Jon Jones: MMA's First 5-Tool Fighter
Jon Jones: MMA's First 5-Tool Fighter
Jon Jones: MMA's First 5-Tool Fighter
In baseball, the five-tool player is considered the ultimate
expression of the art, God's perfect gift to the diamond. He's a player
that can hit for average, power, run like the wind, has a an arm that
throws bullets, and knows which hand to put the glove on. These
creatures are near myth—but they exist, coming along just a few times
every generation. Mickey Mantle was one. So was Ken Griffey Jr.
There have been plenty of great fighters in the short history of mixed martial arts, men and women who have imposed their wills on opponents. But the five-tool fighter has only been a product of our imagination. Bruce Lee was one. Maybe. Probably. So was Rickson Gracie, at least in legend.
In the realm of the quantifiable, even our greatest warriors were missing a tool from the complete fighter's tool box. They simply made up for it by being uniquely great in another area. Matt Hughes, for example, didn't own a screwdriver. But he had the biggest hammer in the neighborhood, and really, who needs more than that?
Enter Jon Jones.
The 25-year-old light heavyweight champion can do it all, and do it as well as anyone in MMA history. His potential is through the roof, his skills expanding and morphing with every fight. Already he's something new, a hybrid, a fighter capable of doing anything he (or a coach) wants to do.
Imagine that. This is a man who can do anything, wreak uncomfortable levels of havoc on opponents, change lives and a rival's well being in the blink of an eye. Jon Jones, as he exists in the moment, is the best fighter in UFC history.
These are the five reasons why.
There have been plenty of great fighters in the short history of mixed martial arts, men and women who have imposed their wills on opponents. But the five-tool fighter has only been a product of our imagination. Bruce Lee was one. Maybe. Probably. So was Rickson Gracie, at least in legend.
In the realm of the quantifiable, even our greatest warriors were missing a tool from the complete fighter's tool box. They simply made up for it by being uniquely great in another area. Matt Hughes, for example, didn't own a screwdriver. But he had the biggest hammer in the neighborhood, and really, who needs more than that?
Enter Jon Jones.
The 25-year-old light heavyweight champion can do it all, and do it as well as anyone in MMA history. His potential is through the roof, his skills expanding and morphing with every fight. Already he's something new, a hybrid, a fighter capable of doing anything he (or a coach) wants to do.
Imagine that. This is a man who can do anything, wreak uncomfortable levels of havoc on opponents, change lives and a rival's well being in the blink of an eye. Jon Jones, as he exists in the moment, is the best fighter in UFC history.
These are the five reasons why.
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