Jon Jones beat UFC champions from three different generations 🐐 Vitor Belfort won a UFC tournament in 1997, when Jones was 9 years old. In 2012, Jones tapped him. In 2011 alone he went through Shogun, Rampage and Machida. Then came the next wave: Cormier, Gustafsson, Teixeira and Reyes. Two of them went on to win the belt. At 35 he moved up and tapped Ciryl Gane, an interim champ from 2021, in 2:04. At 37 he stopped Stipe Miocic. Which win on that list was the most impressive? #jonjones #mma #ufc
Jon Jones is looking back on a résumé that spans three eras of UFC champions, and the Vitor Belfort win sits at the center of that story. Belfort captured a UFC tournament in 1997, when Jones was nine years old. Jones submitted him in 2012.
The generational sweep did not stop there. In 2011 alone, Jones went through Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida. The next wave brought Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira and Dominick Reyes, two of whom went on to win the belt.
Jones, nicknamed "Bones," now carries a 28-1 record at age 39, with a six-foot-four frame and an 84-inch (213 cm) reach. That is a nine-inch reach edge over a typical six-foot-four fighter's standard wingspan, and it has long been a feature of his style. His career numbers show 4.38 significant strikes landed per minute at 58 percent accuracy, along with 1.89 takedowns and 0.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
His late-career run extends the theme. At 35, Jones moved up to heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane, a 2021 interim champion, in 2:04. At 37, he stopped Stipe Miocic. Both bouts were title fights, and the ones that appear in his most recent recorded fights.
Why it matters
- Jones' most recent recorded fight, a third-round KO/TKO of Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024, came 12 years after the Belfort submission, a span few fighters in any weight class can match at the top level.
- His most recent recorded fight before Miocic was the March 2023 submission of Gane at UFC 285, and the one before that was a unanimous decision over Reyes in February 2020, showing a mix of finishing and five-round control.
- The list is notable for its range: former light heavyweight champions, an interim heavyweight champion and a two-time heavyweight titleholder all fall under the same record.
The reflection ends with a question put to fans: which win on that list was the most impressive?
