Jon Jones is the consensus top mixed martial artist in the world right now, but could he be the best fighter ever? UFC president Dana White didn't say he's at that level just yet, but speculated that over the next year or two he'll be a candidate for the greatest light heavyweight of all-time.
Glover Teixeira believes he should be favored over Jones?
"I say it all the time, look at what he's accomplished. Look at what he's done at such a young age. The guys he beat, the guys he's gone through. And look at who he has in front of him, who is not a five-to-one underdog," White said.
"After this he's got [Alexander] Gustafsson and possibly [Daniel] Cormier. He hasn't had an easy road and it's not looking any easier for him, but those are the kind of fights that create your legacy. If this kid wins the next three fights, it's hard not to call him the greatest light heavyweight ever. What do you call him after these next three fights?"
Phil Davis calls Jones "shortbread cookie"
As UFC 172 approaches this Saturday vs. Glover Teixeira, Jones released a tidbit of information that makes his potential seem scary. According to the champ, he was only going 80 percent in his fight with Alexander Gustafsson. "Going into the Gustafsson fight I had just beaten Chael Sonnen, somebody that almost beat Anderson Silva twice, and I dominated Chael Sonnen in a minute and thirty seconds," Jones told Jim Rome.
"I think for the first time in my career I really started to feel myself. I really started to think, 'Maybe I've got this extraordinary talent and maybe I just can't be touched.' I went 80 percent [against Gustafsson]. I'm not making any excuses. Gustafsson did a great job in the fight but I know that I had a lot more in me."
Jones said that his cardio numbers were down, but he believed his overall ability would carry him through. Clearly, it did, although Jones took major damage and could have lost.
"I still went into the fight thinking, 'Well, since I've performed excellent, maybe I'll still perform really really high, do really good and the fight may be a little closer if I just put half the effort in. I learned a lesson the hard way that you have to give full effort."
Make your pick...Jones or Glover?! Tell us @SportsWN
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