The 2010s, arguably the most important decade in the history of mixed martial arts, is coming to a close. One reason why the past 10 years have been so pivotal to the sport is the sheer talent that exists across all divisions – men and women, from flyweight (which didn’t even exist until February 2012) to heavyweight. Simply put, the number of great fighters to grace cages and rings across the world never has been higher.
Here at MMA Junkie, we’ve put together a staff-wide, composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the past decade. Today, our countdown concludes with a reflection on No. 1: Jon Jones.
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[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is a name that elicits a more visceral reaction among MMA fans than perhaps anyone else to step foot in the octagon over the past decade. Call him the “greatest of all time,” and you’ll have no shortage of supporters. Label him a waste of talent or a cheat, and you won’t have a hard time finding people to rally behind that call, either.
But when you sift through the emotions brought forth by the man they call “Bones,” you’ll undoubtedly find him deserving of the spot as MMA Junkie’s fighter of the decade.
Jones entered this stretch on the heels of his first loss – albeit a rather dubious disqualification call against Matt Hamill. While it seemed an unfortunate to spoil a top prospect’s perfect record at the time, it’s even more glaring now, 10 years later, that it remains Jones’ only blemish on an otherwise stellar record.
Jones’ 2010 campaign featured a pair of devastating wins over known commodities in Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyshenko, each shocking not necessarily for the youngster’s victory but rather in the state he left each of his foes: absolutely smashed in less than a round. Then came what was expected to be hist first real test, a matchup with “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Ryan Bader, who still owned an undefeated record at the time. Jones submitted him in the second.
At just 23 years old, Jones was then given his first dose of MMA royalty, earning a title shot against then-UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128. Despite taking the bout on just six weeks’ notice, the up-and-comer entered as the favorite against the legend, so his successful outing wasn’t a shock. But again, it was the way Jones absolutely manhandled Rua en route to a third-round TKO that was so shocking, making him the youngest champion in UFC history.
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Dana White understandably was thrilled to have such a marketable young star on his hands, but the night of Jones’ title win, the UFC president foreshadowed a little of what would come to define the champion during his unparalleled run.
“His life is going to change in so many ways starting right now,” White told MMA Junkie the night Jones won the title. “It’s actually scary. When you get to this point, I worry about guys.
“He’s going to have to make a lot of choices over the next couple of years – personally, professionally. He’s in for a very wild, weird, crazy ride right now.”
Even White couldn’t have realized how right his prediction would be.
In the cage, Jones’ run of destruction continued, defending his title with victories over former champions and MMA luminaries Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. Out of the cage, though, it was a hint of self-destruction that began to concern some observers.
In May 2012, Jones was arrested for driving under the influence after wrapping a high-priced Bentley around a telephone pole. Later that year, Jones played a chief role in the cancellation of UFC 151 when he refused to take on Chael Sonnen as a replacement opponent for Dan Henderson on a little more than one week’s notice. Again, it was White who was unapologetic in his observation, calling it “one of the most selfish, disgusting decisions” he’d ever seen.
Of course, the sport of MMA moves fast, and once the rubble of UFC 151 was in the rear-view mirror, Jones would continue to add more MMA notables to his hit list, including Vitor Belfort and Sonnen, though neither of those wins came without some drama. Against Belfort, Jones would have to fight out of real danger with an armbar that looked incredibly threatening. Meanwhile, though Sonnen was overmatched in their UFC 159 meeting, Jones did suffer a compound fracture of his toe in the one-round affair, and had he not ended the fight with 27 seconds left in the opening frame, it’s almost certain the phalanx poking through his skin would have ended the fight on the stool.
But Jones’ stiffest test came against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, a September 2013 clash that was a true instant classic and remains one of the greatest title fights in UFC history. Jones was pushed to the limit by a Swedish challenger who was able to match him in stature, though he came up short by the narrowest of margins on the judges’ cards thanks to some late heroics from Jones.
Jones’ star was flying high. He was going mainstream, with sponsorships from the likes of blue chip sports properties such as Nike and Gatorade. Then things took a turn for the worse. Perhaps it was inevitable.
At just 26 years old, Jones was rich, incredibly successful in his field, and even being called “The Baddest Mother(expletive) On Earth.” But his questionable decision making would complicate his journey.
As his now-legendary rivalry with Daniel Cormier began to unfold, Jones kicked off an infamous 2014 brawl in the lobby of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand by firing a punch at “DC” during a promotional faceoff. Of course, theatrics such as those rarely prove detrimental in MMA. Neither did a failed drug test prior to the clash, which identified cocaine metabolites in Jones’ system. Instead, the champ reaped the glory of a UFC 182 victory over his rival – though the story was anything but over.
After posting an 11-0 record in the first five years of the decade, Jones’ output would slow dramatically over the second half of the span, due almost entirely to out-of-cage incidents. He was stripped of the title following his involvement in a 2015 hit-and-run, fleeing the scene of an automobile accident that involved a pregnant woman. The following year, he tested positive for a pair of banned substances ahead of a planned rematch with Cormier and was pulled from the scheduled UFC 200 booking – thought it was later ruled Jones did not ingest the substances knowingly.
In July 2017, Jones did finally have a second meeting with Cormier, scoring a brilliant third-round knockout and seeming to reenergize his career. However, Jones again was found to have banned substances in his system, and though the presence of the chemicals was again ruled inadvertent, he was again stripped of the title, and the result against Cormier was overturned to a no contest.
Sadly, it wasn’t the last time a drug test would force Jones into the spotlight, with a 2018 screen eventually responsible for the move of an entire event, UFC 232, from Las Vegas to Los Angeles when the Nevada State Athletic Commission ruled that it didn’t have time to fully review Jones’ case ahead of the event after a trace amount of turinabol was found in his system a little more than a week out from the fight. Oh, and just for good measure, 2019 featured an alleged battery in a strip club, to which Jones pleaded no contest.
At just 32, Jones is still in his athletic prime, and he will undoubtedly continue to break UFC records. Where he would stand right now, had he not lost time to these multiple infractions both in and out of the cage, is somewhat mind boggling. But that’s what makes Jones’ legacy such an interesting dilemma: For every accolade you cite, there exists an equally powerful criticism ready to be unleashed.
Jones is not exactly a model citizen. He also is not a man you would want standing between yourself and your MMA goals because thus far, Jones has proven to be unbeatable.
As White predicted, the past 10 years have, indeed, been “a very wild, weird, crazy ride,” but Jones has emerged from it as perhaps the greatest fighter of all time, and certainly an easy choice as MMA Junkie’s No. 1 fighter of the 2010s.
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