Dana White defends naming Jon Jones MMA GOAT against backlash: "These are all facts"
Dana White isn't shy about claiming Jon Jones is the MMA goat and the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in his promotion. The UFC CEO recently defended that position, labeling his claims as gospel.
Speaking to John Morgan of Grind City Media, the promotional frontman was asked why the topic is important to him. White responded:
"Well, it's not important. This could be - Jon Jones could say, 'I'm never going to fight again' or it could be after his next fight, these are all facts. I even laid them out in a f**king commercial for all the stupid people that can't wrap their head around it. I was on a podcast this morning and I was talking about this."
He continued:
"One of the things that makes this sport so great and that I love about it so much - if a group of people came in here right now and wanted to debate cricket with me, it's going to be a real short conversation. But the beautiful thing about this sport is everybody thinks they're an expert in MMA or in combat sports, period. And it's what makes this thing so fun, but the only experts in this sport are in that f**king building right across the street [UFC Performance Institute]."
Check out Dana White's comments on Jon Jones below:
White added that the UFC is an organization filled with MMA experts. He claimed the company is groundbreaking in the combat sports arena. He also stated the opinions and criticisms of outsiders make him laugh.
Dana White holds 12 minute debate with media members over Jon Jones
Dana White has consistently chastised the media for ranking Jon Jones third in the promotion's pound-for-pound ratings. He recently spent 12 minutes debating the subject. Speaking at the press conference following Dana White's Contender Series, the promotional frontman stated:
"He moved up and he fought Ciryl Gane and destroyed him in a weight class above him, who was the No.1 guy in the world - in the UFC. Then, we book another fight. He's training for the fight, blows his shoulder out - which means he's still active - gets surgery, recovering and is scheduled to fight in November. He is an active fighter."
Check out Dana White's full back-and-forth with media members below:
Jones appears set to return against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. The pair were originally scheduled to clash at UFC 295 last November. However, he was forced to withdraw after tearing the tendon connecting the pectoral muscle to the bone.