May 26th, 2007 was almost 4 years ago. Why is this date significant? It was the date of UFC 71: Liddell vs. Rampage, for the UFC light-heavyweight title. Not only was this fight significant in the general decompensation of Chuck Liddell's career (he would post only 1 victory in his next several fights until his retirement recently), but it was also the beginning of a painful game of hot potato, played by all of the top 5 elite of the light heavyweight division. A few names...
Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, and Jon Jones. 7 men who have all had their hands raised as Bruce Buffer declared them the 'undisputed' champion of the UFC. 7 champions in 4 years! To offer some perspective, Anderson Silva has been the middleweight champion since October of 2006, George St. Pierre has been welterweight champion since April of 2008.
This is not to denigrate any of the former champions of the 205 lb division of the UFC, but if the adage that you are not a true champion until you defend your belt is indeed true, than some examination is not inappropriate. Of the aforementioned 7 men, 3 were defeated in their first title defense (Griffin, Evans, and Rua), and 1 (Machida) lost in his second defense (and many thought he should have lost the first on points). Enter Jon "Bones" Jones.
To be honest I didn't pay him much mind until fairly recently. I thought, as I'm sure many others did, that the hype surrounding him was perhaps slightly overblown, a manifestation of the collective public need of a phenom. He's lived up to the hype now, with a absolute dismantling of one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, Mauricio Shogun Rua. That being said, I have little interest in singing the praises of Jon Jones anymore than they already have been sung, his fights speak for themselves. I am interested, however, in what Jones represents for the sport of MMA. A young, black, American kid with limitless potential and an undefeated record thus far in his career. He's not only what the 205 lb division of the UFC needs, he's what American MMA needs. He's a champion with the potential to actually earn the moniker, someone who can conceivably hold the title for a long time, someone who young fighters can follow and look up to. Jon Jones fills that collective psychological need for a sports hero, a guy who little kids can have posters up in their room while they pester their parents to take them to wresting or jiu jitsu practice, and in that Jon Jones is incredibly valuable.
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