UFC 140 Results: Power Ranking Jon Jones' 4 2011 Fights

Jon Jones seems to be on a roll.  Like an unstoppable force of nature, he just doesn't seem to be able to slow down on his rise to the top of the UFC.  It's hard envisioning someone giving him a tougher fight than Machida did.

But how has Jones done in his last four fights as he has risen to the top of the heap and become champion?

It's worth a look to see if Jones has been as destructive each time out. Since most fans see him as such a natural disaster rather than a human being, instead of power ranking his fights by the standard 1-to-10 scale we'll use the Richter Scale.

The Richter Scale is used to measure earthquakes and goes from 2.0, which is micro, all the way to 10.0-plus, which is extremely rare and may not even be possible.

Now that the ranking system has been explained, let's take a look at the last four UFC fights that Jones has taken place in, all the way from a fight with Bader to his impromptu title fight to Saturday's main event.

Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader

This was still at a time when people weren't totally sure how Jones would do against a higher level of opponent.  

In his first fight at what might be considered the top level, Jones not only dominated Bader—he did it in a way that made people question Bader's wrestling credentials.

He was able to take Bader down at will and did it as easily as tossing a rag doll.  

It was impressive to watch him take out what many considered his equal.

Instead, it was a one-sided slaughter.

If that wasn't enough, Jones also was able to sink in a guillotine choke and take submission of the night.

So not only did Jones beat a wrestler on the ground, but he beat an All-American.  This was not some guy who had been a middling amateur.

Bader had great wrestling experience and also had won the Ultimate Fighter.  Though the show hasn't exactly produced a slew of champions in recent years, it is still tough to win.

Bader was able to do that and had dominated up to that point in the UFC.

And then Jones dominated him.

Based on opponent, performance and finish: 8.0 on the Richter Scale—capable of causing major damage in large areas.

Jon Jones vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Jones was given a title shot right after his fight with Bader.  

The plan had originally been for Rashad Evans to have a crack at the title, but an injury forced him from the card.

This led to Jones fighting only one month later for the title, which is still one of the more shocking moments in UFC history.  

Whereas he was fresh from his crushing win over Bader, Rua hadn't stepped in the cage in over a year.

It isn't to say that Rua wasn't in great shape, but the injuries that had prevented him from being able to defend his title might have contributed to the loss.  That isn't to say that is the reason he lost, as Jones put on a great performance and was able to manhandle the champion for three rounds before finally finishing him off in impressive fashion.  

Being able to TKO the current champ not only started Jones' belt run, but left no questions as to who won.

Still, for as impressive as the fight was, it lacked the punctuation-ending that had appeared in Jones' previous fight.  Unfortunately for Jones, once an impressive victory is seen, fans expect such performances every time out.

It also doesn't help that his opponent had cage rust.

Based on opponent, performance and finish: 7.0 on the Richter Scale—can be destructive in highly populated areas.

Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

This may just be Jones' finest performance to date.  

Not only did he beat Quinton Jackson, but he was able to psychologically break him down.

Jackson also walked in having no cage rust—he fought just four months before their match and had remained in shape so he wouldn't have to spend most of his training camp getting back into competitive shape.

Leading up to the fight, Jackson and Jones seemed to have real animosity toward each other, but when it got to Round 1, Jones crawled into the center of the cage and proceeded to pick Jackson apart.  He did everything he needed to frustrate Jackson and keep him from following an intelligent game plan.

When Jackson finally got hurt by Jones, he seemed to understand that he should fight smarter.  

Just as fans might have gotten to see a calmer Jackson in the cage, Jones slapped him after a quick leg kick, and it seemed to get Jackson back into a brawling state of mind.

By the end of Round 3, Jackson seemed like he didn't want to be embarrassed in the cage anymore—and by Round 4 he was choked out by Jones in what might have been an easier manner thanks to his broken ego.

Based on opponent, performance and finish: 9.0 on the Richter Scale—devastating in large areas.

Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida

Finally, Jones' last outing.

Against Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, Jones finally looked human.  

He was beaten to the punch—quite literally—and it seemed that someone might have finally found a way to beat the young champion.

Then Jones took him out via standing guillotine.  

The move itself is hard to attempt, but to pull it off is ridiculously difficult.  

To achieve that not only in a fight, but at the highest level and against a great opponent is something else entirely.

It tells fans a lot more about Jones that he was able to bounce back from adversity against someone like Machida, make the needed adjustments between rounds and then come back and be victorious.

Still, as awesome as the fight ending was, Jones did appear mortal in the fight, which hurts his power ranking.

Based on opponent, performance and finish: 6.0 on the Richter Scale—can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings and slight damage to well-constructed ones.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 140. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the December 10 fight card, including results and post-fight analysis.