Why the former champion is a major underdog today

Jon Jones has been inactive in recent years and only competed against Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight belt in 2023, winning by guillotine in two minutes. Prior to this, Jones had not competed since 2020.

I feel like Jones has declined in recent games. He took a very competitive decision with both Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes who are pretty much average talents in the light heavyweight division.

Jones has simply been a less effective offensive fighter in recent years. He’s only secured one knockdown in his last 43 professional rounds and hasn’t been that effective as a wrestler either. Despite his success against Gane, who has no real base as a grappler, I’m not convinced that Jones can turn back the clock and become his former dominant self, where he would control and smash opponents from top position.

However, Jones has still been a very strong defensive force, which is one of his best attributes, and I still believe he is capable in that regard.

Jones historically absorbs just 2.22 significant (sig.) strikes per minute with a defensive rate of 64 percent, and he defends takedowns at 95 percent. He has also been one of the most durable fighters in the history of the sport and has never suffered a knockdown.

There just aren’t many ways to score against Jones.