ESPN.com
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Tuesday, Sept. 24
A glass is half full, or half empty. Jon Jones either showed heart or showed he was human. Feels like the correct perception here is the former. If you walked away from UFC 165 with LESS respect for Jon Jones, we're not real sure what to tell you. Every title defense can't be a breeze. If it could, why would we watch? Jones got a stiff test in Alexander Gustafsson and he passed. Something kept Jones going late in the fourth and on to the fifth in that fight -- and whatever it was, not every UFC fighter has it. Some might take this close fight as a chance to critique Jones. We choose to stand and slow clap instead.
See how they were ranked here.| Pound-for-pound Power Rankings | |||||
| RANK | FIGHTER | TRENDING | COMMENT | ||
| 1 |  Jon Jones  Light Heavyweight 19-1-0 | -- Last Rank: 1 | Jones might have inherited the title of No. 1 fighter in the world when Anderson Silva lost, but he truly earned it in an all-out war against Alexander Gustafsson. This kid's got it all. | ||
| 2 |  Georges St-Pierre  Welterweight 24-2-0 | -- Last Rank: 2 | St-Pierre called the upset. He had Chris Weidman winning all the way in this one. Now it's up to him to not suffer a fate similar to Anderson Silva's. Johny Hendricks awaits in November. | ||
| 3 |  Jose Aldo  Featherweight 23-1-0 | -- Last Rank: 3 | If beating Chan Sung Jung while suffering from a broken foot and kidney stones wasn't enough to move Aldo past GSP, will anything be enough? | ||
| 4 |  Anderson Silva Middleweight 33-5-0 | -- Last Rank: 4 | Hey, everybody gets caught, right? Of course, if you leave your hands down and act a fool, it increases the odds of it happening. But this is Anderson Silva we're talking about, after all. How will he respond? | ||
| 5 |  Chris Weidman Middleweight 10-0-0 | -- Last Rank: 5 | We suspected Weidman had the skill to be a UFC star. Now he has the signature win. Knocking out Anderson Silva? That's something nobody is forgetting any time soon. Weidman says it's just the beginning. | ||
| 6 |  Demetrious Johnson Flyweight 18-2-1 | -- Last Rank: 6 | UFC's flyweight champ did everything right against John Moraga, showing the full scope of his pound-for-pound abilities en route to his first non-decision Octagon-bound victory. | ||
| 7 |  Renan Barao Bantamweight 31-1-0 | 2 Last Rank: 9 | Interim is just a word. To pretty much everyone these days, Barao is "THE" bantamweight champion of the UFC. A bout against Dominick Cruz has to happen as soon as possible. | ||
| 8 |  Anthony Pettis Lightweight 17-2-0 | 1 Last Rank: 7 | "Showtime" debuts on the pound-for-pound list at No. 7. He has showcased an ability to win standing or grounded, striking or submission. If Pettis can avoid more serious injury problems, he could soon approach the top of this group. | ||
| 9 |  Cain Velasquez Heavyweight 12-1-0 | 1 Last Rank: 8 | His first title defense against Antonio Silva was, with respect to "Bigfoot," a bit of a gimme. The second one is where it's at: Velasquez-Junior dos Santos III in October. Mark it down on your calendar. | ||
| 10 |  Gilbert Melendez Lightweight 22-3-0 | -- Last Rank: 10 | Color us all impressed, Gil. You might not have won the title against Ben Henderson, but it didn't feel like you really lost, either. Up next is an on-paper war with Diego Sanchez. If this were 2009 we'd be discussing a surefire brawl. | ||
| Others receiving votes: Benson Henderson 3, Johny Hendricks 1 | |||||
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