The "I almost beat Jon Jones" curse

[ferrisjso]

Something you're all forgetting is Belfort almost beat Jones and then went on a fucking rampage that left such an impression we gave him a different name.

So it really cuts both ways.

 

[ferrisjso]

Two explanations:
1 Jones just isn’t as good as he used to be and a close fight against him is not all that
2 Jones is exactly as good as he’s made out to be, and these fighters put absolutely everything they have into training for and fighting him, while he just turns up off a Friday night partying and does enough to secure a close decision. Then they go back into fighting partly broken by the experience, and partly inflated by it, but unjustifiably so - this sets them up for underestimating their subsequent opponents and training less hard. Before they know it they’re on a skid of two or three fights and their confidence has disappeared

Jones is fighting the third generation of his career now. He's considerably better than he was but the competition has closed the gap not just in skills but in size. Jones never relied on his size advantages or anything but they were a huge advantage that is now gone as your average LHW is considerably larger than when Jones started his career. If he'd stayed at LHW he'd have eventually lost think Rakic and Jiri are better than Reyes fact he's on top still regardless of margin is impressive. I think he's GOAT based on his 2011-2013 achievements everything since just affirms it.

UFC and fans dislike for ground game and love of power has also been an advantage for Jones as when he's very good at not getting hit especially when he's the better grappler and both his takedowns and TDD defense relies on size. I've always said a large(height and reach not fat like DC)wrestler would be a huge issue for him as Gus a wrestling novice at the time with a little training from Davis was able to take Jones down. Davis and Corey Anderson would have been bad matchups for him but the UFC but they were boring and they had to do more to earn a title shot.

But yeah to 2)Jones knows how to win decisions. While in Gus fight he was in real trouble almost lost the 4th round and the fight making the first 3 rounds irrelevant in Reyes fight he looked in control and while Reyes had won 2 of the 3 rounds Jones knew Reyes was unlikely he'd get all 3 rounds and he could just win the championship rounds and the fight when Reyes was tired trying to sweep the first 3 which he was unlikely to do. Seemed he knew what he was doing. Now Santos he was in more trouble cause think he wasn't just going down 0-2 but Santos was kicking shit outta Jones and hurting him but there would have still been 3 rounds left.

 

[KillaZs]

tbh all of jon's opponents have been cursed EXCEPT glover

What about DC?

 

[Joohnmatrix]

because everyone who fights Jon jones sustain heavy damage to the knees often so much so that it is career changing.

half of these guys could be fighting with a glass eye

Actually broke my shit laughing at the glass eye comment.

 

[Gio]

I think Reyes just fought two of the best UFC LHW's on the roster right now, that's it. He held his own too last night and went toe to toe with Jiri. His style is just overwhelming and too dangerous for him stylewise.

 

[caesar]

Glover didnt come close at all to beating Jon. That was one of Jons best performances and an underrated beat down for 5 rounds by Jon on a prime Glover.

He's talking about afterwards, Glover's fought well after Jones shouldered his face in, seriously, a shoulder, fuck, while the other fighters have lost badly after they fought for the title against Jones.

 

[Koro_11]

Something you're all forgetting is Belfort almost beat Jones and then went on a fucking rampage that left such an impression we gave him a different name.

So it really cuts both ways.

Attempting an armbar is not almost beating, that fight was pretty much a blowout minus those 5 seconds.

Unless you wanna look at any attempt that could potentially finish a fight as almost beating. In that case anytime someone threw a haymaker and just missed, they almost beat the other guy.

No that’s not what I’m talking about, I’m talking about a fight that leaves you wondering which is actually the better fighter.

 

[MPD-Psycho]

It’s almost like they gave their all against the champ, and that took a lot of them and they lost “the eye of the tiger.”

 

[maximus__]

Watch the first gus fight and jon won that comfortably.

Jon won that fight due to a single spinning back elbow in from memory the 4th round. He misses that shot and Gus would have won that fight. Crazy to think how close Jones has been to losing that title a couple times.Same with the Vitor armbar.

 

[Koro_11]

Jon won that fight due to a single spinning back elbow in from memory the 4th round. He misses that shot and Gus would have won that fight. Crazy to think how close Jones has been to losing that title a couple times.Same with the Vitor armbar.

I guess that’s what separates a good champion from a great champion. It’s just like Anderson Silva pulling off that last minute submission against Chael, winning a fight he had no business winning.

People like to shit on Jones but dude has heart and mental toughness that can’t be denied.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

And went to a decision v nearly all of them. He enjoys beating up bloated 185ers.

Those fights were a long time ago and he was young so maybe you don't remember but he beat their ass dude. Like, he straight up made them look like cartoons. I still remember him german suplexing steffan bonnar for shits and giggles.

Decision perhaps, but still very dominant.

 

[Moro]

Glover didnt come close at all to beating Jon. That was one of Jons best performances and an underrated beat down for 5 rounds by Jon on a prime Glover.

40+ years old is not prime lol.

 

[DaleBoca]

Those fights were a long time ago and he was young so maybe you don't remember but he beat their ass dude. Like, he straight up made them look like cartoons. I still remember him german suplexing steffan bonnar for shits and giggles.

Decision perhaps, but still very dominant.

I think the point was he hasn’t finished many big 205ers. DC and Gus2 but I don’t remember much else.

 

[MMA Maine-iac]

With Reyes moreso than the others, I definitely think him almost beating Jones affected him mentally. He arguably beat the GOAT LHW, and I think it went to his head. It was a foregone conclusion to him that he was going to beat Jan.

 

[maximus__]

I guess that’s what separates a good champion from a great champion. It’s just like Anderson Silva pulling off that last minute submission against Chael, winning a fight he had no business winning.

People like to shit on Jones but dude has heart and mental toughness that can’t be denied.

He is always thought of as so dominant but he has been close to defeat a number of times. He also has won a lot of fights by 48-47 score cards. he definitely has a champion mindset regardless of everything else I can criticize him for.

That Anderson fight was nuts. he had broken ribs and pulled off the hail mary.

 

[ChristianZilla]

Gus was the only surprising one to me.

Reyes fought two monsters. So I'm not too hard on him for that.

Santos blew both his knees... that fact that he even came back and looks decent is impressive.

 

[GoGetSomeFansJon]

40+ years old is not prime lol.

Glover was literally one of the most feared dudes in the divison at the time and was on a 20 fight win streak coming into that fight. I think that can qualify as someone in their prime.