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Pretty soon, it is going to difficult for even the most vocal Jon Jones critic to deny the UFC light heavyweight champion’s greatness.

Jones cruised to his seventh successful 205-pound title defense at UFC 172, taking a dominant five-round verdict over Glover Teixeira in Baltimore on April 26. As usual, “Bones” landed a variety of kicks, punches and elbows in victory. While many expected the champ to use his reach to keep Teixeira at a safe distance, Jones was at his most effective in the clinch, where he battered and bloodied the Brazilian with brutal standing elbows. With Teixeira’s 20-fight tear a distant memory, a return date with Alexander Gustafsson looms next for Jones.

Meanwhile, former welterweight Anthony Johnson announced his presence in the light heavyweight division by bullying Phil Davis for three rounds in the UFC 172 co-headliner. Without a grueling weight cut to endure, “Rumble” now has a deeper gas tank to go with his ever-present knockout power.

Elsewhere, Fabricio Werdum cemented his status as the heavyweight division’s No. 1 contender with a unanimous decision triumph against Travis Browne in the UFC on Fox 11 headliner. Meanwhile, Tim Kennedy moved into the middleweight top 10 by grinding down Michael Bisping in “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” Finale headliner, while Dan Henderson showed off his powerful right hand once again with a third-round knockout of Mauricio Rua in Brazil.

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