Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, GSP, Jose Aldo: Who Will Lose Their Title First?

There are champions, and there are CHAMPIONS. 

Wondering what differentiates a normal champ from the capitalized kind? Well, there is no set criteria, the division is only made by an imaginary line acting as a measuring stick for dominance.

To become a UFC champion, a fighter must defeat his predecessor and hold on to his claim by fending off the top competitors his division has to offer. But to be a CHAMPION, it takes more than that. It requires an expression of dominance that leaves no doubt there is an ocean separating the leader from the pack. 

It is rare that fighters earn the capital distinction, and even rarer that multiple fighters do so simultaneously. But right now, we are living in the golden age of dominant UFC title-holders and we have not one, but four CHAMPIONS.

Ben Henderson, Dominick Cruz and Junior Dos Santos all hold UFC gold, and they are champions. Just champions. 

Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, on the other hand, have shown that they are beyond better than the field. They have set themselves up as greats of their own time and have acquired the ever-elusive status of CHAMPION.

This article, however, is not written with the intent of pumping the tires of that elite group; on the contrary, it will explore which among them is likely to be the first to fall from grace.

The four fighters have been listed in order from he who is least likely to lose his title first, to he who is most likely to lose his title first.

4. Jon Jones

It is true that anything can happen in mixed martial arts, but there is no fighter more well-situated to hold a UFC title for an extensive period than Jon Jones.

Bones has been as dominant as any fighter in the UFC since 2010, and has yet to even suffer any sort of a scare since becoming champion. The most in-Octagon-adversity he has faced as a title-holder or otherwise (minus the DQ loss to Matt Hamill), was the first round of his fight against Lyoto Machida in 2011. The round was very tight and Jones finished the contest in the second frame, so calling even that "adversity," is a bit of a stretch.

Besides his sheer physical dominance and consistent performance, Jones has a few other things working for him in his quest to rule the 205-pound weight division for years to come. For one thing, age won't be a factor for probably close to a decade.

At just 25 years of age Jones still hasn't peeked. So anyone waiting for his skills to deteriorate will be waiting an awfully long while.

Another indicator that Jones is poised for a lengthy title run is that he has already handily defeated a significant number of the main light heavyweight title players in the UFC. Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans have all failed to provide much of a test for Jones, and there isn't a whole lot out there with the credentials of these defeated competitors.

Jones' most immediate challenger is, of course, Dan Henderson. And while Hendo is not the type of fighter you ever want to count out, he will enter his fight with Jones as a significant underdog for very good reason.

Beyond Henderson and recycled contenders lies guys like Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis. Very promising talents, but not so promising that you expect either to succeed where guys like Evans, Shogun and Machida have failed so miserably.

Of the fighters on this list, Jones will likely be the last one to have his UFC championship belt pried away.

3. Jose Aldo

Not far behind Jones is Jose Aldo, another young and dominant champion. Like Jones, Aldo is 25 years old and has yet to suffer much of a scare since becoming a UFC champion (or a long time before that).

Aldo has progressed quickly from prospect to contender to champion to pound-for-pound player, thanks in large part to his dynamic striking. But he is far more than a gun-slinging featherweight; Aldo possesses a complete complement of skills from superb takedown defense to strong grappling.

But in spite of these glowing attributes, there are a few reasons why Aldo will likely lose his title before Jones will. 

First, Aldo has not quite cleared out the featherweight division like Jones has the light heavyweight. That isn't to say Aldo's not close, but there are still a few guys like Erik Koch, Chan Sung Jung and Denis Siver that he has yet to defeat. Of course, few would expect any of those three to best the champ.

In the same vein, the top contenders at featherweight are by-and-large very young. Where guys like Shogun and Jackson likely won't threaten Jones more than they have already done, Aldo will have to contest the likes of Koch, Sung Jung and Chad Mendes, not only now, but for many years to come. 

There is also a wildcard in Aldo's reign, and that is Frankie Edgar. If the former lightweight crown-wearer decides to make the drop to 145, there are no guarantees he will dethrone Aldo, but he would embody the type of challenge that is absent at 205.

While there are some possible threats lying in wait for Aldo, the champion is a truly special fighter, and it would not be all that shocking if he holds onto his title uninterrupted for another half-decade.

2. Georges St-Pierre

St-Pierre is often criticized for his inability to finish opponents, but his tendency to go the distance so many times has afforded him the opportunity to exhibit a dominance like none other.

While Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Jon Jones are more likely to impress with stunning knockouts, none of those guys have controlled minute after minute, round after round and fight after fight like the welterweight kingpin has.

At 31 years of age, GSP is a bit older than the previously listed fighters, but his wrestling-heavy attack has allowed him to avoid taking too much damage and should help his body hold up well into the latter part of his career.

Of course, that knee-injury is another thing all together. 

St-Pierre has been on the shelf since April, 2011, which means that his November showdown opposite Carlos Condit will mark the first time he has entered the Octagon in 20 months. It is difficult to say whether the set-back will significantly alter the trajectory of the Canadian's career, but if he comes out of it as strong as he went in, there is little reason to believe St-Pierre's title is in much immediate danger.

That said, St-Pierre must deal with something that neither Jones nor Aldo will have to face in the near future—a new wave of contenders. While there are some up-and-comers in every division, the top of welterweight hill has been severely displaced since St-Pierre last fought.

Emerging contenders like Condit, Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks have replaced former mainstays Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck, while top prospects Erik Silva and Rory MacDonald (though MacDonald is not likely to fight GSP) loom in the background.

There is no shortage of threats at 170, but GSP is GSP, and if anyone can handle them—it is him.

The chances that GSP remains the welterweight king for many years to come are great, but his injury and a laundry-list of viable contenders (but mostly his injury) put him behind Jones and Aldo in the race against surrendering a UFC title.

1. Anderson Silva

He just did away with mortal nemesis Chael Sonnen, and is widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, so why does the Spider rank as the most likely to lose his title first?

Well, age is one reason.

Though he hasn't shown any signs that he is ready to slow down, Silva is 37 years old and that puts a cap on the length of his title reign. There are rare cases where a fighter can maintain his prime into his 40's, but projecting that for Silva is optimistic, even if possible.

See, age can catch up with a fighter in a heart-beat. We tend to think that it brings about a slow, steady decline, but this is not always the case. Sometimes a fighter will go out and look dominant, then next fight look like a shell of his former self.

It's impossible to say how the backslide of Silva's career will look, but for the simple fact that we know it has to be fairly soon, it helps drop Silva into the No. 1 spot on this list.

Another reason why Silva tops the list is because of a certain rising star in the middleweight division named Chris Weidman. True, fighters proclaimed to be the foil of Silva have come and gone like leaves in the wind, and Weidman may be no different. But I think he will be.

Weidman has the wrestling that Sonnen used to push Silva to the brink, and has the secondary skills to finish the job that Sonnen could not. With a developing striking game he used to stun Mark Munoz and ADCC level submission skills, Weidman is the heir-apparent at 185. The only question is whether he takes the championship or inherits it.

Regardless of whether you believe Weidman is capable of dethroning Silva in the near future, his presence stands as one of the greatest threats to a title in any UFC division.

Between Silva's aging body and Weidman's impending rise, the Spider is the most likely of the four listed champions to lose his title first. That is not to say he will lose it immediately, however.

Another interesting question to muse over is which fighter on the list will retire having held the longest single title reign. Silva has that honor right now, but all of Jones, Aldo and GSP stand as legitimate threats for the accolade moving forward.