Former UFC fighter shares controversial take on why Jon Jones wouldn't be on his Mount Rushmore: "People outside of the sport can’t name him"

UFC CEO Dana White recently named his Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters - and yes, it includes Jon Jones. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the outspoken fight promoter named four fighters who, in his opinion, weren't just some of the best, but also the most influential in the sport's history.

White said:

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"You've got to go with Jon Jones. You have to go with Ronda Rousey. Women would not be fighting in the UFC if it wasn't for her...You would have to put [Georges St-Pierre] is there and absolutely, positively, Conor McGregor. He elevated and changed the game globally."

Check out the quote as posted by MMA Fighting on Instagram:

While many might agree with White's Mount Rushmore, some aren't on the same page, particularly UFC middleweight fighter 'Smile'n' Sam Alvey, who commented:

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"Y’all know I’m not a John Jones fan, He cheats too much, but he hasn’t done anything that’s spectacular for the sport. He’s been good for a long time, but his pay-per-view numbers aren’t great, his finishes used to be great, and people outside of the sport can’t name him. Ronda and Connor are good pics, Gracie has to be on it, and honestly, I would put Dana White there."

Sam Alvey's comment. [Image courtesy: @mmafighting on Instagram]

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Dana White debates the media on the "Jon Jones is pound-for-pound best" argument

Dana White has been quite vocal lately on his stance that not only is Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter today, but he is also the consensus GOAT. He's been saying this so much in various outlets that some of the members of the press joked about it in a recent media scrum for 'Dana White's Contender Series'.

White reiterated:

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"Jon Jones IS the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and he's the GOAT. And you all know this (laughs). Numbers don't lie...Are you guys that f*cking stupid? You can't be that f*cking stupid to think that Jon Jones is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and the GOAT. But maybe you are."

Members of the press, particularly veteran journalist Kevin Iole respectfully pushed back on White, saying Jones may be the greatest of all time, but he might not be the best of this time. He argues that other fighters could be ranked above 'Bones' in the P4P list as he has been out of action for more than a year and has only fought once in the past four years.

Still, White stood his ground and even ended the press conference with his now classic line:

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"And Jon Jones in the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world (laughs)".

Check out the press conference below(19:43):

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