Jon "Bones" Jones Next Roadblock?

[Tha Wolfpac]

Hey Yo!

After watching yet another dominant display by the future lightheavyweight prospect of the UFC, Jon Jones where he absolutely destroyed Vladimir Matyushenko correct me if that is wrong. I still cannot overcome the sheer brutality and quickness of the elbow strikes this guy delivered in that crucifix position, im still thinking about how awesome that was.

My question is after a disappointing opponent who proved to be another roadblock in Jon Jones rise through his division, i strongly believe it was a step down for Jon Jones to fight this Vladimir dude.

Who is next for Jon Jones?

Personally i would love to see him thrown into the depend of this division because i know he can hang with the big boys, for me i think Jon Jones should fight Thiago Silva. He could also fight Forest Griffin, to prove to the UFC he has what it takes, and Forest Griffin had a fight with Tito Ortiz that was pretty forgettable in my opinion also Forest has no scheduled opponents for a while so what do you think.

Thiago Silva hasn't been doing much for a while since he fought Rashad i believe and i think he would be a really good match up for Jon Jones and could really test Jon Jones ground game. So that's my input.

Who should Jon Jones fight next?

 

[kofifan23]

John jones should fight tito ortiz. give jones a small break and let tito fight hamil then have a big buildup for the fight and they could have a great fight. jones could get more publicty and tito could show if we wins he will be legitament contender again.

 

[INDYjon22]

There are only three logical choices for Jon Jones to fight next. Those being, Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin or Ryan Bader.

Rich Franklin is a fantastic fighter and a legend as far as I am concerned. He is coming off of a huge win and has always been a great test for the "future" champions. You know Franklin will be prepared and will give Jones hell. He wouldn't be as easy to push over as some of Jones opponents.

Forrest Griffin is a warrior and would be an awesome match up for Jones. Both men would throw for the fences and it would be exciting to see who's hands are better. Griffin has also been a great test for up and comers and could really give some insight into if Jones is the real deal or not.

And, Ryan Bader. Don't lie to yourself. I think everyone wants to see how the two biggest and baddest Light Heavyweight prospects match up against one another. I would pay top dollar to see this future title fight. It would be exciting as hell.

And Wolfpac, as far as you claiming Vladdy was a step down in competition. No, he was not. The fact of the matter is, Jon Jones is that damn good. He makes some of the most consistent and respected fighters look like clowns. I would out my money on Vladdy against a lot of the top LHW's in the UFC and in the world but Jones is in another stratosphere and he showed that.

 

[jmt225]

Thiago Silva seems like the most logical choice, and I don't think Jones would have a problem with him.

I think Thiago Silva is actually one of the most gifted fighters in the Light Heavyweight Division, but if Rashad Evans can take him down and control him for two rounds without getting caught, then Jon Jones shouldn't have a problem doing so for three, if not putting him away before then with his vicious Ground and Pound. However, my only fear there though is that Jones won't be afraid to stand and trade with Thiago like Rashad was, and Thiago has heavy, heavy hands and we don't know if Jones has a chin yet or not. So, in that aspect it's sort of a dangerous fight, but regardless... I would still have faith in Jones putting him away.

If Thiago's injury is serious enough for him to not be available by the time Jones is ready to fight again, then Forrest Griffin should be next in line, for sure. Jones beating Griffin would do a lot for him, and there's no doubt that Jones shouldn't have any problems with a guy like Forrest Griffin.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

INDYJON although i thoroughly agree with you on the statement that Jon Jones make his opponents look like clowns, seriously Vladimir went from matches under Jon Jones take the Vera vs Jones card Vladimir won a split points decision against Elliot Marshall, my point is from fighting Brandon Vera to Vladimir is a little bit of a step down and that is all.

Thiago Silva seems like the most logical choice, and I don't think Jones would have a problem with him.

I think Thiago Silva is actually one of the most gifted fighters in the Light Heavyweight Division, but if Rashad Evans can take him down and control him for two rounds without getting caught, then Jon Jones shouldn't have a problem doing so for three, if not putting him away before then with his vicious Ground and Pound. However, my only fear there though is that Jones won't be afraid to stand and trade with Thiago like Rashad was, and Thiago has heavy, heavy hands and we don't know if Jones has a chin yet or not. So, in that aspect it's sort of a dangerous fight, but regardless... I would still have faith in Jones putting him away.

