UFC 128 Fight Card: Jon Jones and the 10 Youngest Fighters to Fight for a Title

Ever since his unanimous decision victory over Andre Gusmao in his UFC debut, Jon Jones has been considered one of the most talented young fighters in the UFC.

When his teammate, Rashad Evans, was forced out of a title fight because of a knee injury, Jones was named the as the replacement immediately after defeating Ryan Bader at UFC 126.

Now, Jones will have the chance to fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Mauricio Rua at UFC 128. With a win over Rua, Jones would realize the potential that many believed he had.

Still only 23 years old, Jones will be one of the youngest fighters to challenge for a title in UFC history. With Jones being in some elite company, here are the 10 youngest fighters to fight for the chance to claim a title UFC history.  

10. Kenichi Yamamoto

Three straight wins, including two in the UFC, earned a young Kenichi Yamamoto a title shot against UFC Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich.

At the time of their December 2000 bout, Yamamoto was only 24 years and five months of age.

In the second round, Miletich submitted Yamamoto with a guillotine choke. The win over Yamamoto would be Miletich's final title defense as he went on to lose against Carlos Newton in his next fight.

After the loss, Yamamoto never fought in the UFC again. In his nine fights since earning that title shot, Yamamoto has only won once.  

9. Mikey Burnett

In the first ever UFC welterweight title fight, Mikey Burnett took on Pat Miletich.

After defeating Eugenio Tadeu in his debut with the organization, the title fight was Burnett's second in the UFC. Burnett was only one day younger than Kenichi Yamamoto had been during his title fight with Miletich. 

Burnett ended up losing to Miletich in a fight that went to a controversial split decision. Burnett would only fight once more after his loss to Miletich, winning a unanimous decision against Townsend Saunders.

Burnett made a brief return to MMA through Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter, but was forced to fight through a broken neck, which may have resulted in his loss to Din Thomas on the show.

8. Josh Barnett

After defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship in back-to-back fights against Pedro Rizzo, Randy Couture was given a new test in Josh Barnett.

Less than five months after his 24th birthday, Barnett defeated Couture by TKO in the second round.

However, Barnett would be stripped of his title after results from his drug test came back positive. Still, Barnett went on to become one of the best heavyweights outside of the UFC.

With the UFC's recent purchase of Strikeforce, we may even get to see Barnett back in the world's largest MMA organization once again. 

7. Pete Williams

Just three days younger than Josh Barnett had been in his heavyweight title fight, Pete Williams earned a title shot against Kevin Randleman for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship.

The title had been vacated by Bas Rutten, who did not attempt to defend his title after defeating Randleman.

After five rounds of action, Randleman defeated Williams by unanimous decision. After the loss, Williams won back-to-back fights before losing three in a row and retiring from MMA. 

6. B.J. Penn

In February 2003, 24-year-old B.J. Penn was already fighting in his second UFC title fight.

In this instance, Penn would fight Caol Uno for the UFC Lightweight Championship, which had been vacant for more than two years after Jens Pulver was stripped of the title.

After Penn and Uno fought to a draw, the title would remain vacant for an additional six years before it was claimed by Sean Sherk.

Penn's success since this fight is well documented, having gone on to win the UFC Lightweight Championship and defend it multiple times. 

5. Wanderlei Silva

In yet another fight for a vacant title, Wanderlei Silva fought Tito Ortiz just a few months before his 24th birthday.

Although he was considered one of the most talented young fighters in the sport, Silva ended up losing to Ortiz by unanimous decision.   

After losing to Ortiz, Silva would fight outside of the UFC for more than seven years before returning to fight Chuck Liddell. 

4. Jon Jones

He is the reason for this article, as he is the main focus of the MMA community right now.

At UFC 128, Jon Jones will have the chance to become UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with a win over Mauricio Rua.

In doing so, Jones would validate all the hype that has surrounded him for years now.

Considering the growth of the sport since their early title runs, Jones' first shot at a title may be even more highly-anticipated than those of B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre.

3. Georges St. Pierre

Speaking of Georges St. Pierre, his first shot at a title came less than half a year after he turned 23 years old.

Unfortunately for St. Pierre, that title shot came during the prime years of the legendary Matt Hughes.

Hughes submitted St. Pierre with an armbar in the first round of this meeting, but would eventually relinquish his title to the Canadian three fights later.

St. Pierre has gone on to become one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history with five consecutive title defenses during his current reign as champion.  

2. B.J. Penn

Before his draw with Caol Uno, an even younger B.J. Penn fought for the UFC Lightweight Championship against Jens Pulver in January 2002.

Less than one month after turning 23 years old, Penn fought to a close majority decision loss against Pulver.

Because of the high expectations that many had for Penn, this loss began the well-documented questioning of his work ethic and the "two sides" of Penn. 

1. John Alessio

The third fighter on this list to have their first UFC title shot come against Pat Miletich, John Alessio was still about a month shy of his 21st birthday when he fought for the UFC Welterweight Championship. 

The fight was actually Alessio's first in the UFC and he went on to lose to Miletich by submission in the second round.

Alessio has had two more chances with the UFC, but lost in both against Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves.

Alessio's next fight will be against Siyar Bahadurzada at Ultimate Glory 13.

UFC 128: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith