relied on his hooking his hands behind the legs of his opponent.

His opponents’ attempts to reinforce their base by spreading their legs widely were ineffective. He always had very long arms. He was able to defeat historical greats because of it. Regrettably, every new generation of fighters is bigger than the one before it. The warriors eventually grew to be as tall and huge as Jones.

He was no longer able to rely only on his length since his opponents were now tall enough for their wide bases to act as a counterweight to his grasp. He battled Dominick Reyes and Alexander Gustafsson because of this. But “Bones” has been working out with Henry Cejudo recently.

Cejudo is one of the greatest wrestlers in MMA history and is the gold medalist in the Olympics. Zhang Weili, a pure hitter before his instruction, quickly developed into an attacking grappler and wrestler. Under Triple C’s guidance, wrestling veteran Jon Jones may have improved enough to decisively defeat Ciryl Gane. Also, if this doesn’t happen there is Jon Jones’ fight IQ and awareness Gane needs to be most vary about.

Also, if Jon Jones beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 it will make him the Undisputed MMA GOAT of All-Time.

Jon Jones overall record

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