If Thiago's injury is serious enough for him to not be available by the time Jones is ready to fight again, then Forrest Griffin should be next in line, for sure. Jones beating Griffin would do a lot for him, and there's no doubt that Jones shouldn't have any problems with a guy like Forrest Griffin.

Good to see someone, who agrees with me and has excellent logic, Thiago Silva will definetly be an awesome exciting test for Jon Jones and also a way for Thiago Silva to become a top contender again in this respective division.

 

[INDYjon22]

Brandon Vera being better then Matyushenko is very debatable. When has Vera ever fought for a title in the UFC or in any other organization? That would be never in the UFC and I don't believe he has ever won a title anywhere else. Vladdy on the other hand challenged Tito Ortiz for the LHW title in 2001 and was the IFL LHW champion in 2008. Vladdy is leagues better then Vera and would destroy him. In no way is Vladdy a step down in competition after fighting someone like Vera, though he is also not a huge step up either.

And as for the Elliot Marshall fight, that dude has a ton of potential and it is bullshit he got released from the UFC after only 1 loss. Shame that some fighters can rack up 3 or 4 losses before being cut but a talent like Marshall gets released after winning 3 in a row and then losing a split decision. There is no problem with Vladdy almost losing to an up and comer like Marshall. In fact, I would love to see Marshall vs. Jones in the future, though that is impossible at this moment.

 

[Khalifa]

I saw the fight and I was also amazed. With someone with length like Jones, you don't really see strikes thrown that fast like his elbows were. But the thing that amazed me alot as well was his reach, a 84.5 reachis fucking incredile and will help him alot in MMA especially in the LHW division. He is a really good prospect as Jon said and will be a dominate force in years to come.

However I think you guys are rating him high to fast already. I mean you guys are thinking he should already be fighting Forrest or Ace Franklin. Those 2 are legends of the sport and are still very good fighters. I think they will make quick work of Jones as I think he isn't ready to fight a big name so fast in his career. I like what JMT said tho, Thiago Silva would be a good fight, both striking machines, both having something to prove would be a good fight.

I would also like him fighting Bader as well, wrestling against striking is always a good match. Jones also has relativly good take down defence and with his length would cause problems with Bader. But Bader being more experienced and more smart would definately find a way to take down Jones and then punish him.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

However I think you guys are rating him high to fast already. I mean you guys are thinking he should already be fighting Forrest or Ace Franklin. Those 2 are legends of the sport and are still very good fighters. I think they will make quick work of Jones as I think he isn't ready to fight a big name so fast in his career.

Jon Jones is absolutely ready to take on the likes of Forrest and Franklin. He's as gifted a striker as Anderson Silva, and is even more dangerous than Silva, in my opinion, where he has the ability to take an opponent down and really do a number on him on the ground. Silva destroyed Rich Franklin the two times they fought, and he embarrassed the very overrated Forrest Griffin. I think Jones needs a fight like Franklin or Griffin. Every fight of his, he's dominated so far, but he needs that one marquee victory that will really put him on the map with casual fans. If Jones defeats Griffin or Franklin, two very popular fighters who resonate with casual fans, it puts him on the map. It would do more for him than a fight with Thiago Silva at this point. Silva is good, there's no doubt about that, but casual fans aren't really familiar with him either. There's no reason to think Franklin or Griffin would make quick work of Jones... ESPECIALLY Griffin. At this stage, Jones is better than both of them.

 

[Fizzy]

Honestly I think the roadblock will be making the 206 weight limit. I heard Jones had a hard time making this weight for the Maty fight, and that he put on 20-30 pounds from just maturing. Should be interesting to see over his next few fights what his weight has in store for him.

As for his next fight I believe that like everyone else has said it should be Forrest or Rich. Two very big names who are very dangerous to Jones. There is no shame if Jones loses to either of these men, and if he wins it will put him in line for a #1 contender fight. It's be very interesting to see how Jones improves, and how he does against the upper echelon of the LHW division. Jones has so much hype around him, and for good reason. He has destroyed three tough veterans in a row. It's not like he has been beating scrubs. His last three fights were very impressive, and he deserves to start fighting top competition.

