Issue 083

December 2011

What makes the UFC’s newest phenom champ so difficult to defeat?

It has taken New Yorker Jonathan Dwight Jones just one hour 46 minutes to conquer the world. After retaining his UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 135, the 24-year-old phenom had spent less time inside the ring in his entire career than welterweight champion Georges St Pierre had in the past two years. Not bad for a guy 

who originally only turned to the sport to pay for diapers.

His fighting style and confident approach has blown a hole of destruction in the 205lb division, yet what exactly makes him so effective inside when the bell rings? Jones himself, in this issue, claims to only be 40% of the fighter he hopes to become. If true, early challengers have the best chance of dethroning the promotion’s youngest ever champion – and later opponents an unenviable challenge. To defeat him, a challenger would have to master his stunning list of attributes:

AGE

At just 24 years of age, Jones has that enviable ‘no fear’ mind state when he enters the Octagon. His confidence in his own abilities, coupled with his lack of experience, allows him to put his own gameplan into action without fear of what his tactics opponent is aiming to impose. It’s a fearless facet shared in modern-day sport by golf’s US Open champion Rory McIlroy, back-to-back Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel and NBA’s 2010 Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin.

EXPLOSIVITY 

Naturally gifted with fast-twitch muscle fibers, Jones is an incredibly explosive athlete. Pair this with his years of wrestling training and you have an ultimate powerhouse capable of delivering a brutal belly-to-back suplex with ease and fluidity. Jones’ feet are rarely planted on the canvas in battle, favoring to use his explosive power to launch himself across the Octagon with an array of flying knees and spinning kicks that help in overwhelming his opposition.

UNPREDICATBLITY

While Jones’ fighting style is as volatile as it gets, with spinning elbows, spinning back fists, spinning back kicks, flying knees and whatever else he should choose to pull out his bottomless bag of tricks, his pace, precision and unpredictability allows him to masterfully execute his moves. Jones’ calm and calculated manner, twinned with explosions of seemingly erratic but measured attack, perpetually leaves his opponents dumfounded with little answers.

EXPERIENCE

Possibly the only aspect of the UFC champion’s make-up that still has some shortcoming and yet is also often referred to as the most important in any champion’s arsenal. But, in just 15 fights, Jones has progressed rapidly to the very top of the sport. His latest successes include back-to-back wins over a pair of both Pride and UFC superstars, while on both occasions Jones took both challenges in his stride with unbelievable results.

Quite the puzzle for any combatant – but there are possible avenues of victory still to explore. Rampage Jackson tried in vain to test the chin of the rangy Jones, and, as yet, no opponent has seriously landed a limb upon his visage with heavy power. Discovering how the young champion might react, both emotionally and physiologically, to catching a spine-torqueing shot on the jaw could prove fruitful. Might Jones fumble with his senses and his composure? Might he lose consciousness entirely? Both would be encouraging signs for the rest of the light heavyweight division.

Then again, might the belt holder absorb the blow without a blink? A possibility sure to reduce the line of challengers awaiting their shot at the 205lb strap. Posing both knockout power and enough ground credentials to dissuade Jones from seeking a canvas-based battle would both be necessary. 

From there a challenger would need to succeed where Quinton Jackson failed: getting inside Jones’ reach. Footwork, angles and pressure would all need to be actioned.

The other dominant area in which to test the division kingpin is in the championship rounds. Only against Quinton Jackson in September, in the high altitude of Denver, Colorado, has Jones breached the plus-15-minute marker. All of his other 14 bouts have been over either before or on the bell to close the third round. Perhaps Jones’ thus-far-stellar conditioning will be suspect as it nears 25 minutes – unable to support his explosive style. Dragging the fight into the fifth round is one hope of felling the confident champ, as his exhaustion may open gaps in his otherwise solid defense.

Can ‘The Dragon’ Lyoto Machida do any of these things when the two face off in Toronto in early December? Or has the smart-fighting karateka already cracked the code in a way of all his own?

MENTAL STATE

Jones is known for being a very cerebral fighter. While still only 24, he shows maturity and self-assurance far beyond his years. He has even admitted he doesn’t get nervous before fights, instead experiencing confidence and excitement at what he is capable of doing to his opponent. Credit must also go to his training camp at Jackson’s MMA, with a strong support team of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn instilling wisdom and discipline into the young, gifted prodigy.

REACH 

With an 84-inch reach, the longest in the UFC, Jones is a constant threat to any opponent. Even veteran strikers such as ‘Rampage’ Jackson have struggled to get inside to deliver that all-important knockout blow. His rangy arms also mean he has more leverage, which is essential for controlling opponents in all aspects of the sport.

INJURIES

In the three and a half years Jones has been in MMA he’s never suffered a serious injury that has ruled him out for longer than a coupe of weeks. But his fighting style, his seemingly carefree thirst for the finish often leads to him being in tough positions. Everything he does inside the Octagon makes the fans gasp, in both awe and fear, as he puts it all on the line with abandon.

LEGS

Jones may have a chronic case of ‘matchstick syndrome’ but his slim-line pins are not necessarily his downfall. Having skinny legs means a smaller pair of tibula anterior muscles thus a more prominent shin bone. The more shin bone exposed upon impact the more pain dished out to his opponents. Of course, less muscle can also mean less power but Jones makes up for this with the speed of his kicks, crafted with the expert aid of his Muay Thai coach Phil Nurse. What’s more, Jones’ thin legs mean he has more flexibility which enables him to deliver such athletic and creative kicks.

HEIGHT

Measuring six-foot-four, Jones is one of the taller fighters in the 205lb light heavyweight division, providing him with the bonus of extra-long limbs, ideal for both jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling. When we eventually see Jones on his back in the UFC, getting out of the Greg Jackson product’s guard may well prove to be a mission impossible thanks to the length of his legs, while those limbs allow easier access to submissions such as armbars and triangles.