According to
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, there’s no
debate as to who deserves to be mixed martial arts’ No. 1
pound-for-pound fighter.
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While Islam
Makhachev secured his 14th consecutive victory — and third
successful title defense — with a fifth-round submission victory
against Dustin
Poirier in the UFC 302
headliner on Saturday night, White believes current heavyweight
champion Jon Jones
still has the superior resume.
“I think he’s [Makhachev] one of the greatest of all-time. I think
he’s incredible. I don’t think he’s the pound-for-pound best
fighter in the world,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press
conference. “For anyone to call Islam the pound-for-pound best
fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f—ing fighting is nuts
and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound, or doing any of
the f—ing rankings ever if that’s what you really think.
“Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever. He’s fought all the
baddest dudes in the world, and then when you think about what
pound-for-pound rankings really mean: He moved up to heavyweight
and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is
still fighting, active and in the rankings, nobody [else] is
pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world.”
Jones, a longtime UFC light heavyweight champion, returned from a
three-year hiatus in March 2023 to claim the vacant heavyweight
strap with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane.
“Bones” was supposed to defend the crown against Stipe
Miocic at UFC 295 this past November before a torn pectoral
forced him to withdraw from the event. Jones vs. Miocic is expected
to be rebooked later this year, but detractors will point to the
heavyweight champion’s lack of activity in recent years as a reason
why he should be downgraded in pound-for-pound discussions.
However, Jones unbeaten streak currently stands at 19, with a no
contest against Daniel
Cormier in 2017 as the only blemish on his ledger during that
time. His only official defeat, a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill,
was a controversial ruling in a fight that Jones appeared to be
well on his way to winning.
“Let’s talk about activity,” White said. “Three years off — nobody,
not even [Muhammad] Ali, nobody’s ever come from three years off
and looked the same. Jon Jones walked through the No. 1 guy in the
heavyweight division like it was nothing with three years off.
“Jon Jones is the best ever. Ever. And when I say ever, I mean in
any combat sport. He’s the best ever. You throw Jon Jones in a room
with anybody, Jon Jones walks out of the room.”
Makhachev, who is currently No. 1 in
Sherdog’s pound-for-pound rankings, has expressed interest in
moving up to 170 pounds in a bid to become a two-division champion.
However, his previous two lightweight title defenses came against
former 145-pound champion Alexander
Volkanovski, which White claims is not as impressive as Jones
moving up in weight.
“When you think about what pound-for-pound really means,
[Makhachev] fought Volkanovski, who’s a weight class lower than
him,” White said. “Jon Jones beat everybody at light heavyweight
then beat the best heavyweight in the division like it was nothing
at a higher weight class.”
White’s praise did not go unnoticed by its target. Though his
knowledge of MMA history was a little off, Jones expressed
gratitude toward the UFC boss on social media.
“It felt awesome to get that level of recognition from the boss,
the man that’s literally been here since UFC 1,” Jones wrote X. “I
know the haters are not gonna like his comments but Dana’s a pretty
hard person to argue with. Dana White has had a front row seat to
my entire career, facts are facts.”
It felt awesome to get that level of
recognition from the boss, the man that’s literally been here since
UFC 1. I know the haters are not gonna like his comments but Dana’s
a pretty hard person to argue with. @danawhite
has had a front row seat to my entire career, facts are…— BONY (@JonnyBones)
June 2, 2024