By Sergio Non, USA TODAY

Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones might have gone through the best 12-month stretch ever for a fighter.

He started in February by submitting Ryan Bader, rated No. 5 at the time in the USA TODAY/MMA Nation consensus rankings. Six weeks later he won the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 205-pound title by dismantling one of the all-time greats, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He defended the belt twice in the fall by choking two former champions, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

Except for one round against Machida, none of it was close. At times his fights almost resembled target practice against hapless victims.

The only run that holds up as a comparison happened six years ago when a 23-year-old Rua crashed through Pride Fighting Championships' 205-pound tournament. But even that achievement lacked the definitive nature of Jones' work this year because Rua did not fight the beltholders of Pride and UFC.

Jones views his 2011 as a "crazy" experience.

"It really wasn't about who I beat or anything like that," he said. "It was about just improvement of the quality of my life and how I set a goal and I stuck to it."

He's already won more consecutive title bouts than any UFC light-heavyweight champion since Chuck Liddell's run ended in 2007. The next opponent will come from the winner of next month's bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis. Ex-Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson might be on deck.

After that? Even Jones' promoter has a hard time dreaming up legitimate challenges for the 24-year-old titleholder.

"I don't know how you deny the guy anymore," says Dana White, president of UFC's parent company, Zuffa. "He's literally walked through everybody. He's fought four times this year, probably the nastiest schedule in the history of the company. He's incredible."

Incredible enough to be USA TODAY's 2011 Fighter of the Year.