Jon Jones vs Anderson Silva: Breaking Down Every Aspect of the Fight

Dominant middleweight, Anderson Silva, has said on more than one occasion that his ideal fight and most exciting prospect for a matchup would be against his clone.

Recently crowned Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones might be his clone, and then some....

A superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre has been talked about for years, but just as Silva is winding down his career and the match-up seems more and more plausible, Jon Jones comes out of left field to win the Light Heavyweight Championship and become the youngest champion in UFC history.

Now, a match-up with Jones is what everybody is talking about.

The young dynamo might even be too much for the UFC's most dominant champion of all time.

It would definitely be a dangerous fight for Silva if he chooses to take it. We are talking about a man, however, who has looked disinterested in other match-ups.

If Silva wants to end his career on a bang, there is no other match-up that he could possibly get more excited for.

This is a breakdown of the potential fight to end all fights.....Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Jon "Bones" Jones.

Size and Strength

Anderson Silva is a huge middleweight who does not have a problem moving up to light heavyweight and fighting against top competition.

Jon Jones is a huge light heavyweight, however, and will carry significant advantages in size and strength. Even against other large light heavyweights, Jones seems like a man amongst boys.

Reach

Silva- 77.6'''

Jones- 84.5'''

Jon Jones is listed as having the longest reach in the UFC. Silva is accustomed to having a reach advantage against most opponents, but against Jones, he will have nearly a 7'' reach disadvantage.

While Silva's lone solace will be that many of Jones's past opponents have not been as adept at managing range as himself, he still suffers a significant disadvantage.

Weight

Obviously both men would come in weighing at 205-206 pounds.

If Silva bulks up properly, he will have to cut a respectable amount of weight, but still not near what Jon Jones does. Again, Jones will have a significant advantage here.

Strength

While Silva might appear to have better knockout power, that is probably due to timing and accuracy more than anything else. 

Jones, being the bigger man and in more physical prime, is the stronger of the two.

Conclusion.....

Size and strength would likely be the biggest advantage that Jon Jones has over Anderson Silva.

Although Anderson's techniques are amazing, Jones is a phenom himself, and with his size and strength, it might not even allow Silva the chance to work his magic. 

Striking

When Anderson Silva said he wanted to fight his clone, he was probably referring to someone who is as creative and unpredictable as himself.

Jon Jones has that "x factor".

Both men love to strike and be inventive, but who has the advantage?

Fundamentals

Anderson Silva is a lifelong practitioner of muay thai and still a student of the striking arts even as a veteran.

Jon Jones picks up new things extremely quickly, but considering he learns from youtube.com and fast paced training sessions, Anderson Silva gets the edge here for having more sound striking fundamentals.

Diversity

Jon Jones looks up to Anderson Silva because of his striking creativity. My guess is that Anderson's striking proved to Jones that you really can go out and perform what you imagine.

Silva has a deeper catalog of diverse striking, but Jones looks to be on pace to set a new standard in striking creativity.

It would appear that their trajectories on MMA's timeline are intersecting and their striking creativity comes out a wash. No advantages.

Knock Out Ability

Jon Jones has the power advantage and can change a fight with his strikes.

Anderson Silva is better at picking his spots and striking more accurately. 

Power is very important in knock out ability, but having good timing and accuracy might be even more important at the highest levels.

Anderson Silva's gets the slightest of edges for his proven abilities to find a fight ending strike.

Conclusion....

Anderson gets the slightest of advantages and would possibly be favored if this were a purely striking affair.

Jones is a handful for anyone standing, including Silva, but Silva has never been overwhelmed on the feet in 32 professional MMA fights.

Of course being that it is MMA, there is much more to the equation than just striking.

Grappling

Anderson Silva is a Judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelt but Jon Jones is emerging as one of the premiere grapplers in MMA today.

Jon Jones is a dominant wrestler, but is learning submissions like he is learning everything else in the fight game: very rapidly and effectively. In a clash of styles, we try to see which one might have the advantage.

Clinch

Anderson Silva's thai clinch is one of the most dangerous places to be in MMA, but still, it would be hard to imagine him not going for a ride if Jones gets his hands on him.

With a sophisticated Judo and Greco-Roman fusion, Jon Jones gets the advantage here for his incredible takedown ability from within the clinch.

Control

Being the bigger stronger man with a better wrestling background, Jon Jones clearly wins this category.

Although Anderson Silva has shown a knack for surprising competent grapplers like Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson, Jones still gets the advantage for his ability to control action on the ground.

Submissions

Jones is more active in seeking out submissions, but Silva has a more refined ability to find submission opportunities against talented grappling specialists.

If overwhelmed, Silva's submission abilities might prove futile, but Silva's experience should not be discounted.

This category is practically even.  Jones can choke out anybody in the world and Silva is crafty enough to capitalize on a range of circumstances.

Conclusion...

Silva may be able to submit some of the best grapplers in the world, but Jones has a noticeable grappling advantage when both fighters are fresh.

Experience and Intangibles

Experience and other intangibles are often the most important aspect of the fight game, but also the most difficult to qualify or predict.

Anderson has been involved in MMA longer, but Jon Jones is considered the ultimate prototype for contemporary mixed martial artists.

Who's mental game can ensure victory?

Experience

Anderson Silva- 32 professional MMA fights and soon to be 36 years of age (4/14/11)

Jon Jones- 14 professional fights and 23 years of age

Silva has the clear advantage in experience. Being older and having a considerably deeper record gives Anderson the advantage in patience and situational assessment.

Motivation

Both men have accrued records and milestones within the UFC, yet both maintain high levels of motivation for performance.

It is that deep seeded desire that makes these fighters the stars that they are.

Despite his new championship, Jones remains the hungry young lion.

For Anderson, legacy is what he is fighting for, and a win over Jones could cement him as the best fighter in the sport's history.

Psychologically speaking, it is impossible for me to predict who will come in with more motivation and better preparation.

Conclusion...

While Jones could have better intangibles due to his youth and vitality, it is clear that Silva has an advantage in experience.

For the purposes of analysis, Silva gets the slight advantage due to experience.

Results

The winner of this fight is quite obviously the mixed martial arts community.

Not only is this is this the biggest fight that could be made at this time, this would be the most important fight in the sport's commercial history.

The stakes would be as high as any, ever.

Anderson Silva could cap off his immaculate UFC career with a win over the sport's brightest star, while Jones would have the opportunity to trounce an active, dominant legend and become the #1 fighter in the sport today.

Here's the breakdown.

Size and strength: advantage goes to Jon Jones

Striking: slight advantage goes to Anderson Silva

Grappling: advantage goes to Jon Jones

Experience and intangibles: slight advantage goes to Anderson Silva

By my estimation, Jones would head into this bout as the betting favorite.

What do you think would happen?