For fans of mixed martial arts, discussing potential match-ups is half the fun. The Speculative Scuffle is here to analyze these potential bouts, both for the fights that we will see and those we wish we would.

In an appearance on MMA Fighting’s The MMA Hour this past Monday, UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell had some rather disparaging things to say about incumbent light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.

In addition to making the expected claim that Jones wouldn’t “get past [round] three” with his student Glover Teixeria at this weekend’s UFC 172, Liddell criticized “Bone’s” refusal to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 151 on 8 day’s notice, stating, “I would have done anything just to keep the fight… [Jones should have thought] I’m the best light heavyweight in the world, I shouldn’t be afraid to fight anybody.”

“The Iceman” also said Jones’s last fight against Alexander Gustafsson was “at the best a draw” for the champion and that he’d “like to see him get after it more and try to finish more.”

The coup de gráce, though, came when Liddell spoke to Fox Sports, claiming “I would have been a horrible match-up for him … I would have walked through his punches and he wouldn’t have caught me with anything.” He concluded, “I would have found a way to hit him and I hit too hard.”

While the positioning of the two men in the public eye is no competition, Liddell is perhaps the most famous fighter in the history of the sport and certainly the one most synergic with the UFC brand while Jones has had a hard time maintaining his public image, their in-cage accomplishments are certainly up for debate.

In the interest of fairness, I’ve decided to compare both men at the 20-fight mark in their mixed martial arts career. Comparing them at the same age is impossible, as Liddell had yet to have his first professional bout when he was Jones’s age, and comparing their entire body of work is unfair to Liddell as it includes the poor tail-end of his career.

Fight Records

Jon Jones: 19-1 (13-1 UFC)

Chuck Liddell: 17-3 (12-2 UFC; 1-1 Pride FC)

Analysis: While Liddell’s record is certainly one worthy of his legendary stature, Jones is markedly ahead of him. They’ve both had the same amount of UFC bouts at this point in their careers, and Jones’s record is relatively spotless, especially if you consider the fact that his one loss should’ve been a TKO victory in his favor.

UFC Title Bouts

Jon Jones: 7-0

Chuck Liddell: 2-1

Analysis: Absolutely no contest here. Not only has Jones done more at this point, he’s already defended the title more than Liddell did throughout his entire career, and more than anyone in UFC light heavyweight history for that matter.

Finishing Rate

Jon Jones: 79% (9 knockouts, 6 submissions); 69% UFC (4 knockouts, 5 submissions)

Chuck Liddell: 64% (10 knockouts, 1 submission); 67% (8 knockouts, 0 submissions)

Analysis: This is perhaps the most surprising statistic so far considering Liddell himself criticized Jones’s finishing abilities. Jones has finished opponents at a higher rate for both his career and in the UFC. For “The Iceman,” you can note that his finishing rate went up in the UFC while Jones’s didn’t, and that he has double the UFC knockouts than Jones. So while Jones has had more finishes overall, Liddell had substantially more knockouts, often considered more exciting than submissions to the general fan base.

Fight Metric Statistics*:

Jon Jones: 4.15 significant strikes landed per minute; 54% significant striking accuracy; 1.89 significant strikes absorbed per minute; 65% significant striking defense; 2.45 takedowns per 15 minutes; 51% takedown accuracy; 96% takedown defense; .73 submissions attempted per 15 minutes

Chuck Liddell: 2.97 significant strikes landed per minute; 36% significant striking accuracy; 2.71 significant strikes absorbed per minute; 57% significant striking defense; .44 takedowns per 15 minutes; 75% takedown accuracy; 81% takedown defense; 0 submissions attempted per 15 minutes

Analysis: It’s not surprising that Jones is defensively superior to and tends to grapple more than Liddell, who was notorious for his “sprawl-and-brawl” fighting-style. However, despite what you’d expect, “Bones” both attempts and lands more significant strikes per minute than “The Iceman.” The fighter from Endicott, New York, is superior to the Santa Barbara, California-native in every category (it should be noted that these statistics might be skewed negatively for Liddell given his performances in the latter stages of his career).

*Fight Metric statistics for all career bouts.

The Judges’ Scorecards:

While comparisons in popularity are extremely lopsided in the legend Liddell’s favor, an in-cage analysis is almost as unbalanced in the other direction. Not only has Jon “Bones” Jones accomplished more than Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell at the 20-fight point in their careers, he’s also the more exciting fighter on paper. Jones had a better record, more title defenses and finishes, and was statistically the more active fighter than Liddell.

While Chuck Liddell is certainly a true legend of the sport and deserving of our respect, he would do well to make sure his statements are more substantiated. He can criticize Jones’s decision-making skills all he wants, but in the Octagon “Bones” is a class above.

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