UFC 140 Results: Will Jon Jones Be as Dominant a Champion as Anderson Silva?

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones won't be the next Anderson Silva—he'll be more than that. This isn't simply conjecture or wishful thinking, this is fact.

Jones met Karate master and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 and, after a close first round, outclassed Machida.

Jones split the Brazilian's head open with a nasty elbow, sent him to the canvas with one punch, and then finally choked out Machida was a brutal standing guillotine choke.

Machida's enigmatic style was being hyped up as the only kind of style that could topple Jones. Now that Jones has proven that Machida was no match for him, what other kind of style is there that could beat him?

Jones has battered accomplished wrestlers (Vladimir Matyushenko and Matt Hamill—even though Jones got disqualified) and dangerous strikers (Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Machida).

Jones has yet to beat a truly great submission specialist, but the top echelon of the light heavyweight division isn't really home to one. Even if there were a true Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master at 205, he likely wouldn't have the wrestling to bring Jones to the mat.

There is no one left at light heavyweight that presents a skill set that Jones hasn't been able to handle so far. This simple fact is why Jones will become the next Anderson Silva of his division in the sense that he is light years ahead of his competition and will be able win his fights in devastating fashion.

But outside the Octagon, Jones will do far more than Silva.

Jones is only 24 years of age, and he is coming into his own as a champion just as the UFC is beginning to truly tap into the mainstream (the FOX deal) as well as the zeitgeist of the current generation.

Jones will become the face that millions all over the world associate with the UFC and MMA. He will become what famous boxers of old used to be—a cultural icon the likes of which MMA has yet to see.

Jon Jones is the future. You can embrace that or you can be bitter about it.

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