If Jon Jones had continued down his original career path, he would now be one of the most feared Law Enforcement officers in the United States. Thankfully, the US legal system's loss has most definitely been the UFC's gain.

It always takes the excellence of one individual to raise the bar for the next generation to aspire to, and just like Usain Bolt's impact on athletics and Rafael Nadal's influence on tennis, Jon "Bones" Jones is lifting MMA to new heights.

Already tipped to become the sport's version of Muhammad Ali, Jones secured a world title in only his 14th professional bout. Blessed with a 6ft 5in frame and the greatest reach in the UFC (84½ins), Jones is currently undefeated - barring a disqualification loss picked up when destroying Matt Hamill.

The facts are that Jones is a 2005 state wrestling champion, schooled in the art of Greco Roman, which acts as the foundation to a rapidly-developing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skillset.

However, the facts don't do Jon Jones justice. Under the guidance of Greg Jackson, it is the suplexes and spinning back elbows displayed against Stephen Bonnar, the razor-sharp ground-and-pound shown against Brandon Vera, and the slick submissions game exhibited against Ryan Bader that sets Jones apart from all fighters of his age.

All of that came together at UFC 128 when he fought Mauricio Shogun Rua for the light-heavyweight crown, where he put together arguably the most devastating beating ever seen in a title fight to completely destroy the Brazilian. At 23 years of age, Jones became the youngest ever UFC champion, and he has since shown he is here to stay by delivering an equally dominant lesson against Rampage Jackson.

A further submission victory, this time over Lyoto Machida, meant Jones beat three champions in one year by the end of 2011, and after adding another champ in Rashad Evans to his list of victims, he made it five on the bounce by beating Vitor Belfort.

Career high
Taking on one of the sport's greats in Mauricio Shogun Rua, Jon Jones showed the world that MMA is set for a whole new era. Outclassing the defending champion when striking, clinching, and grappling, Jones beat Rua up so badly that the image of the Brazilian will live long in the memory.

Career low
Jones recently played his part in the first ever UFC cancellation of the professional era. With opponent Dan Henderson pulling out injured eight days before the fight, Jones was offered Chael Sonnen but turned him down - forcing the cancellation of the card. In a sport built on legends who promised to fight anyone - anytime, Jones went against the grain.

Quote
"Dominating someone in a fight is one thing, looking to simply humiliate them is another… Traditional martial artists always show honour and respect."

Trivia
Jon Jones has never been taken down in his UFC career.