Stephan Bonnar believes Jon Jones is the Tiger Woods of mixed martial arts
by Tim Groves on June 08, 2011
hit me in the back of the head. After the fight I watched it and I was right."

The Jones fight was hardly Bonnar's first tussle with a world class opponent. Like previous stated, the man has squared off with Griffin twice, Evans, Machida, Keith Jardine and Mark Coleman. He has become a staple of the UFC's light heavyweight division and a worthy opponent for anyone fighting at 205. "The American Psycho" has yet to be stopped in a fight outside of cuts, making him one of the most durable fighters other there. That fact becomes even more impressive when you look at the list of previous opponents just posted. 

Bonnar gave an introspective look at the list of competitors he has squared off with. The always competitive light heavyweight division is currently front loaded with talented fighters like Jones, Machida, Evans and Quinton Jackson and Mauricio Rua, the only two that Bonnar hasn't faced off against.

While Jones is currently injured and Evans has been sitting on the sidelines for over a year now, it will be awhile before fans truly discover who the cream of the crop at 205 is. Luckily, Bonnar has faced quite a few of them and offered up his opinion on his toughest opponent to date.

"Jones, I mean jeez, he is really coming into his own," Bonnar said. "Machida was weird fighting him, I'd never fought anyone like him. He was, his footwork was so good. Most guys you can't hit them because they put their hands up and they block it. He gets you swinging at air. I'd say him and Jones. The big difference between him and Jones is that size. I knew that would happen to Shogun, when the bell rang and saw that length and he tried to come in and put his hands on Jones, it would be different than anything he's seen before and it would have thrown him off."

"[Jones] is so long and hard to get to. And then you finally force your way in and you end up in the clinch. Then he gets a throw or a takedown."

Bonnar continued the praise for the 23-year old New York phenom as the talk shifted towards potential contenders to "Bones" belt. The mixed martial arts world has been abuzz with future opponents for Jones. Some fans and analysts have laid their hat on Quinton Jackson to knock off Jones. Others have pointed towards Machida as the man with the equation to defeat him. And then there are a few who look towards his former training partner Rashad Evans as the man to dethrone him and take his belt.

Pencil Bonnar in as a man who believes "no one" will challenge Jon Jones for the time being.

"Really no one comes to my head, to be honest," Bonnar said. "Let's be honest, who is the number one contender? Bader? He destroyed him. Brandon Vera, awesome light heavyweight, got thrown around. Now Shogun, the defending champion, made him look like he didn't belong with him. You gotta kinda look at him like the Tiger Woods of MMA."

The always truthful Bonnar heaped praise on most of the light heavyweights currently competing under the UFC banner. He was silent when asked if there was anyone in the division who rubs him the wrong way. The guys at the top, Jones, Evans, Jackson, Machida and Rua all seem like stand up guys in their own ways, so it's hard for a guy...

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