7. Jon Jones
Of the many original, creative strikers on this list, none may be more unique than Jon Jones. With his unparalleled 84.5” reach, stellar movement, and lightning-quick reactions, he was able to stay at long range and pot-shot opponents without being hit in return. Whether that be a jab, a teep kick to the body, an oblique kick, or his deadly eye-pokes, Jones largely mastered the art of hitting without being hit in return. However, unlike many fighters who adopted a similar style, Jones was also a devastating striker in the clinch, with outstanding short elbows, vicious knees and excellent dirty boxing. Thus, simply crashing the distance against him, even if successful, wasn't enough. To be fair, Jones was not unbeatable or perfect in the stand-up. Alexander Gustafsson, and later, Thiago Santos and especially Dominick Reyes, proved that that Jones wasn't comfortable boxing in the pocket and could be exploited. However, it should also be noted that none of those fights represented Jones at his very best. When he was in his prime in his 20s and motivated, it appeared that no striker, no matter how good, could get the better of him. Jones finished Brandon Vera with strikes in the first round, knocked out the legendary Mauricio Rua in the third round, outstruck Quinton Jackson badly before submitting him in the fourth, trounced Rashad Evans, won clear decisions over Glover Teixeira, OSP, and bitter nemesis Daniel Cormier the first time, overwhelmed Gustafsson in their second fight—and of course, recorded an awesome head kick knockout of Cormier in their rematch, even if it was later changed to a no contest. In his prime, Jones was an amazing striker like no one else in MMA history.
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