Jon Jones‘ brilliance is not based on power, speed, or even titles; these are all symptoms of something deeper. His fight IQ is what genuinely distinguishes him, and it is something that fighters like Ilia Topuria and voices like Joe Rogan cannot get enough of. His fight IQ isn’t just high; it’s frightening. It is the type of intelligence that transforms violence into strategy and chaos into control. And at UFC 309, that mentality was on full display. Such was his showing that months after the event, Topuria and Rogan cannot help but marvel at the fight IQ of ‘Bones’ while simply claiming, “Well, Jon’s fight IQ is insane.”

Joe Rogan, a longtime analyst of the UFC, was noticeably impressed by Jones’ accomplishments. At 36, fresh off a long layoff and significant surgery, ‘Bones’ added a brand-new weapon to his arsenal—a spinning back kick—and used it like it had been a part of his game for ten years. On JRE MMA Show #166, the UFC commentator said, “I think Jon’s a conqueror. Look, the guy developed a spinning back kick at 36—didn’t have a spinning back kick his whole career—and all of a sudden knocks out Stipe with a spinning back kick for the heavyweight title at 36, 37 years old. That’s crazy,” Rogan said, shaking his head at the insanity of it all. This was not a case of luck or flash. It was purposeful, precise, and planned. Jon Jones had pictured the finish, trained for it, and carried it out with unsettling calm.

Ilia Topuria echoed the sentiment, calling Jones “the best of all time,” but not for the reasons most people would expect. For ‘La Leyenda,’ it wasn’t the belts or highlight reels, but the cerebral coldness of how the heavyweight champion planned and performed. In fact, the Spanish-Georgian revealed something chilling: on the day of the bout, Jones practiced that precise kick and predicted he’d knock down Stipe Miocic with it. “They showed me a video three or four days ago—Jon, before the fight with Stipe, was practicing that kick on the day of the fight. And he said something like, ‘This is the kick—I’m going to knock him out with this kick.” That is not bravado. That is pure 3D chess. While others throw punches, trying to find an opening, ‘Bones’ walks in knowing exactly where and when that opportunity will be.

What makes Jones’ intelligence so terrifying is the fact that it doesn’t seem to age. Power decreases, reflexes slow, but his mind appears to sharpen over time. ‘Bones’ doesn’t simply learn from fights; he absorbs them. Each match becomes a study session, and each opponent a riddle. At UFC 309, he did more than just win a bout; he showed a new level of skill. He envisioned a moment that did not yet exist, created it, and strode into it with the confidence of someone who knew what would happen. Maybe he can see the future! With such vision, can anyone ever beat the guy? (Non-controversially). Well, according to Daniel Cormier, there definitely was a fighter who could’ve.

Daniel Cormier name-drops the only opponent who could’ve defeated Jon Jones

To even consider the possibility of someone beating Jon Jones requires stepping far outside the present UFC roster. And Daniel Cormier, who has shared the Octagon—and a lifetime of rivalry—with ‘Bones,’ did exactly that. After admiring Jones’ IQ and planning at UFC 309, ‘DC’ turned his attention to a name that rarely appears on MMA highlight reels. No viral knockouts, no press conferences, and no belts. Only quiet devastation on the wrestling mat. According to Cormier, only one individual could have totally undone Jones—and the public never saw him in the cage.

Khadzhimurat Gatsalov. That’s the name. For Cormier, this was more than just a hypothetical gesture of respect; it was a wound that never healed. Gatsalov didn’t simply defeat DC in the 2004 Olympic semi-finals; he demolished him. And then, as if to prove his superiority, he defeated legends such as Cael Sanderson and Kyle Snyder. When Daniel Cormier invited Gatsalov to his training camp for the Jon Jones fight, his goal was straightforward: borrow some of the greatness that had once humbled him. But the MMA analyst witnessed more than just greatness. It was something else entirely—an engine that never stopped, a will that never broke.

The UFC commentator wasn’t overdramatic when he told Joe Rogan on his podcast, “We’re lucky that son of a b— didn’t fight.” And trust us when we tell you that he really meant it. Gatsalov embodied an unrivaled level of excellence—freakish speed, championship cardio, and a cold, ruthless mentality. In the quiet corners of Cormier’s honesty, there was no ego. Just awe. He did not claim Gatsalov would have made it to the UFC. He claimed he would have ruled it. Including Jon Jones. It’s almost poetic that the only man capable of outthinking and outfighting the most lethal fighter in MMA history never showed up. But what do you think? If Khadzhimurat Gatsalov had ever made it to the UFC back then, could he have handed Jon Jones his biggest defeat? Let us know in the comments.