 

[Khalifa]

Jon Jones is absolutely ready to take on the likes of Forrest and Franklin. He's as gifted a striker as Anderson Silva, and is even more dangerous than Silva, in my opinion, where he has the ability to take an opponent down and really do a number on him on the ground. Silva destroyed Rich Franklin the two times they fought, and he embarrassed the very overrated Forrest Griffin. I think Jones needs a fight like Franklin or Griffin. Every fight of his, he's dominated so far, but he needs that one marquee victory that will really put him on the map with casual fans. If Jones defeats Griffin or Franklin, two very popular fighters who resonate with casual fans, it puts him on the map. It would do more for him than a fight with Thiago Silva at this point. Silva is good, there's no doubt about that, but casual fans aren't really familiar with him either. There's no reason to think Franklin or Griffin would make quick work of Jones... ESPECIALLY Griffin. At this stage, Jones is better than both of them.

I personally don't think he is ready to take on former champions already. Four fights into his UFC career, and none of them have been above average ( debatable about his last opponent, he obviously isn't in his prime anymore). Sure he has been terrific in all of those fights. But you have guys like Ryan Bader who is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter and has been terrific in all his fights as well, but he isn't being put up with Griffin or Franklin. Thiago Silva should also get a chance to fight Ace or Franklin before Jones as well because he has been scheduled to fight the likes of Evans, Machida and Griffin. Silva has proven himself but with a recent loss to Evans it doesn't look like he will be getting up there anytime soon. This is perfect for Jones and Silva to fight. If Jones was to beat Silva then it would prove he is the fighter that all of us (including me) expect him to be, if he loses then we know that he isn't ready for the big time yet. Solves everything.

 

[Big Sexy]

I personally don't think he is ready to take on former champions already. Four fights into his UFC career, and none of them have been above average ( debatable about his last opponent, he obviously isn't in his prime anymore). Sure he has been terrific in all of those fights. But you have guys like Ryan Bader who is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter and has been terrific in all his fights as well, but he isn't being put up with Griffin or Franklin. Thiago Silva should also get a chance to fight Ace or Franklin before Jones as well because he has been scheduled to fight the likes of Evans, Machida and Griffin. Silva has proven himself but with a recent loss to Evans it doesn't look like he will be getting up there anytime soon. This is perfect for Jones and Silva to fight. If Jones was to beat Silva then it would prove he is the fighter that all of us (including me) expect him to be, if he loses then we know that he isn't ready for the big time yet. Solves everything.

Jon Jones has dominated every opponent he has faced and continues to improve with each fight. How you can say he isn't ready to take on a big time fighter is mind blowing. One of the guys he dominated, Matt Hamill, has only lost two fights (although we all know it should be three) and those were against Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin. If Jones dominated a guy who has already fought Franklin then why shouldn't he get a chance? If you put him against another borderline good/great fighter then he will just dominate them like he has every other opponent. He has proven he deserves a big time opponent and i guarantee the UFC will give him one.

 

[Fizzy]

Uh Jones dominates three hardened veterans worse than they have ever been dominated in their careers, and makes them look like they are complete amateurs, and that isn't impressive? Bader beat Jardine, but he did not look amazing. In my opinion Jones has looked MUCH better than Bader. Also Pippen, Bader is fighting Lil Nog who is mid top 10. Franklin isn't ranked as high as Lil Nog, and Forrest is ranked 1 or 2 higher than him. Jones undoubtedly deserves to fight one of the two next, and Thiago is injured which pretty much makes those two the only viable options for Jones to fight. He is only 23, and everybody wants to see him against top competition. Feed him another good and proven veteran who isn't top 10, and we see another one round domination. Let's see where the kid really is at and give him a main event level fighter.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I personally don't think he is ready to take on former champions already. Four fights into his UFC career, and none of them have been above average ( debatable about his last opponent, he obviously isn't in his prime anymore).

Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar lost to Frank Mir and defeated Heath Herring before getting a title shot against Randy Couture. Heath Herring at his peak, was average. Did that stop Dana White and Joe Silva from putting Lesnar in a title fight?

Jones is 5-1 in the UFC, where he should be 6-0. A few guys have gotten title shots before with much less impressive resumes.

Sure he has been terrific in all of those fights. But you have guys like Ryan Bader who is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter and has been terrific in all his fights as well, but he isn't being put up with Griffin or Franklin.

Ryan Bader's resume is nowhere near as impressive as Jon Jones' resume is. Jones has defeated Stephan Bonnar, Jake O'Brien (at one point, a top prospect), destroyed Matt Hamill (a VERY good fighter) in a DQ loss, and defeated Brandon Vera (a former top prospect and coming off of a razor thin decision loss to Randy Couture), and Vladimir Matyushenko (a seasoned veteran who has been successful throughout his career). The only name Bader has under his belt is a washed up Keith Jardine.

