3. Jon Jones
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, 2011-2015Sherdog's greatest fighter ever pound-for-pound was all over the place in terms of voting, which should be no surprise given the circumstances of his title reign. One voter even had him No. 1 whereas a couple, myself included, had him sixth. He ended up third by a single point, leapfrogging No. 4 Jose Aldo on the very last voter's list.
Jones won the UFC light heavyweight title in early 2011 with a thunderous knockout of champion Mauricio Rua and his reign lasted until 2015, when he was defeated not by any mortal foe, but a positive drug test. The competition he defeated was superlative, with submissions of legendary former champions Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, dominating another former champion in Rashad Evans for 25 minutes, and recording easy decision wins against future kings Daniel Cormier and Glover Teixeira. Certainly, it was a spectacular period, as Jones was by far the best striker and grappler in the division and attained a level of fighting ability we had never seen before. In his first fight against Cormier, one of the greatest wrestlers MMA had ever seen and an Olympic alternate, it was the uncredentialed Jones who took him down. And 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. And few fighters in MMA history have been more dangerous from top position than Jones. All of this was aided by tremendous intelligence, calm under pressure, a titanium chin, and the type of 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. However, it wasn't all total dominance, as the razor-thin decision against Alexander Gustafsson is still hotly debated to this day. Still, regardless of the controversial circumstances that ended it, it was one of the greatest reigns in MMA history.
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