Jon Jones – The Next Big Thing of UFC, after Tito Ortiz – UFC News
Tito Ortiz holds the record of being the longest reigning light heavyweight titlist in UFC. Now, it seems like Jon Jones is on the run to not only cement his legacy as the UFC fighter of all time, but to also break Ortiz’s record.
“One of my primary goals right now is to top Tito's record, so that pushes me,” said Jones in an interview last week.
Jones is the current light heavyweight champion of UFC. He is scheduled to face Dan Henderson at UFC 152 in September. Jones is the only fighter who is sponsored by the UFC itself for his fights. Even though many fellow fighters and analysts have objected
on UFC’s decision of sponsoring Jones, the organisation believes Jones has earned the right.
As of now, Jones is looking forward to break Ortiz’s record. He is as determined as ever to be the best mixed martial artist in the history of the sport, and the only way he can be that is by outfoxing Ortiz.
Ortiz is a retired mixed martial artist, who joined the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 154 last month. He went head to head with his long time rival Forrest Griffin and lost the show. At the end of the event, Ortiz was inducted to the Hall of Fame, despite his
differences with UFC President Dana White.
It should be noted here that even though Jon Jones is a threat to Ortiz’s legacy, the latter respects Jones for his accomplishments.
“Jon Jones is a great champion, but me in my prime, I was devastating. I was vicious. Nobody could stop me. Of course I could beat him in my prime,” said Ortiz in an interview with ESPN.com.
“Jon Jones is in his prime now, so you compare it to something like Ali v Tyson in boxing. You'll never know because it's two different generations,” he added.
Ortiz believes that he was better than what Jones is today during his prime time. However, he showed reservations when asked to comment on whether Jones will beat his record or not. The only thing Ortiz is waiting for is to see if Jones has the capabilities
or not.
Tito Ortiz holds the highest record of consecutive title defences in the sport. He defends the UFC light heavyweight title between 2000 to 2002 without failure. If Jones wins at UFC 152 this year, he will be inches close to break Ortiz’s record.
Jones is definitely UFC’s favourite fighter. However, he is not really the best mixed martial artist out there. Fighters like Anderson Silva are still out there who are capable of defeating Jones, only if a showdown ever happens.
A bout between Jones and Silva would be a ‘Pacquiao vs. Mayweather’ bout in UFC, but both the fighters are reluctant to do so. Even though fans want the showdown, both the fighters believe they are kings of their own dynasty, and they would not switch their
places.
Jon Jones is the more active member of the duo when it comes to declining the notion of a match between him and Anderson Silva.
Recently, Jones used his Twitter account to tell fans that he has no plans of going one on one with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Similarly, even Silva is not approving the idea.
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