Bader, by the way, is getting put up against a fighter who is ABOVE Griffin and Franklin in most rankings right now by the way when he'll take on Lil' Nog next month.

Thiago Silva should also get a chance to fight Ace or Franklin before Jones as well because he has been scheduled to fight the likes of Evans, Machida and Griffin.

Thiago Silva also needed 8 cortisone shots in his back before dropping out of this fight this weekend against Tim Boetsch. He has a lot of injuries, and I think he might be out for awhile in the first place.

The only fighters as of right now that I see Jones having real difficulty with are Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans (who he won't fight in the first place), and Shogun Rua. He is that good... and is only going to keep improving.

One of the guys he dominated, Matt Hamill, has only lost two fights (although we all know it should be three) and those were against Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin.

This is pretty disingenuous. Everyone knows that Hamill got screwed in the decision against Michael Bisping. I look at his record as being what it truly should be... with the two losses really being to Jones and Franklin.

 

[Khalifa]

Jon Jones has dominated every opponent he has faced and continues to improve with each fight.

That he has, and I haven't said he hasn't. I have also said like everyone else he is a good talent. Amazing.

One of the guys he dominated, Matt Hamill

He did, However he did get disqualified for illegal elbows.

If Jones dominated a guy who has already fought Franklin then why shouldn't he get a chance?

Because first of all it is at different times during the fighters career. You cant say oh well he beat so n' so so he should get a title shot. No it doesn't work like that.

If you put him against another borderline good/great fighter then he will just dominate them like he has every other opponent.

If they borderline great then I think he should vs them. Everyone is different. Thiago Silva and Jon Jones will just prove to see if he should be up there.

Uh Jones dominates three hardened veterans worse than they have ever been dominated in their careers, and makes them look like they are complete amateurs, and that isn't impressive?

Never said it wasn't impressive. Actually I said it is. He is a great fighter no doubting that. But like you said, they are veterans. They are no longer in there prime. They have alot of experience which should give them a edge. But it is always harder to fight a younger much taller dude that is a great fighter already.

Bader beat Jardine, but he did not look amazing. In my opinion Jones has looked MUCH better than Bader.

He has, but Bader is still a great fighter.

Also Pippen, Bader is fighting Lil Nog who is mid top 10

That I know of, and Lil Nog is a great fighter as well. Should be a good match. But I do believe the loser (or Silva) should be fighting Jones next.

Franklin isn't ranked as high as Lil Nog,

Rankings don't mean that much. In 2 of his last 3 fights he has beaten the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddel. Both still good/great fighters. Lil Nog hasn't faced competition like that yet.

and Forrest is ranked 1 or 2 higher than him.

Forrest is still a good fighter and can take it to anyone not named Anderson Silva. Like I said before rankings aren't always things to look off.

Jones undoubtedly deserves to fight one of the two next

Not next, Lil Nog has been impressive as well, why hasn't he faced one of them yet? I am not denying Jones hasn't been great. But I just don't think he should be fighting the likes of Franklin or Forrest yet. The fight after maybe. But not next

He is only 23, and everybody wants to see him against top competition.

Just because people want to see it doesn't mean it should happen you know.

Feed him another good and proven veteran who isn't top 10, and we see another one round domination.

Hence why I said Bader or Silva. They are not veterans, they are people who are looking for that next step. Much like Jones.

Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar lost to Frank Mir and defeated Heath Herring before getting a title shot against Randy Couture. Heath Herring at his peak, was average. Did that stop Dana White and Joe Silva from putting Lesnar in a title fight?

It was Brock Lesnar tho'. A force in the heavyweight division. You saw what he did to Frank Mir in there first fight. The first minute or so he killed Mir. He was just to into the moment and made a stupid mistake.

Jones is 5-1 in the UFC, where he should be 6-0. A few guys have gotten title shots before with much less impressive resumes.

But did it ever happen in a LHW division with the roster they have now?

Ryan Bader's resume is nowhere near as impressive as Jon Jones' resume is. Jones has defeated Stephan Bonnar

Bonnars last fight before Jones was a year and a half before. That is a fucking long time.

