Jon Jones names the UFC fighter he believes is second only to him in the GOAT conversation
UFC double champ Amanda Nunes is the No. 2 rank holder on Jon Jones' list of the greatest of all-time MMA athletes. Jones took to his social media and posted a list of UFC champions along with their wins/losses in title bouts.
Jon Jones attained the world title in 2011 and held on to the 205-pound strap for almost ten years. Jones has fought in 14 title bouts and came out victorious in each of them. Women's featherweight champion Amanda Nunes is the only other fighter on the UFC roster with similar credentials.
Until now, the Lioness has fought in seven battles where the title was up for grabs - either the women's featherweight or bantamweight strap. Jon Jones believes that with Nunes' undefeated title contention record, she might just be one spot behind him in the GOAT conversation. According to 'Bones', only the UFC champions mentioned in his list were to be considered the creme de la creme of champions.
After a dominant title run in the light heavyweight division, Jon Jones is now preparing to step up a weight class. Bones was previously involved in a back and forth on Twitter with No. 1 ranked heavyweight Francis Ngannou. If Jon Jones recommences his dominance at heavyweight as well, he will certainly be considered one of the best to ever enter the octagon. More so than he is already.
Why is Jon Jones adamant on getting the No. 1 spot in the GOAT conversation?
At UFC 253, Khabib Nurmagomedov was crowned the No. 1 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, according to the official UFC rankings. To this, Jon Jones openly voiced his exasperation on Twitter. Bones cited his title defenses as his claim to the number one spot. In his Twitter rant, Jones asserted that his dominance as a champion is unmatched.
All things considered, Jones is certainly one of the greatest of all time. However, many MMA pundits believe Khabib Nurmagomedov's unblemished record puts the Dagestani fighter's name ahead of Jones. Failing the anti-doping policy of the UFC also doesn't help Bones' cause.
On the other hand, many analysts believe that Nurmagomedov has not defended the lightweight strap enough times to be considered the GOAT. Jones' teammate Carlos Condit has previously weighed in on this fact in a recent interview.
"Khabib's very close in the GOAT talk... He should continue to fight. The opponents and the lineup and the longevity of Jon's run is unparalleled."