Jon Jones' Natural Fighting Ability

I heard early in his career like his first 10 fights or so his training was basically watching youtube vids and shadow boxing.
 
Is unparalleled. A couple years before becoming the youngest UFC champion, he was partying and getting in fights throwing people out windows according to his roommate. Zero formal martial arts training, then UFC champ a few years later.

Compare him to Rory Macdonald or Sage Northcutt who have picture perfect upbringings to fight, but just don't have the natural raw fighting ability.

Discuss.
Now compare him to small HW's who dont cut weight and guys who move up in weight class, and who dont dwarf all their opponents.
 
Who knows?
He fought his brothers all his life.
He comes from a very athletic family.
He is a quick study.
He's a natural, but he probably could have been successful at whatever he put his mind into.
He's a freak, for sure.
 
I heard early in his career like his first 10 fights or so his training was basically watching youtube vids and shadow boxing.

HAHA, yea I've heard that too, not sure how true it is but even if its a little bit true its pretty hilarious. His NFL brothers, especially Arthur wrestled and fought with him constantly according to family stories and he was "street fighting" guys when he was a teen, throwing people through windows, that is if the stories are to be believed. Seems believable since he was the youngest champion in UFC history. Apparently he just likes to punch faces and will do it for free. Like when he tells DC's team, don't look at me, I'll fuck you up too, I believe he means it, right there in a parking lot.
 
That would literally be right up there with Bisping / Rockhold 2 for me.

He wins that shit, and I'mma STFU for a LONG ass time.
It would literally be a much bigger upset than that. It would be totally ludicrous.
 
He's wrestled most of his life and spent his life wrestling with his older, stronger brother who's supposed to be a stud wrestler. In camp he also takes his sparring very seriously and makes sure to avoid any brain injury. He's also with a camp known for avoiding risk in fights, which is why he hasn't burnt out or gotten too injured after nearly a decade of fighting. He may party because he loves having a good time, but when it comes time to fight and get ready to fight, he takes his work seriously and he seems to love it.
 
Jones had over half a decade of wrestling training. If you watch his amateur wrestling, his style even then was tailor made for mma. By the time he fought Shogun in 2011 he'd been training in mma for 3 years; he started training at Jackson's in 2009. I think 8+ years of martial arts training, including 2 at the best gym in the game is enough to get about as good as you're ever going to get.
 
I think he works as hard as anyone else, but if he had zero MMA training I still think he could dominate the amateur circuit strictly on god given talent.
He is an absolutely freakish talent. Insane fight IQ, physically gifted and an incredible competitive will.
 
Jones had over half a decade of wrestling training. If you watch his amateur wrestling, his style even then was tailor made for mma. By the time he fought Shogun in 2011 he'd been training in mma for 3 years; he started training at Jackson's in 2009. I think 8+ years of martial arts training, including 2 at the best gym in the game is enough to get about as good as you're ever going to get.

I don't know about that. I honestly think 30 year old Jones kicks the shit out of 23 year old Jones. 23 year old Jones was devastating, but reckless. 30 year old Jones would methodically chop him down. So basically I'm saying I think he has got better for much longer than 8 years.
 
You aren't alone. I've talked shit about Conor McGregor for the last 3 years and now that he is fighting Floyd I have to pull for him on behalf of MMA, and god help me if he beats Floyd, I'll be forced to accept that he's a gdamn ninja.
Nah, you don't have to. You can do whatever the flippety flippety you wanna do. Drop several thousand on the one who SHOULD win this fight a
It would literally be a much bigger upset than that. It would be totally ludicrous.
LIke you say, if he wins this one, I'll never doubt him again, even if he fights Stipe or Cain.
 
he seemed pretty aggressive against DC both times.

I didn't think so the first fight. The finish in the second fight was violent and went on longer than it probably should have due to McCarthy giving Cormier the benefit of the doubt.

As for him being more aggressive, that was not a knock on him, it's my own personal 'what I'd like to see him be' type of thing. Obviously every fight doesn't end in a finish, but when you see a lot of fighters become Champion, they're a lot more calculated and have a lot more to lose if they lose a fight.