Jake O'Brien

Never really a top prospect. Well not when he was facing Jones anyways.


and defeated

Brandon Vera (a former top prospect and coming off of a razor thin decision loss to Randy Couture

A decision in which should have went Veras way. However Couture and Jones are different fighters. Just because you do good in one fight doesn't mean you will do good in the other fight in which the styles are different.

and Vladimir Matyushenko (a seasoned veteran who has been successful throughout his career).

Got nothing to say here. He just dominated the fight. But also VM is a veteran, not exactly a star and never has been.

The only name Bader has under his belt is a washed up Keith Jardine

Winning the Ulimate Fighter is another one and Bader is also scheduled to fight Machida. Which obviously means he is doing something right.

Bader, by the way, is getting put up against a fighter who is ABOVE Griffin and Franklin in most rankings right now by the way when he'll take on Lil' Nog next month.

Maybe because Bader is a better fighter than what Jones is. Which is obviously what Dana see's. I dont see it, but Dana does.

The only fighters as of right now that I see Jones having real difficulty with are Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans (who he won't fight in the first place), and Shogun Rua. He is that good... and is only going to keep improving.

He is really good and will keep on improving greatly. However there is more LHW's he would have trouble with.


Look I am not saying Jones isn't a fucking great fighter. He is. But I don't think he should be up against Forrest or Franklin yet. He hasn't fought anyone remotely challenging other than Hamil in which he dominated. Give him a fight against the people I have mentioned. He might just not be ready to face the big guys. Not because of his ability, but beacuse he is so young and fresh.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Hey Yo!

I would just like to say im loving the debate between GuyCompton and Pippen, you both bring valid points but im going to have to side with GuyCompton. Jon Jones has dominated and i mean absolutely dominated, we will never find out if Jon Jones is ready unless we actually do chuck him in the deep end and that is against the likes of Forest Griffin and Rich Franklin. Explain this to me, Matt Hamill beats Keith Jardine and then receives a fight with Tito Ortiz, JOnes has been fighting dominantly against what i say better opponents and you want to give him more easy beats. Im not saying their not good or anything but against Jon Jones he has made them opponents look like chump. So if you wanna know if Jon Jones is ready throw him in the deep ed and see how he fairs up.

 

[Fizzy]

He has, but Bader is still a great fighter.

Never said he wasn't, but I disagree with your point that says he isn't being put up there with Griffin or Franklin which is wrong because he is fighting a top level fighter in Lil Nog next. Thing is rankings are important and do mean a lot. Without them us fans wouldn't have a clear cut picture of a division. Sure spot nine and ten aren't helpful, but five and up are very helpful, and mean a lot. You really can't argue with Lil Nog being in the mid top ten, as well as Forrest being right there with him.

Rankings don't mean that much. In 2 of his last 3 fights he has beaten the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddel. Both still good/great fighters. Lil Nog hasn't faced competition like that yet.

Chuck is still a good fighter? Sure the win was impressive as fuck with a KO with a broken arm, but honestly anybody who has watched MMA when Chuck was in his prime knows that he isn't a quarter of the fighter he used to be. He has absolutely no chin, and is pretty much punch drunk at this point. I'll give you the Silva win was a good win even though Silva is also passed his prime. Sure Lil Nog hasn't fought that level of competition in the UFC, but the guy has had two fights in the UFC. Go watch him in Pride where he had a war with Shogun in one of my favorite all time fights.

Not next, Lil Nog has been impressive as well, why hasn't he faced one of them yet? I am not denying Jones hasn't been great. But I just don't think he should be fighting the likes of Franklin or Forrest yet. The fight after maybe. But not next

Lil Nog has had two fights in the UFC which is why he hasn't fought them yet. Jones has had six all of which he has dominated easily. You don't get that level of competition with two fights in a promotion unless your name is Brock Lesnar. Thiago Silva is hurt. Who else can he possibly fight? Or do you want to see another absolute one round domination courtesy of Jones again?

Just because people want to see it doesn't mean it should happen you know.

Why shouldn't it? Like I said who else can he fight? Silva is hurt, and Bader is tied up with Lil Nog. Unless you'd like to wait even longer to see him perform while waiting for Bader or Silva to be ready to fight him.

Hence why I said Bader or Silva. They are not veterans, they are people who are looking for that next step. Much like Jones.

See the post above.

