UFC 140: Lyoto Machida and 10 Fighters Who Can Beat Jon Jones

As incredible as Jon Jones has been in his MMA career, there is one claim some fans make that drives me absolutely insane:

Jon Jones is unbeatable.

So far, Jones has demolished everyone in his path, and while he does have a loss on his record, anyone who has seen the bout in question against Matt Hamill can agree he won that fight.

But unbeatable? That statement holds about as much credibility as your average Chael Sonnen interview.

Anderson Silva has four losses on his record. Georges St-Pierre has been defeated in two career bouts. Even the once-mighty Fedor Emelianenko has suffered losses in recent years.

The fact is, no one is unbeatable in the most unpredictable sport in the world, and even though Jones has wrecked every fighter unfortunate enough to stand across the cage from him, and as unlikely as it is, he can still be defeated by a plethora of fighters.

Lyoto Machida

First up is Jones’ opponent at this weekend's UFC 140 event, Lyoto Machida.

While conventional wisdom says Jones will likely end up taking this fight to the mat and punishing Machida on the ground with his vicious ground and pound, one can’t rule out the possibility that Jones has gotten a bit too confident in his stand up.

If he decides to stay on the feet against the karate expert, this fight just became much closer, and Machida’s pinpoint accuracy could pose some problems for “Bones.”

Rashad Evans

The fight that everyone wants but just never seems to happen is a bout between Jones and his former friend and training partner Rashad Evans.

Evans poses problems for Jones unlike anyone else in the division, as his wrestling could be good enough to dictate where the fight takes place, and his powerful punches could test Jones’ chin like no other fighter has done. 

The trash-talk between these two has only spiked public interest, and a win over Jones would be the crowning achievement in an already incredible career for Evans.

Dan Henderson

A veteran fighter who is surging towards one last shot at UFC gold, Dan Henderson is as dangerous as any fighter in MMA today.

While his wrestling skills have seemed to decline a bit over recent bouts, he is still tough to get to the mat, and while the fight remains standing he has a weapon that no other fighter possesses.

The H-Bomb.

There isn’t a fighter alive who has taken Henderson’s right hand to the jaw and stayed upright, and if "Hendo" were able to catch Jones, he has an aptitude for finishing fights.

Phil Davis

If there is anyone in the light heavyweight division who can possibly put Jones on his back and keep him there, it’s Phil Davis.

A four-time NCAA All-American at Penn State, Davis has one of the most impressive wrestling backgrounds in all of MMA, and he has shown he has the ability to take any opponent he’s fought to the mat.

Jones would still have a huge advantage on the feet, and his reach would make it difficult for Davis to close the distance enough to even attempt a worthwhile shot, but if Davis could get his hands on Jones early enough in every round the fight could get interesting.

Shogun Rua

Yes, I saw how badly Jones destroyed Shogun Rua at UFC 128, but we have all seen rematches where the loser of the previous bout came out looking like a new fighter.

I’m not saying Shogun is the most likely candidate to take out Jones, but his Muay Thai is still some of the best in the world, and he could end up hitting Jones with a strike that put him on wobbly legs.

If that happens, Shogun is one of the best finishers in MMA history, and “Bones” would be in serious trouble.

Rampage Jackson

While Jones recently defeated Quinton Jackson by submission at UFC 135, Rampage put up a much better fight than most people predicted.

Jones’ reach advantage became pretty clear early on, and Rampage seemed reluctant to go after JBJ due to being peppered with shots.

If Rampage were able to find a way to forget about the reach advantage and rush Jones like he does nearly every other fighter, he could possibly land a few of his powerful punches and earn a knockout.

Anderson Silva

Widely regarded as the greatest fighter to ever live, Anderson Silva is good enough on the feet to decimate anyone in the world.

While Jones would likely be able to get Silva to the mat with little difficulty, “The Spider” has shown he is nearly impossible to finish on the ground and he has a wicked guard that enables him to pull submissions out of nowhere.

Even if Jones took Silva down and held him there to start the bout, every round begins on the feet, where Silva’s advantage lies.

Silva may fight in the middleweight division, but he’s made the move up to 205 before and he didn’t look undersized at all, even against mammoth light heavyweight Forrest Griffin.

Cain Velasquez

With no other challenges in the 205-lb. division, we are forced to look at the heavyweight class, a place where Jones has stated several times he may eventually have to fight at.

The former UFC champion Cain Velasquez would not have as much of a weight advantage as most fans would think, but his ability to easily shrug off the bulrush that is a Brock Lesnar takedown makes it seem doubtful that Jones could get it to the mat.

Velasquez has greatly improved his striking over the last few years and has knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a feat that was once deemed impossible.

Brock Lesnar

In MMA, size does matter.

Brock Lesnar is just a massive man, and it would be hard for Jones to even consider trying to wrestle him to the ground.

Jones would still have the advantage on the feet, but one has to wonder if he could stop Lesnar from tackling him like he has so many other opponents.

Lying on your back with an angry 265-lb. behemoth is somewhere Jones does not want to be, no matter how talented he is.

Junior Dos Santos

The current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos has some of the best boxing in the sport.

His takedown defense may still be a little suspect, but so far no one has been able to drag JDS to the mat, and when the fight is on the feet you’re usually stuck on the wrong end of a boxing clinic.

If Jones wants to become the greatest fighter of all time, he’ll have to move up in weight eventually, and as of right now he has some serious threats waiting for him.