Jon Jones has been inactive in recent years, only competing against Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight belt in 2023, when he won in two minutes by guillotine. Before that, Jones had not competed since 2020.

I feel like Jones has declined in recent fights. He took a very competitive decision with both Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, who are largely two average talents in the light heavyweight division.

Jones has simply been a less effective offensive fighter in recent years. He has only scored one knockdown in his last 43 professional rounds and hasn’t been all that effective as a wrestler either. Despite his success against Gane, who has no real foundation as a wrestler, I’m not convinced Jones can turn back the clock and become his former dominant self, where he would control and crush opponents from a top position.

However, Jones is still a very strong defensive force, which is one of his best attributes, and I still believe he is capable in that regard.

Jones historically absorbs only 2.22 significant strikes per minute, with a defense rate of 64 percent, and he defends takedowns at 95 percent. He is also one of the most durable fighters in the history of the sport and has never suffered a knockdown.

There just aren’t many ways to score against Jones.