 

[Khalifa]

Never said he wasn't, but I disagree with your point that says he isn't being put up there with Griffin or Franklin which is wrong because he is fighting a top level fighter in Lil Nog next. Thing is rankings are important and do mean a lot. Without them us fans wouldn't have a clear cut picture of a division. Sure spot nine and ten aren't helpful, but five and up are very helpful, and mean a lot. You really can't argue with Lil Nog being in the mid top ten, as well as Forrest being right there with him.

I don't argue with Lil nog being there. I think he is a quite a good fighter. Very smart. However ratings don't mean much at all. They are based on wins and how you perform yes? Well I fail to to see why a table has to show how good you are. I think you can just about tell for yourself who is the best etc.

Chuck is still a good fighter? Sure the win was impressive as fuck with a KO with a broken arm, but honestly anybody who has watched MMA when Chuck was in his prime knows that he isn't a quarter of the fighter he used to be.

Of course he isn't going to be anywhere near his prime. Just shows how good he was in his prime to be honest.

Sure Lil Nog hasn't fought that level of competition in the UFC, but the guy has had two fights in the UFC. Go watch him in Pride where he had a war with Shogun in one of my favorite all time fights.

I cannot remember saying Lil nog wasn't a good fighter. He had good fights in pride. But the rules are different.

Lil Nog has had two fights in the UFC which is why he hasn't fought them yet. Jones has had six all of which he has dominated easily.

You just said he was really good in Pride (well thats what you were impying) and now he has to prove himself in UFC? If Lil Nog was so good in pride and had a really good fight with Shogun then shouldn't have a fight with Griffin and Franklin before Jones?

You don't get that level of competition with two fights in a promotion unless your name is Brock Lesnar. Thiago Silva is hurt. Who else can he possibly fight? Or do you want to see another absolute one round domination courtesy of Jones again?

He might not even dominate. For all you know he could lose. I am sure he can wait till Silva is 100%, which will prolly be a month at the most. People have waited longer than that for a fight.

Why shouldn't it? Like I said who else can he fight? Silva is hurt, and Bader is tied up with Lil Nog. Unless you'd like to wait even longer to see him perform while waiting for Bader or Silva to be ready to fight him.

Because if it happened that way then Rampage and Forrest would be getting alot of title shots.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Forrest is still a good fighter and can take it to anyone not named Anderson Silva. Like I said before rankings aren't always things to look off.

Or Rashad Evans.

Not next, Lil Nog has been impressive as well, why hasn't he faced one of them yet?

Well, it's pretty well-known that he was going to fight Forrest at UFC 114 before he got hurt.

It was Brock Lesnar tho'. A force in the heavyweight division. You saw what he did to Frank Mir in there first fight. The first minute or so he killed Mir. He was just to into the moment and made a stupid mistake.

Either way, it still a fight he lost against Mir for being careless. And the only reason why he got the title shot in the first place was because the UFC knew he'd be a dominant force. Every once in a while, you get a guy who you think is ready for a title shot despite his relative inexperience. Hell, Anderson Silva got a title shot after just one fight in the UFC. With a win over Griffin or Franklin, Jones will undoubtedly prove he is ready for a title shot.

But did it ever happen in a LHW division with the roster they have now?

Lyoto Machida went through a much less impressive list of names before getting his title shot. Despite defeating Rich Franklin and BJ Penn outside of the UFC, Machida still had to go through bums like Sam Hoger and Sokoudjou before he got two wins over Tito Ortiz and Thiago Silva.

Jones is basically 6-0 in the UFC. He has dominated his last three opponents. Why shouldn't he get a shot at someone like Griffin and Franklin? I have yet to see you give a real reason why he shouldn't,

Bonnars last fight before Jones was a year and a half before. That is a fucking long time.

Either way, at the time, pretty much everyone thought Bonnar was going to beat Jones.

Never really a top prospect. Well not when he was facing Jones anyways.

Still a legit win for Jones, regardless.

A decision in which should have went Veras way. However Couture and Jones are different fighters. Just because you do good in one fight doesn't mean you will do good in the other fight in which the styles are different.

Doesn't matter, again, at the time, Vera provided a very big test for Jones.

Winning the Ulimate Fighter is another one and Bader is also scheduled to fight Machida. Which obviously means he is doing something right.

He's fighting Lil' Nog. I clearly explained that in my post. And yeah, he won TUF, but he still hasn't beaten nearly anyone with the type of credentials in the UFC like Jones has. I like Ryan Bader too, but he's still unproven. We'll find out how he does next month against Lil' Nog.

