The previous article on this website is called Vintage Jon Jones, and in it I show a video clip of Jones dominating an opponent at an event before he made it into the UFC. But now that Jones, at just 21 years of age, has his own UFC highlight reel, chances are people are going to start to think of his Bonnar fight as vintage Jon Jones.
"Bones" looked incredible in the fight. He's already way ahead of where he was when he fought Andre Gusmao. In the Gusmao fight, Jones' striking was flashy yet a bit sloppy. Last night, however, he was launching precision strikes all night long, and Stephan Bonnar was pretty much helpless to stop the onslaught.
My prediction was that Jones would outwork Bonnar and take a decision, which is exactly how it played out. Jones followed his game plan well and was able to pick Bonnar apart on the feet and send him flying whenever they clinched.
Much credit must be given to Ryan Ciotoli, Jones' manager and trainer at Team Bombsquad. Ryan brought in a Muay Thai coach and he has seamlessly integrated striking into Jones' overall game. Ryan has been able to take the best aspects of Jones' abilities and combine them all together into a very impressive package.
Jones has a very bright future in the UFC. With his performance last night, he made his early supporters look really smart (thanks, Bones!) and he gave his new fans a thrilling victory.
Congrats on the big win!!
Here's a GIF of Bonnar take a ride courtesy of Jon Jones last night.