Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Fighters of the 2010s

1. Jon Jones

Sherdog's greatest fighter pound-for-pound and greatest light heavyweight tops another list. Not everyone had Jones No. 1 here, but the lowest anyone had him was second. It's easy to see why. After a controversial DQ loss to Matt Hamill in December of 2009, Jones hasn't lost since, including going 15-0 during the 2010s with one no contest. With the exception of the first Alexander Gustafsson fight in 2013 and the Thiago Santos bout in 2019, Jones utterly smashed his opponents, whether by knockout, submission, or lopsided decision, and that list includes countless elite fighters and fellow legends: Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Vitor Belfort, Gustafsson in the rematch, Rashad Evans, Ovince St. Preux, and of course, his archrival Daniel Cormier, whether you want to count it as once or twice.

At his peak, Jones achieved a level of fighting ability that no other martial artist in history has. He was both the best striker as well as grappler at light heavyweight. In his first fight against Cormier, a former Olympian and one of the greatest wrestlers MMA has ever seen, it was the uncredentialed Jones who took Cormier down. His style of striking, with its heavy use of teep kicks, especially to the obliques, combined with devastating close-quarters muay thai, was both unique and unbeatable in his prime. Few fighters in MMA history have been more dangerous from the top than Jones. All of this was aided by tremendous intelligence, calm under pressure, a titanium chin and elite athleticism normally reserved for the best basketball or football players. One could even argue that Jones was the best submission artist in the division in his prime, tapping Bader and Machida with guillotines, Jackson with a rear-naked choke, and Belfort with a keylock.

Jones’ decade was not free from controversy, as he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs several times, one of which turned his head-kick knockout of Daniel Cormier, otherwise his greatest victory, into a no contest. Additionally, one could certainly argue—and I would agree—that Gustafsson in their first fight and Thiago Santos edged out Jones three rounds to two. Nevertheless, he achieved the highest level of MMA skill ever and defeated an amazing list of great opponents, making for a worthy champion of the decade.