Jon Jones Makes It To No.18 On ESPN’s Athlete Power Rankings For 2012

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones rise to superstardom continued this year and ESPN have apparently taken notice as they’ve listed him in their ‘2012 Cross-Sport Power Rankings Athletes of the Year.’

Jones lands at No.18 on the list, ranking above sporting stars Kobe Bryant and Adrian Peterson, while LeBron James landed at No.1

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Jones who was the only MMA star to appear on the prestigious list:

“Jon Jones only fought twice in 2012, but with dominating wins over Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort, he cemented his status as the best fighter in UFC. He also proved how dominant he is — though not in a good way — when he almost single-handedly collapsed the UFC 151 card.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.