UFC 135 Results: Jon Jones Ushers in Next Generation of Mixed Martial Artists

Jon Jones made it clear with his fourth-round submission of Quinton Jackson at UFC 135. The future of mixed martial arts is now.

Thin air or not, "Bones" dominated "Rampage from start to finish, putting on display the impressive and ever-expanding repertoire of moves and fighting styles that helped Jones become the defending Light Heavyweight Champion and reach the pinnacle of the sport.

The youngest champion in the nearly 18-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Champion, Jones' brilliance touched all three phases at once. Jones combined his extensive past experience in Greco-Roman wrestling with improved striking that was eerily reminiscent of Anderson Silva, the man who, at present, is considered the greatest fighter of all time but may soon have to surrender his throne to Jones. 

All of that converged on Rampage at the 1:14 of the fourth round when, under the pressure of Jones' stranglehold, he was forced to tap out for the very first time in his long and storied UFC career.

That's how good Jon Jones was. He made history of Jackson's career submission-less streak and even evoked some pity on Rampage's behalf.

Mind you, Jackson is no slouch. He's defeated legends like Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. He's owned that very same belt that Jones now has slung so comfortably over his shoulder. 

He's been there, done that.

But that's all past tense, and more importantly, past. Now, he becomes the notch on the belt, the feather in the cap of another great fighter. Now, at 33 years of age, Jackson will recede into the history books, or fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in Japan as he touted after the fight.

Either way, Jackson's day has come and gone while Jones' is clearly here to stay.

With his mark already made in the past and his dominance in the present affirmed, Jones now turns his attention to the future, where he'll find training-partner-turned-mortal-enemy "Sugar" Rashad Evans waiting to wrest control of the Light Heavyweight title from him.

That isn't likely to happen, unless Evans can concoct some sort of space-age strategy to overcome Jones' incredible length and strength and assert himself on the mat.

Which is to say, Jones' time is now and will be for quite a while.

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