Maybe because Bader is a better fighter than what Jones is. Which is obviously what Dana see's. I dont see it, but Dana does.

Dana's giving them both a step up in competition, his two big light-heavyweight prospects. If Bader's getting a stiff challenge in Lil' Nog, then it's only fair to deduce that Jones is getting a bigger name.

He is really good and will keep on improving greatly. However there is more LHW's he would have trouble with.

Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua. That's it.

Look I am not saying Jones isn't a fucking great fighter. He is. But I don't think he should be up against Forrest or Franklin yet. He hasn't fought anyone remotely challenging other than Hamil in which he dominated. Give him a fight against the people I have mentioned. He might just not be ready to face the big guys. Not because of his ability, but beacuse he is so young and fresh.

Again, the guy is virtually 6-0, and it's getting to the point of where he's embarrassing lower level fighters. I really don't know what else he has to do to prove that he's ready for a Franklin or Griffin. Fighters need challenges. Not guys who they're going to run through in two minutes. If fighters don't test their skills against elite talent, they'll never get better. Losing to one of those guys is not the end of the world either.

I don't argue with Lil nog being there. I think he is a quite a good fighter. Very smart. However ratings don't mean much at all. They are based on wins and how you perform yes? Well I fail to to see why a table has to show how good you are. I think you can just about tell for yourself who is the best etc.

Well, rankings show who the top talent in each division is. Why do fighters get title shots? They go through top 10 talent to earn their shot. Jon Jones right now absolutely has to be considered a top 10 fighter. Now, to earn his shot, he needs to start beating top 10 talent.

Rankings are subjective, but it's pretty clear that Jones is now in the top 8 of the LHW division, which is probably something like Shogun, Machida, Evans, Rampage, Lil Nog, Griffin, Franklin, and Jones.

 

[Fizzy]

Of course he isn't going to be anywhere near his prime. Just shows how good he was in his prime to be honest.

I agree with this statement, but you said he was still a good or even great fighter which just isn't true. Chuck right now is an average fighter who anybody with any KO power can beat.

You just said he was really good in Pride (well thats what you were impying) and now he has to prove himself in UFC? If Lil Nog was so good in pride and had a really good fight with Shogun then shouldn't have a fight with Griffin and Franklin before Jones?

Actually Lil Nog was scheduled to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 114, but Griffin had to pull out of the fight. Then Lil Nog had a rather lackluster performance against Jason Brillz which is why he is fighting Bader next.

He might not even dominate. For all you know he could lose. I am sure he can wait till Silva is 100%, which will prolly be a month at the most. People have waited longer than that for a fight.

All things indicate that Jones will steamroll said fighter. You don't know the severity of the injury. He could be out for a while, and I for one don't want to wait that long for Jones to fight again. Sure people have waited longer, but why should we if there is a perfect fight for him sitting wide open on the table? Seriously Forrest and Rich are sitting waiting for a fight(maybe not Rich with his broken arm) and so is Jones. It's a win-win fight to make. Nothing bad can come from Jones fighting one of the two. We get to see him sooner, and we get to see him in a top level fight.

Because if it happened that way then Rampage and Forrest would be getting alot of title shots.

Big difference between title shots, and top level fights. The UFC always says they put on the fights we want to see most, and i'm pretty sure the majority of fans want to see Jones fight a top level fight next. You can't compare people wanting to see a certain fighter get a title shot to people wanting to see a fighter take a step up in competition.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Hey Yo!

All i have to say is, why do we have to prtect Jon Jones so much, and feed him these guaranteed first round wins. If you truly want to know if he is ready or not throw him in the deep end see where he fairs up, it's almost a win-win situation. If Jon Jones beats let's say Forest Griffin fine he is instantly a star more than he already is and lines up for a title shot after a contender's match. If Bones loses well then depending on how he loses it will show that he can hang with the best. Nuff Said.

 

[INDYjon22]

Wolfpac pretty much summed it up. If we want to see how good Jon Jones really is then he needs to fight someone like Forrest, Franklin, or Thiago Silva. They are all tough guys who have fought top guys and have been successful. If Jones can hang with Forrest or Franklin then we will know he is for sure ready for a title shot, but if he keeps fighting lesser caliber fighters then we will always be wondering how good he really is. By putting him up against one of the aforementioned men we can finally squash the question about if he is ready for the big boys or not.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Time for me to chime in.

