In the build to his fight on Sunday with Vladimir Matyushenko, many including myself have used the term prospect in describing the recently-turned 23-year-old Jon Jones. The fact of the matter is that the man known as “Bones” is not a prospect at all.
Jones is a bona fide star and a legitimate challenger for the light heavyweight crown; not in another year, not after a couple more fights – now.
Since debuting on short notice against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87, Jones has been nothing short of dominant, manhandling everyone who has been put before him. He executed a perfect belly-to-back suplex on Ultimate Fighter finalist Stephan Bonnar in his second Octagon appearance, and rag-dolled talented wrestler Matt Hamill last December before an illegal elbow earned him a disqualification loss, the first of his career.
Three months later, Brandon Vera was expected to give the fast-rising phenom a stern test that would show exactly where Jones stood in the deep light heavyweight division. Just over three minutes into the fight, Vera was left with a broken face – literally; a perfectly placed Jones elbow caused three distinct breaks in Vera’s face, leaving him unable to board his scheduled flight.
Sunday’s headlining encounter with former IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko will mark the two-year anniversary of Jones’ arrival on the UFC stage, and his performance thus far has made it clear that the prospect tag doesn’t quite cover the collection of talents the Greg Jackson pupil possesses.
While Jones has certainly shed the prospect label in favor of the more appropriate contender tag he currently wears, the scary thing about the native of Endicott, New York is that at only 23, there is still a whole lot of room for him to grow and improve. That should be a scary thought for anyone competing in the 205-pound division, especially considering how impressive Jones has already been to this point.
There are a multitude of things that makes Jones a consensus pick as a future title holder in the UFC. His striking is both powerful and unorthodox, a deadly combination that can catch you off guard and put you out all at once. His six-foot-four-inch frame and ridiculous 84.5 inch reach work as both offensive weapons and defensive tool, giving him the ability to pick at opponents from distance and keep safe in space. Factor in his outstanding wrestling and the unique arsenal of strikes that we’ve seen thus far, and you have what many believe is the right mix to make Jones an eventual champion.
Don’t forget – he only turned 23 in July, which means he still has time to develop that “old man strength,” something Jones joked about via Twitter on his birthday.
With his continued run of impressive performances, some have hoped to see Jones earn a substantial bump up in competition. When Forrest Griffin was forced to withdraw from his fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira earlier in the year, Jones made everyone’s list of suitable replacements, but passed decided to decline the opportunity. Instead, Jason Brilz filled in more than admirably, the two put on an entertaining bout, and the wiry father of two will face the grizzled Belarusian veteran Matyushenko.
Admittedly, the 39-year-old looks like a step backwards after Jones’ destruction of Brandon Vera and the bones in his face, but “The Janitor” has just one loss in the last six-and-a-half years, a TKO defeat courtesy of the aforementioned 205-pound Nogueira at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. You have to go all the way back to UFC 44 and his meeting with Andrei Arlovski to find the last time Matyushenko was beaten.
While not the most marquee matchup Jones could have faced, Matyushenko has a grinder’s mentality and the “old man strength” mentioned earlier to assert control in the clinch and stifle Jones from top position. He’s done the same to both Igor Pokrajac and Eliot Marshall since returning to the Octagon, and while it will be a much more difficult task this time around, counting out the 24-4-0 Matyushenko is a mistake.
That said, this is another showcase opportunity for Jones, and a sixth-straight standout performance would force the UFC to loosen the tight rein they hold on Jones’ rapidly accelerating career for his next outing.
When you’re on the verge of challenging Top 10 opponents, and have a track record like Jon Jones, it’s just not fair to call you a prospect anymore.