The perceived devolution of Jon Jones.

[Kha'bless]

He knows in a close fight the judges will always be on his side, and it shows in his performances ngl

Jones line of defence:

1. Cartoonish size to beat up on midgets
2. PEDS
3. Eye poking licence
4. Dana moving entire card to another State
5. Judges

 

[Lawrence]

The aura of invincibility that once encapsulated the success of Jon Jones has waned somewhat quite considerably; with only the actuality of his almost perfect record being his ‘redeemer’.

Regardless of their positive outcomes (officially), a shift in how we perceive an athlete’s capabilities is usually a great precursor for an established reality. Jon Jones’ most recent bouts have been far from all conquering, finding himself on the bittersweet end of favourable judging decisions whilst putting in performances that were objectively a far cry from the his past dominance.

Notwithstanding the obvious conclusions I.e age, abstained PED use. What are the more nuanced symptoms we can identify as to why Jones’ isn’t the same as once was?

Glaring for me, is his lack of evolution pertaining to his offensive stand-up. It’s always been a methodological approach, but has since become a solely mitigated, defensive philosophy with no new established techniques or method of attacks (ways of finding openings) added to his arsenal. He’s greatly devolved in this area whilst his contemporaries have innovated to some degree.

What is your opinion of this decline, what factors do you put it down towards, anything new from the more obvious reasonings?

What an existential bit of wordsmithing you did there TS.. Like

I've given up on Jones getting that thing most young lean fighters receive as they progress in the sport over time... Man Strength.

I was really looking forward to Jones getting some KO power or at least heavier hands... It Just Never Occurred .... And that is strange...... Even when he was popping, pulsing and untested altogether,,, He never established hands that inspired fear.

I suppose Heavyweight Jones may.... But I think it's a biomechanical thing that people smarter than me have probably plumbed the depths of.... No "Tyson" hips behind his hooks,,,, No "Thomas Hearns" or "Larry Holmes" rotation in his jabs..... God.. Holmes had 21 Heavyweight title defenses behind his piston jab. Even that Jab had Man Strength.

Some things you can practice on and improve... Some things are natural gifts that can be exploited to a greater extent over time.

Jones has plenty of physical gifts... But the hard punch doesn't seem to be one of them.

 

[Darius0995]

Who dis?

View attachment 874551

I'd like to know myself.

 

[DoctorDeelon]

We went from him being invincible to him having life and death battles with guys like Dominick Reyes and Thiango Santos.