First of all, let's throw Thiago out. He's injured and won't be ready when Jones is ready to go again. Second off, why does everyone insist that Thiago is a good match-up? This is an absolutely ridiculous match-up. The only thing Thiago brings to this fight that Jones needs to worry about is 1 punch KO power and we don't even know if Jones doesn't have that himself. Rashad dominated Thiago on the ground to the point where after Rashad broke his gameplan in the third round and decided to box with Silva, Silva rocked him and couldn't finish him because he was so gassed. Rashad's cardio is nowhere near as good as Jones' and Thiago couldn't put him away because he was so tired.

Jones would take Thiago down and beat the ever-loving shit out of him with those long ass limbs of his until Thiago's face was covered with so much blood they stopped the fight. This is a stupid fight. The only reason it even remotely makes sense is because Thiago is considered, BY SOME, to still be a top ten guy at LHW.

Griffin would be a good NAME test, but I don't think Griffin moves him up anymore than Maty at this point. Griffin's only win in the last year and a half is against Tito Ortiz. Even then it was a Split Decision which many people feel Ortiz won. (On a side note, is it not interesting that most people feel Griffin won the first fight and Ortiz won the second?)

I personally like the idea of Jones fighting the winner of Lil Nog/Bader. Sure, their fights are separated by over a month (almost 2), but it makes the most sense. One of these three guys is going to need a break-through. Everyone else in the top 10 is locked up in a contract or injured. The winner of Lil Nog/Bader will make a claim that they want tougher competition and Jones already wants it. So, they fight each other and from there, you start feeding them top ten guys until they either win the belt or lose their way out of top ten fights. Problem solved. I hate being the voice of reason.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I was gonna create a thread with Jon Jones next opponent until I remembered this one existed. Well it appears ITGG well get what he wants, since it was announced that Jones next opponent will be the winner of Bader/Diet Nog from their UFC 119 fight later this month.

I'm excited for either match up. Either one will give Jones his biggest challenge yet. Personally I would like to see him fight Bader more than Nog just because it would be a battle of the undefeated records. Jones has said he meet with Dana and he was basically told he was only 2 fights away from a title fight, depending on how he finishes the fights. So more or less as long as he keeps doing what he's doing in his fights he will have a title shot in 2 fights.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

I was gonna create a thread with Jon Jones next opponent until I remembered this one existed. Well it appears ITGG well get what he wants, since it was announced that Jones next opponent will be the winner of Bader/Diet Nog from their UFC 119 fight later this month.

I'm excited for either match up. Either one will give Jones his biggest challenge yet. Personally I would like to see him fight Bader more than Nog just because it would be a battle of the undefeated records. Jones has said he meet with Dana and he was basically told he was only 2 fights away from a title fight, depending on how he finishes the fights. So more or less as long as he keeps doing what he's doing in his fights he will have a title shot in 2 fights.

This thread officially has been ressurected, yeah basically who ever cpmes out on top between Bader and Lil Nog will be Jon Jones next opponent, to be honest i dont care which one of these two men because they are both talented and will challenge Jon Bones to a tough fight. Good to see you remembered the thread.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

I was gonna create a thread with Jon Jones next opponent until I remembered this one existed. Well it appears ITGG well get what he wants, since it was announced that Jones next opponent will be the winner of Bader/Diet Nog from their UFC 119 fight later this month.

I'm excited for either match up. Either one will give Jones his biggest challenge yet. Personally I would like to see him fight Bader more than Nog just because it would be a battle of the undefeated records. Jones has said he meet with Dana and he was basically told he was only 2 fights away from a title fight, depending on how he finishes the fights. So more or less as long as he keeps doing what he's doing in his fights he will have a title shot in 2 fights.

It wasn't so much of a wish as it was just the most sensible thing to do. They've been broadcasting these guys as the next big thing at LHW and they're super young. If Bader wins (which I think he will given Nog's performance against Brilz), he and Jones has all the makings of an epic battle that could lead to a trilogy. UFC has needed a good trilogy for some time. Machida and Rua does not have the makings of a good trilogy. Bader and Jones sure does.

Also, this will solidify Nog as everything they've said he is if he can win. Hopefully he's motivated enough to more than just Big Nog's underachieving brother. Nog needs this win badly. I'll be pick Bader, but hopefully Nog can impress.