Let’s ask an age-old question. Who is the ‘greatest fighter (GOAT)’ in the history of mixed martial arts?
Conor McGregor (35, Ireland)? He is undoubtedly the greatest superstar in the history of mixed martial arts. It is thanks to McGregor that the martial arts market has grown this much today. However, he has lost six times in his career. Even 3 of those losses came in the last 4 matches. He lost too many times to be called ‘GOAT’.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (35, Russia)? It worries me a little. He announced his retirement after going undefeated in 29 matches. In every match he played, he won a landslide victory. However, it is a bit disappointing to attach the modifier ‘GOAT’. He has only played four title-level matches.
You can also mention the names of great champions such as Georges Saint-Pierre (42, Canada), Anderson Silva (48, Brazil), and Randy Couture (60, USA). However, calling them ‘GOAT’ leaves much to be desired. Old fans might also think of Emilianenko Fyodor (47, Russia), the ‘fighting emperor’. But he, too, was shabby in his later years as a player.
Looking at it like that, only one name comes to mind. This is Jon Jones (36, USA). There will be many people who would feel uncomfortable having the modifier ‘GOAT’ in front of his name. Frankly, as a human being, Jones is the worst. Cocaine, marijuana, banned substances, drunk driving, hit-and-run of a pregnant woman, assault by a police officer, domestic violence, illegal possession of a firearm, car damage, etc. This is enough to call it a comprehensive crime gift set.
But as a martial artist, Jones tells a different story. At least in the octagon, Jones is the perfect fighter. the record tells Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jones holds the records for being the youngest UFC champion (23 years, 8 months), the most title fight victories (14), and the most undefeated (17 wins, 1 null). He is virtually undefeated for 15 years since his debut. His only loss was a foul loss against Matt Hamill in 2009. At the time, Jones was disqualified for using a forbidden elbow attack while his opponent was down.
It’s not awkward to say that Jones is the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. At least so far. Despite all the mishaps, UFC President Dana White still praises Jones, saying, “Jones is the best fighter today and will be the greatest fighter of all time.”
Jones, who was so talkative and troubled, but also the one fans have been waiting for, returns. Even at the heaviest heavyweight. Jones, who had fought at light heavyweight, had been the powerhouse in his neighborhood before then. Now, he aims for the position of the true ‘humanity’s strongest’.
Jones will face Cyril Garne (32, France) for the vacant heavyweight title at the UFC 285, a mixed martial arts event held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on the 5th (Korean time). Originally, the heavyweight championship belt was held by ‘Hack Juman’ Francis Ngannou (37, Cameroon), but after the contract with the UFC was terminated, the owner was absent.
Concerns and expectations are mixed about Jones’ heavyweight month. The concern is whether the weight class wall can be overcome immediately. The light heavyweight division in which Jones played had a weight limit of 93 kg. On the other hand, the heavyweight limit is 120 kg. Gane’s weight was 113kg when he and Ngannou were matched in January of last year.
Of course, Jones steadily increased weight after declaring his heavyweight conversion. He focused on developing power for a heavyweight class. But this is the first time in practice. There are also voices of concern about having a title fight right away without an adaptation process for his weight class.
“Legend” Couture, who conquered the UFC’s light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, also said, “Jones has everything it takes to defeat Ganesh,” but “but I doubt he will be able to pull off all those abilities.”
Another variable is white space. The last time Jones played was against Dominic Reyes (34, USA) in February 2020. After that, there was a gap of 3 years. There are many voices worrying about Ring Rust (a loss of sense and skills due to not playing for a long time). 안전놀이터
However, there are many examples where they overcame a long hiatus and made a splendid comeback. Representative cases are Jeong Chan-sung (36), who broke a 3-year-and-a-half-month hiatus and won a KO in his comeback match, and Saint-Pierre, who overcame a 4-year hiatus to become the UFC middleweight champion. The prevailing view is that a three-year hiatus will not be a big problem for Jones, who is gifted with such outstanding abilities.
Rather, there is a high expectation that this confrontation will be a match tailored for Jones. As a former kickboxing champion, Gane boasts the best hitting skills in the heavyweight division. But he has a weakness for wrestling. He collapsed to the ground by Ngannou, who could not be considered superior in wrestling skills. Jones, on the other hand, is one of the strongest wrestlers in all weight classes.
Jones also cited wrestling as the reason he was confident of his victory. “I discovered Gane’s wrestling weakness in the match against Ngannou,” he said. “He has really good hitting and footwork, but once he allowed Ngannou a takedown or two, his footwork and speed were missing.
” “There’s no way a player who was pushed back by physical strength can beat me physically,” he said, “I don’t think I’m a player who can stand up to an opponent like me.” Sports betting companies are also predicting Jones’ victory
. The gap isn’t huge compared to that, but it means that Jones’ ability is acknowledged.As everyone expected, if Jones defeats Gane and becomes the heavyweight champion, the ‘GOAT’ controversy surrounding him can be neatly sorted out.