Do Rankings Matter In MMA? Jon Jones Says Yes

What do rankings mean in mixed martial arts?

Very little.

Title matches are almost always based on the marketability and availability of a fighter.  That is why Demian Maia fought Anderson Silva, Dan Hardy fought Georges St. Pierre, and, going back a few years to one of the UFC’s most famous fights, Randy Couture fought Tim Sylvia.

While all of the contenders are certainly talented fighters, none of them were considered at the top of the weight class when the fights were scheduled.

Demian Maia was coming off a lackluster decision victory against Dan Miller, but in the fight prior, Maia was flattened by Nate Marquardt in just 21 seconds.

Hardy had a seven-fight win streak, but his biggest victory was a unanimous decision over Mike Swick. 

Finally, before getting the heavyweight title match with Sylvia, Couture was knocked out by Chuck Liddell... at light heavyweight.

Now, coming up in just a few days, UFC light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones will be taking a step backwards. He has one of the most impressive win streaks in the division, but instead of gearing up for a title shot, he will be fighting Vladimir Matyushenko.

The fight is being put together because Matyushenko is available, and the fight will provide additional exposure for Jones. The bout is the main event for the UFC on Versus 2 special this Sunday night at 9 pm est/6 pm pst on Versus network.

In his MMA career, Jones is 10-1, but the one loss was due to a technicality (an illegal elbow) in a completely one-sided fight against Matt Hamill.

Following the Hamill fight, Jones tore through Brandon Vera in just over three minutes. In his UFC career, Jones has also defeated Stephan Bonnar, Jake O’Brien, and Andre Gusmao without ever being in a hint of danger.

With Jones on a definite upward swing, his fight with Matyushenko has a tremendous amount of risk in order to receive a title shot in the next year. While a true battle-tested MMA veteran, the last top contender the man nicknamed “The Janitor” defeated was Pedro Rizzo—in 2003.

While many fans are calling for Jones to fight a more highly ranked opponent, Matyushenko has the perfect response.

“Rankings are silly,” Matyushenko said. “There is only one ranking, and that is the champion.”

Matyushenko is not concerned about all the attention Jones has received.

“If I beat him, I get the hype myself.”

Meanwhile, Jones has to keep everything in the proper perspective. Just because he has defeated some notable UFC fighters, he has to stay focused on the task in front of him.

“I rank as the guy who has to fight Matyushenko next, and I’m not looking past him,” Jones said, when asked about the upcoming fight. “I believe Vladimir is tougher than Matt Hamill and Brandon Vera.”

Jones is the clear favorite in the Matyushenko fight. He is listed as a huge 6-to-1 favorite. Nevertheless, Jones is not complaining about taking on Matyushenko.

“My job is to just be the best in world and take out whoever they give me.”

However, since dominating Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 in January 2009, Jones has constantly heard from fans and media that he is the “next MMA superstar”. He has even been compared to the current pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva.

“That sounds cool but doesn’t change anything about me,” Jones said. “It’s an honor to be compared to Anderson Silva. I have modeled my style after his.”

Jones, for his part, is not in awe of the sport’s top fighter.

“It would be an honor to fight Silva.”

Should Jones successfully get past Matyushenko, the UFC will likely have no choice but to move him into the top echelon in the division.

One light heavyweight Jones will not take on, though, is his current training partner.

“I will not fight Rashad Evans,” Jones said of his teammate at Greg Jackson’s MMA camp, “not in a million years.”

Jones has not ruled out all potential interesting forays in the future. Due to the size of his two brothers (both football players who are easily heavyweights), Jones believes he can quickly grow into a larger frame.

“I get up to 231 pounds,” Jones said. “If I focused hardcore and got up to 240, I think my style could give a lot of heavyweights a problem.”

Even though Jones seemingly has a golden road ahead of him, he is trying to stay humble. He does not believe he has beaten the right people yet.

“I haven’t fought a top-five guy so I have no leeway to say that I’m the best.” Jones said. “I’m not saying I’m the next greatest but I’m trying hard to prove everyone right.”

Defeating Matyushenko will hopefully provide him with that opportunity.