Jon Jones takes a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov in a deleted Instagram post
Jon Jones is will not budge on the stance of him being a more accomplished fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The former light heavyweight champion has 14 title bout wins under his belt, while Nurmagomedov has four. Because of this, he sees himself above the Dagestani fighter in the 'GOAT' conversation.
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in October last year. Dana White has been trying to convince 'The Eagle' to make a return for some time. Yesterday, the UFC president made it clear that the Dagestani will stay retired.
After White confirmed Nurmagomedov's retirement, a slew of responses poured in from his fellow UFC fighters, including Jon Jones. The 33-year-old wished a happy retirement to the Russian with a scornful approach.
Jones took to his Instagram and posted a meme that mocked Nurmagomedov. His caption read:
"Nothing wrong with going out on top, enjoy retirement champ".
Jon Jones became the youngest fighter in history to claim a UFC championship. 'Bones' won the light heavyweight belt for the first time in March 2011 when he outclassed Mauricio Rua. He then competed for the title on 14 occasions, and emerged victorious in 13 of them. His most recent fight was against Dominick Reyes in February 2020, where he eked out a narrow split decision victory.
Nurmagomedov claimed the UFC lightweight championship against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. The Eagle went on to defend his title against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Khabib Nurmagomedov dethroned Jon Jones as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world
A few days after his victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov overtook Jon Jones as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
While Jones appeared to be accepting of Nurmagomedov's rise in the pound-for-pound rankings at first, he later raised his issues with the UFC's decision. Bones noted that Nurmagomedov shouldn't have been placed at the top of the rankings, citing his own extraordinary record (26-1) and title defenses.
Nurmagomedov, however, was not displaced from his top spot. The 32-year-old retired from the sport while being the pound-for-pound king - a feat which has never been achieved before in the world of MMA.