He won the UFC middleweight championship way back in October 2006 and has successfully defended it a record nine times. He also owns UFC bests in consecutive wins (14), longest title reign (six years and six months, and counting) and most gasps of disbelief from awestruck fans. It would take something extraordinary for "The Spider" to be unseated from the top spot in the mixed martial arts rankings.

Meet something extraordinary. Otherwise known as Jon Jones. Otherwise known as "Bones." Otherwise known as the new No. 1 in the SI.com pound-for-pound rankings.

While it's tough to argue against Silva, it's impossible to hold down Jones any longer.

Just ask Rashad Evans, the former light heavyweight champion who walked into the octagon 10 days ago with his head filled with hopeful visions of regaining the belt. Until his vision was blurred, if not outright blinded, by an onslaught of boney elbows to the temple.

Just ask Lyoto Machida. Just ask Quinton Jackson. Just ask Mauricio Rua. Those were Jones' three conquests prior to dominating Evans at UFC 145, all of them former or reigning champs who were made to look run of the mill.

True, Silva has dominated most every fighter the UFC has stuck in the octagon with him, but he's not faced the murderer's row that Jones has recently. Four champions in 13 months! And while one might argue that "Bones" hasn't been doing it for as long as Silva has, this ranking is no lifetime achievement award. Even if it were, Jones has won all 17 fights he's been in (the one "L" on his resume was a questionable no-warning disqualification in a fight he was finishing). Jon Jones, at age 24, is on top of his game and deserves to be recognized as such.

Dana White no doubt will disagree. The UFC president has insisted over and over, loud and clear, that Silva belongs in the No. 1 spot. And Dana will get no argument on that from the majority of the MMA media. Our friends over at Yahoo! Sports compile a pound-for-pound ranking based on a monthly survey of a couple dozen folks who cover MMA, and in the most recent tally I was one of only seven voters to rank Jones above Silva. Last month, however, "Bones" received just two first-place votes. So people are coming around.