Obviously the competition gets better the more you win, but fights like Vera and Hamill which were 'fuck me' moments as he quickly pummeled them, I think he can do that to any LHW, but it's easy for me to say that behind my screen. I felt that in the 1st Cormier and Gustafsson fight, they got the ball rolling in those fights and Jones replied in kind.
 
It would be up there with the greatest upsets in sports history man. Any sport......

Floyd is 49-0 and went undefeated for an astounding 19 years. That's almost as long as the UFC has existed. It would be like a guy winning a belt at UFC 13 and still champion today, never having lost. So for McGregor to overcome that would implode 3rd world nations.

I get what you are saying, but there's a few things wrong with your statement:

Floyd wasn't a champion 19 years ago. He didn't really become a star till he fought De La Hoya. He wasn't fighting the best in the world back then.

MMA has evolved WAY more in 19 years than boxing. Boxing has changed a little, but the sport has been around for over a century, so it isn't changing as quickly. MMA went through massive evolution after evolution over the past 19 years, so it wouldn't be the same.

And lastly, Floyd has taken several breaks/hiatuses. He was not active for all 19 years.
 
He's good at poking ppl in the eyes
 
The thing about Jones is that he has every possible advantage necessary and even with his personal life in shambles he can still whip ass like no one before. If he had no chin / defense, he would have lost by now. If he had no heart, no ability to dig deep and refuse to be beaten, he would have lost by now. If he had a bad coach instead of one of the most successful gyms in MMA, I think he would have lost already too. If he had no fight IQ, he definitely would have lost already.

Instead he's got everything, the physical tools, the psycho instinct. Fuck, Lyoto came the closest to putting him down just for a brief moment and Jones responded by almost killing him.
 
Rory is a vicious fighter. Not sure how you could say he has no natural ability
 
You can't really make that claim about Rory...he's a great fighter who's had an outstanding career.
His career isnt over either he will be bellator champ for sure and wouldnt be surprised of ufc wabts him back after
 
One thing about Jones is, if he could throw the jab more effectively, it's going to make it so much harder to get on the inside - and even when fighters do, he man handles them.

He seems to have that freakish strength which must feel like a vice grip when he clinches up with someone. Every fighter could work on something better; I think the jab, holding his guard up better and personally I'd like to see him more aggressive like earlier in his UFC career, but when he's in the top tier getting paid, he has a lot to lose.

Plus, when you're the champ, you are defending against championship level opposition, all the time. They are more dangerous, plus they are much more capable of neutralizing or defending against what you do.

People often complain about champs who don't just cut through all the opposition like they did fighting gatekeepers and lower-level prospects when they were building their resumes, as if they got more cautious and timid once they got the belt, but it's simply a matter of fighting much, much better opposition, and much much better opposition is going to make you look less dominant, on average.
 
The thing about Jones is that he has every possible advantage necessary and even with his personal life in shambles he can still whip ass like no one before. If he had no chin / defense, he would have lost by now. If he had no heart, no ability to dig deep and refuse to be beaten, he would have lost by now. If he had a bad coach instead of one of the most successful gyms in MMA, I think he would have lost already too. If he had no fight IQ, he definitely would have lost already.

Instead he's got everything, the physical tools, the psycho instinct. Fuck, Lyoto came the closest to putting him down just for a brief moment and Jones responded by almost killing him.
I think Gufstason was the closest to putting him down not Machida. I always liked that picture of Jones and Gufstason at the hospital after the fight Jones is in a bed with IVs hooked up Gufstason is standing there in a jacket with his arm around him, ready to go home. If not for judges anyone that saw that picture would say Gufstason won that fight. Can't wait to see what happens in the rematch if there is one.
 
Is unparalleled. A couple years before becoming the youngest UFC champion, he was partying and getting in fights throwing people out windows according to his roommate. Zero formal martial arts training, then UFC champ a few years later.

Compare him to Rory Macdonald or Sage Northcutt who have picture perfect upbringings to fight, but just don't have the natural raw fighting ability.

Discuss.

You do realize he was a seasoned wrestler at that point, right?

That is the definition of formal training.
 
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