Ask any UFC fan who Dana White would pick as his GOAT, and most will respond with Jon Jones.
The UFC Heavyweight Champion has earned his right to be in the GOAT debate. One could even count him firmly in that discussion. But White’s soft spot for ‘Bones’ is starting to become a recurrent joke within the UFC.
The UFC boss made headlines ahead of Jones’ heavyweight debut and title win at UFC 285 when he stated that Jones was already the greatest of all time. White made the tall claim even before Jones had stepped into the Octagon with Ciryl Gane.
While Jones hasn’t defended his title the way fans would’ve liked, his 28-1 record, two-division champion status, and evolving fighting style ensure that if he doesn’t finish up his career as the GOAT, he’ll certainly be guaranteed a spot among the all-time greats.
While Jones’ record and accomplishments speak for themselves, it is often that adaptive and devastating fighting style that catches the eye of MMA experts. So when Luke Thomas’ guest on Morning Combat, a highly-respected grappler who’s rolled with ‘Bones’ himself, compared Jones’ qualities to Georges St-Pierre it grabbed the attention of Thomas’ 176,000 MMA-loving subscribers.
The grappler in question was Gordon Ryan, the seven-time submission wrestling world champion. Being questioned by Thomas just over seven months after Jones’ heavyweight title triumph, he offered his insights into the impressive mindset that Jones possesses.
“Jon is a lot like GSP [Georges St-Pierre],” started Ryan. “He’s not the best wrestler in the world, he’s not the best striker in the world, he’s not the best jiu-jitsu in the world. But when it’s time to put things all together, just like Georges, he does it better than anybody else in the world.”
Gordon Ryan: The two characteristics that make Jon Jones the best in the world
Comparisons to Georges St-Pierre are enough to emphasize the depth of Jon Jones’ qualities. However, Gordon Ryan gave listeners more than they bargained for with his extensive analysis of Jones’ fighting style.
“Two things that impressed me to a very shocking degree with him was number one: his ability to learn moves,” said Ryan.
“Because most guys, especially at his level, who were successful, and who are in their mid-30s and already have an established game over two decades, they have their game, and once you teach them something, they don’t really retain it… With Jon, he’s always looking to integrate new things into his game.
“Another thing that’s really impressive is he has an incredible ability to intuitively change pace and change game plans through the course of a round, or over the course of days or weeks… If something’s not working he’ll instantly change it. And there’s almost no athletes that I’ve ever found, rolling with in the world, that can do it to the level he can do it.”
Ryan’s insights into the UFC’s current leading talent reveal not only a dynamic and unorthodox offensive approach but a style that is highly responsive to the fighter he is facing. Chameleonic in some ways, it explains, in part, why every single opponent who has faced Jones has struggled to match his intelligence and attacking range in the Octagon.
