I think it's hard to find a fighter who is tougher than Jon Jones and has better defense than him. Recently, when Rakhmonov was asked to pick the perfect fighter based on certain attributes, when they mentioned "best chin", he said Jon Jones...
GSP in a recent interview, also pointed that out, when he was explaining why he thinks it is hard to deny Jon Jones is the best fighter of all times — that JJ is hugely talented, but that there aren't many so talented fighters who are also very tough, though JJ was also incredibly, absurdly tough — said by GSP himself, in an interview he said for him, it's hard to deny JJ is the best of all times.
Jon Jones has never been KO'd in his 30 fights and has been knocked down just once, with the knockdown not visibly affecting him as he got up immediately (vs Reyes) and didn't show signs of being hurt at all by that (remember, being hurt # showing signs of being).
He took massive punches from one of the best boxers ever in LHW who had tremendous KO power — Alex Gustaffson — which made his right eye bleed heavily and his mount to swell considerably, yet one thing he didn't show was signs of fading a little — like, being wobbly, shaken legs, being saved by the bell — while Gustaffson had shown that in the third round when being kicked once in the body, in the 4th round where he almost got TKO'd and was trying to survive, and in the fifth, where he was drawing all his strength, towards the end of the round, to look like he was ok, though he was making the best he could to stay on the fight and not fall...
Vs Reyes, Reyes had some impressive blitzes à la DDP, yet in those blitzes, Jon Jones was capable of freeing himself from the worst, like getting consecutive hard shots... He managed not to take the brunt force of the strikes. Even when Reyes, who is known to have a deadly uppercut, got Jon Jones in an uppercut in a moment JJ was off guard and coming forward (which is the worst scenario when getting caught, which imo would KO or whobble most fighters), it's so weird because it didn't even seem like a significant hit, even though it was... because Jon Jones showed no signs of being hurt, like taking some steps backwards, covering his face... He just kept fighting like if it was a normal hit, he kept the same face, composure and attitude... Reyes, though, like Gus, would clearly show signs of being affected by some strikes, like when he breathed heavily once JJ kicked him in the body, having overall more noticeable reactions, like when JJ got in some sharp jabs to the face or kicks to the leg/body.
In all his 30 fights, 28 in LHW and 2 in HW, so vs big opponents with big strength, not only was Jon Jones never KO'd, but also, had never shown any signs of wobbliness or the "he's hurt, he's in trouble, he has to survive this round!!"... All of which show imo he is likely the best we have seen when it comes to defense and toughness.
Glover Teixeira, as well... Glover was coming from a 17 win streak when fighting JJ, almost all of them by KO... He had a vicious power... JJ had a pretty good defense in that fight, with clinching to stop the brunt of the strikes, range management, some eye pokes (yeah, can't deny he touched Glover's eyes in one or two occasions)... Still tho, Glover managed to connect some really decent strikes, to which Jon Jones just did not show signs of feeling it... Ofc he felt it, but he still always kept his composure as if it had not affected him... Just like in all fights...
Vs Tom Aspinall, that may be the key to victory imo. It's not like Aspinall can just connect and KO Jon Jones, it could take a lot of significant shots to shut JJ lights, all which avoiding JJ's big pressure in the clinch and on the ground. So it's unlikely imo for Aspinall to get an early KO, which to me would be the key for Jon Jones to mix up his striking with the clinch/grappling, turning it into a dog fight and likely drawing Tom to deep waters... Imo most likely winning after a hard fight by TKO with ground and pound or by submission, in the later rounds... Or also, likely, turning it into a close fight, but winning it by decision, in a competitive and huge fight, like vs Alexander I, a fight in which he would draw Tom to deep waters mixing his wrestling, clinching, distance and his elite octagon space management, to have a sizeable upper hand in the later rounds, when Tom might have already tired out considerably, not being able to keep the same pressure, while getting a win in one of the first three rounds, possibly in the third with wrestling and ground control...
All imo, ofc.
GSP in a recent interview, also pointed that out, when he was explaining why he thinks it is hard to deny Jon Jones is the best fighter of all times — that JJ is hugely talented, but that there aren't many so talented fighters who are also very tough, though JJ was also incredibly, absurdly tough — said by GSP himself, in an interview he said for him, it's hard to deny JJ is the best of all times.
Jon Jones has never been KO'd in his 30 fights and has been knocked down just once, with the knockdown not visibly affecting him as he got up immediately (vs Reyes) and didn't show signs of being hurt at all by that (remember, being hurt # showing signs of being).
He took massive punches from one of the best boxers ever in LHW who had tremendous KO power — Alex Gustaffson — which made his right eye bleed heavily and his mount to swell considerably, yet one thing he didn't show was signs of fading a little — like, being wobbly, shaken legs, being saved by the bell — while Gustaffson had shown that in the third round when being kicked once in the body, in the 4th round where he almost got TKO'd and was trying to survive, and in the fifth, where he was drawing all his strength, towards the end of the round, to look like he was ok, though he was making the best he could to stay on the fight and not fall...
Vs Reyes, Reyes had some impressive blitzes à la DDP, yet in those blitzes, Jon Jones was capable of freeing himself from the worst, like getting consecutive hard shots... He managed not to take the brunt force of the strikes. Even when Reyes, who is known to have a deadly uppercut, got Jon Jones in an uppercut in a moment JJ was off guard and coming forward (which is the worst scenario when getting caught, which imo would KO or whobble most fighters), it's so weird because it didn't even seem like a significant hit, even though it was... because Jon Jones showed no signs of being hurt, like taking some steps backwards, covering his face... He just kept fighting like if it was a normal hit, he kept the same face, composure and attitude... Reyes, though, like Gus, would clearly show signs of being affected by some strikes, like when he breathed heavily once JJ kicked him in the body, having overall more noticeable reactions, like when JJ got in some sharp jabs to the face or kicks to the leg/body.
In all his 30 fights, 28 in LHW and 2 in HW, so vs big opponents with big strength, not only was Jon Jones never KO'd, but also, had never shown any signs of wobbliness or the "he's hurt, he's in trouble, he has to survive this round!!"... All of which show imo he is likely the best we have seen when it comes to defense and toughness.
Glover Teixeira, as well... Glover was coming from a 17 win streak when fighting JJ, almost all of them by KO... He had a vicious power... JJ had a pretty good defense in that fight, with clinching to stop the brunt of the strikes, range management, some eye pokes (yeah, can't deny he touched Glover's eyes in one or two occasions)... Still tho, Glover managed to connect some really decent strikes, to which Jon Jones just did not show signs of feeling it... Ofc he felt it, but he still always kept his composure as if it had not affected him... Just like in all fights...
Vs Tom Aspinall, that may be the key to victory imo. It's not like Aspinall can just connect and KO Jon Jones, it could take a lot of significant shots to shut JJ lights, all which avoiding JJ's big pressure in the clinch and on the ground. So it's unlikely imo for Aspinall to get an early KO, which to me would be the key for Jon Jones to mix up his striking with the clinch/grappling, turning it into a dog fight and likely drawing Tom to deep waters... Imo most likely winning after a hard fight by TKO with ground and pound or by submission, in the later rounds... Or also, likely, turning it into a close fight, but winning it by decision, in a competitive and huge fight, like vs Alexander I, a fight in which he would draw Tom to deep waters mixing his wrestling, clinching, distance and his elite octagon space management, to have a sizeable upper hand in the later rounds, when Tom might have already tired out considerably, not being able to keep the same pressure, while getting a win in one of the first three rounds, possibly in the third with wrestling and ground control...
All imo, ofc.
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