Watch: Ranking Jon Jones' Most Brutal UFC Finishes

As if you needed any help getting excited for the return of Jon Jones.

The former light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound kingpin begins the in-cage portion of his redemption tour Saturday when he faces what appears to be an in-over-his-head opponent, Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197.

With his well-publicized suspension costing Jones more than a year of his prime, it's probably fair to say he's eager to get back to fighting. Fans are eager, too. And as we get set for Saturday, it makes sense that we might while away that time by looking back on his UFC high points to date.

In fact, let us rank the top five of his nine finishes in the UFC. We will rank them based on the skill and viciousness of each maneuver, the stakes of the fight and the quality of opponent. And you know what else? We'll even include some video as circumstances permit. Should those circumstances fail to cooperate, you can always head over to UFC Fight Pass, the UFC's pay subscription service, to check out full fight video.

5. Brandon Vera (UFC Live 1, March 2010)

"I seem to remember knocking on your door."

"And I seem to remember breaking your face."

I like to think that those lines, originally from the movie Seven, were exchanged between Brandon Vera and Jon Jones at some point after Jones made a point with the point of his elbow at UFC Live 1 in March 2010. Namely, that Jones had the most vicious elbow attacks in the game. No more conversation after this point.

A much younger Jones manhandled Vera, a respected veteran, and the light heavyweight division would never be the same.

4. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (UFC 128, March 2011)

This fight's defining moment had nothing directly to do with the TKO that won Jones the light heavyweight title.

As it was with Vera and so many others, so was it, in part, with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. A Jones elbow found its mark—in this case it was of the spinning variety. As spectacular and devastating as it was, though, it wasn't what made the sequence great.

It was that Jones, after landing the elbow, almost effortlessly allowed his own momentum to propel him backward, away from Rua, who was leaning against the cage. At the exact right moment, a still-drifting-back Jones fired a perfect jab with that 82-inch reach, completing an unlikely combination.

The parting shot, a piece of poetry, seemed to take some of the life out of Rua. It was a one-sided beating, with Jones dominating the champ with ground strikes and clinch work. A muay thai knee to a crumpling Rua was the final nail, and we had a new champ.

3. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (UFC 135, September 2011)

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson showed in his title-losing fight with Forrest Griffin that he was not all that interested in stopping low kicks. Jones noticed that tendency and game-planned around it, which is more than you can say for Jackson.

Leg kicks were the centerpiece of Jones' attack here, as he tenderized Jackson over the course of three rugged rounds. That was no mean feat; back in 2011, Jackson was still in his prime and came into this title bout as a winner in four of his last five contests.

It didn't seem to matter much to Jones.

In the fourth round, Jones landed a takedown, took Jackson's back and secured the rear-naked choke. 

It was the first and only time Jackson ever tapped out under the UFC banner and only his second career submission. The other one? It came back in 2001, to some guy named Kazushi Sakuraba.

2. Vitor Belfort (UFC 152, September 2012)

At UFC 152, it wasn't so much the finishing move that Jones used to win, but the one he avoided to prevent a loss.

Heavy underdog Vitor Belfort had an early armbar that looked like it was going to fracture Jones' arm. The champ refused to yield, and his radius and ulna followed his lead. Belfort couldn't quite close the deal, although the deep move would have forced plenty of others to tap.

Jones hung tough, regrouped and settled into his own rhythm. He finished it off with an Americana in the fourth.

1. Lyoto Machida (UFC 140, December 2011)

In any other sport, a walk-off win is pure metaphor. Not in MMA.

Give credit to Lyoto Machida—he might have been the first person to legitimately take a round off Jones in a pro fight, as he used his defense and pinpoint opportunism to pick Jones apart a bit in the first.

The second round was a different story.

Jones initiated the clinch and then locked on a full-fledged, palm-to-palm guillotine choke. As Jones did against Belfort, Machida refused to tap. So when the ref realized Machida was asleep, Jones let go of the hold and Machida along with it. The former champ, who had never lost by submission, hit the canvas like a bag of onions. Jones strode coolly away, arms raised, knowing full well what a bad dude he was.

Saturday at UFC 197, we might get the same feelings, even if they won't come against a competitor as respected as Machida.