Scouting Report: Jon Jones

Jon Jones

Born: July 19, 1987 (Age: 35) in Rochester, New York
Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6’4”
Reach: 84.5”
Record: 26-1 (20-1 UFC)
Association: Jackson-Wink MMA/Fight Ready
Stage of Career: Post-Prime

Summary: When people think of Jones, they picture him in his 20s, at the peak of his powers and arguably the greatest, most talented mixed martial artist who has ever lived. However, his last two fights against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, which occurred at the ages of 31 and 32, revealed a very different fighter. While still excellent, Jones is far removed from the standards of greatness he showed in his prime. His striking is predicated on an outstanding jab and great array of kicks, but his boxing is lacking and he is vulnerable in toe-to-toe exchanges. There are some problems with his left hook and overhand right, and he only ever throws one punch at a time now. He has some defensive deficiencies, as well, especially a weakness to opponents’ leg kicks, and he relies too much on pawing with his gargantuan reach. His grappling remains quite good, but his wrestling and top control are not what they once were, as it does not appear he has kept up with the sport’s development. Jones was still tough and athletic and possessed fantastic cardio the last time he was in the cage. Now 35, what he will show after a layoff of more than three years is anyone’s guess.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox but switches stances constantly.
• Hand Speed: Average or slightly above average.
• Jab: Fast, straight, sudden and hard.
• Cross: Excellent from either stance. Fast, mostly straight and carries solid power, albeit while being slightly telegraphed.
• Left Hook: It always lacked a degree of power and has a slight flaw to it, dipping downward, but it has become more of an arm punch without proper rotation in recent fights.
• Overhand Right: Wide and telegraphed without enough rotation to it.
• Uppercuts: Rarely throws them at range, as he prefers to use them in the clinch, which makes sense given his height, reach and how few opponents try to clinch or shoot on him. In the clinch, they are exceptional weapons.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Throws a strike at a time and does not use combinations at all.
• Favorite Combination(s): Difficult to say, as he throws them so infrequently.
• Leg Kicks: Features an array of front kicks, side kicks and oblique kicks that he uses as stomps, along with traditional kickboxing techniques. The front kick looks especially potent.
• Body Kicks: Offers many of the same properties as his leg kicks.
• Head Kicks: Highly flexible and athletic, resulting in the knockout of Daniel Cormier in their rematch.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Jones’ striking these days is predicated on staying at a long distance and potshotting his opponent with his fantastic array of still-outstanding kicks and his stellar jab, which has almost every quality you could want. If he starts finding consistent success in those areas, he will back them up with an excellent cross from either stance; it is fast and powerful but somewhat telegraphed. However, if an opponent gets past the kicks and jab, Jones grows uncomfortable fighting toe-to-toe. He was soundly outstruck by Santos and Reyes in the pocket. Part of the problem? A left hook that has looked worse and worse over his recent fights and a downright flawed, mediocre overhand right. His hand speed has also deteriorated in his last two outings, and it is hard to imagine it will improve now that he has aged further. Perhaps moving up to heavyweight will help in that regard.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: At least equal to any opponent out there, but he oftentimes possesses an advantage.
• Technique: Generally positions his body well but gets sloppy at times.
• Knees: Fast and powerful, particularly to the body.
• Elbows: Fast, powerful and accurate. They are disguised exceedingly well since the motion for them often mimics that of his punches.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Decent, but he does not shy away from being hit by opponents due to his stout chin.

Jones ranks as one of the most dangerous fighters ever in the clinch, though his technique has gone downhill some as he has aged. He is tremendously powerful and athletic at close range, and while he can attack with submissions and takedowns, his striking in this arena might be even more lethal. His knees are fast and powerful, and his elbows a major weapon, not only for their brutality but because of his ability to hide them. The motion for them is similar to that of his punches, especially the jab. Furthermore, Jones features outstanding dirty boxing thanks to his hard, accurate uppercuts.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Still sound but not what it used to be. In the Alexander Gustafsson rematch, he bent down 90 degrees a lot at the waist, relying too much on his grip, strength and athleticism.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Not quite as potent and technical as it once was. He struggled to take down Anthony Smith in the close quarters, requiring him to soften up the veteran first.
• Takedown Defense: Can angle off beautifully and is too fast and strong to get to the ground, even for Cormier.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Exceptional in the rare instances when he found himself on his back, as he instantly rose to a standing position.
• Submissions: Otherworldly in his heyday, with a particularly tight squeeze on his guillotine choke. It is difficult to know yet whether Father Time has left him diminished in this area.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Never finds himself here for long.
• Top Control: Not as suffocating as he used to be in blocking off escapes, as Reyes managed to get up after a time.
• Ground-and-Pound: Remarkable, with vicious, accurate punches and elbows.

Jones likely remains impossible to take or keep down for anyone he faces. If he gets on top, his ground-and-pound is brutally hard and pinpoint accurate, allowing him to inflict heavy damage on opponents if not outright stop them. However, the other aspects of his grappling have certainly declined. His top control is still quite good but not as smothering as it once was. His takedowns themselves represent the areas of steepest decline. Jones relies too much on his grip, strength and athleticism, with a sloppy, technically flawed shot and clinch wrestling that is not as potent as it used to be. Still, let us not overstate matters. His wrestling still stands out. Submissions are a major question mark, as he has rarely even attempted one in his recent fights. They used to be excellent, especially his tremendous squeeze on neck attacks.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Perhaps no one in MMA history has had the combination of power and dynamism Jones did in his prime, and it is still tremendous now.
• Cardio: Seemingly never gets tired.
• Chin: Is it made of titanium? He can absorb flush shots without showing any effect, and he has only been truly hurt a few times in his career. However, it should be noted that one of those times was in his last fight against Reyes.
• Recuperative Powers: Excellent.
• Intelligence: A mixed bag. When he is unmotivated, he can fight right into his opponent’s hands. For instance, he got hit way more than he needed to against Glover Teixeira, oftentimes fighting exactly the type of toe-to-toe battle the Brazilian wanted. Jones was so skilled that he won every round anyway. However, when properly motivated, he can execute brilliant tactics and gameplans to perfection, as he did in the Gustafsson and Cormier rematches.