"He never lost a belt, he never lost a fight" - Should Jon Jones be crowned P4P #1 if he beats Ciryl Gane at UFC 285? Former fighters discuss
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to return to the octagon after a three-year hiatus. He will not only move up a weight class to heavyweight but will also challenge for the vacant title against No.1-ranked contender Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
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Former UFC fighters Din Thomas and Alan Jouban spoke on ESPN's UFC Live segment and weighed in on Jon Jones' status in the hotly-contested pound-for-pound rankings. Thomas firmly asserted:
“Absolutely. Like just because he left doesn’t mean that his ranking should change. If he comes up and beats a guy like Ciryl Gane who is at the top of the heavyweight division right now, the prestige about being the heavyweight champion of the world. If he can become the heavyweight champ of the world, Jon Jones should be at the pound for pound top list.”
Jouban also made a case for 'Bones' being the greatest fighter ever, claiming that if he beats Ciryl Gane, he deserves the GOAT moniker:
“Jones is the best fighter we’ve ever seen inside the octagon. Jon Jones is the man, he is the one that has showed the most well-rounded skillset. He has the best resume we have ever seen. The number of champions that he’s defeated inside the octagon, nobody has done anything like that for that amount of time."
He added:
"He’s had a layoff but he ended at the top, he never lost a belt, he never lost a fight. He’s coming back after a three-year layoff and coming up a division. If he passes this test, he’s not only number one pound-for-pound, he’s cemented as the GOAT, the best ever.”
Watch the UFC Live segment on YouTube:
Daniel Cormier responds to Jon Jones' tweet regarding his commentary
Ahead of Jon Jones' highly-anticipated return to action, attention has shifted to his former opponent and arch-rival Daniel Cormier and his commentary. Since his retirement, 'DC' has called multiple high-profile pay-per-view fights and established himself as an excellent color commentator.
While accusations of bias are no stranger to Cormier, his bitter history with Jones has prompted some to question whether he should commentate at UFC 285. In response, Jones tweeted out a respectful appreciation tweet:
DC you are more than welcome to commentate at my fight, I think you are really good at what you do. I trust that you would be non-biased. All the best brother
However, the tweet was met with an indifferent reaction from Cormier on his YouTube channel, where he emphasized that he doesn't "need permission" to call anyone's fights:
"This particular tweet, which at times feels like a compliment, but also could be interpreted as a bit of a dig — considering at times, people call me biased in my commentary and all this other stuff. First, just for the record, I don’t really need permission to call someone’s fight.”
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below: