Jon Jones reclaims top spot in UFC pound-for-pound rankings following Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement
Jon Jones is once again ranked as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 'official' retirement this week.
While Nurmagomedov retired after his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, president Dana White has been hinting at the possibility of him returning to the Octagon since the event.
Despite trying to arrange meetings and dinners to convince Nurmagomedov to come back and fight to finish his career at 30-0, White confirmed that the Eagle would not return to defend the UFC lightweight title this week. According to White, Nurmagomedov has chosen to ride off into the sunset for good.
Jon Jones is back at the top of the P4P list
There’s been a lot of talk over the years about who the P4P best is in the UFC. While the fighters involved in this conversation change from time to time, Jon Jones always seems to be mentioned as one of the main players in the race.
In the eyes of the UFC, Jon Jones is back at the top of the mountain, where many believe he belongs.
Nurmagomedov’s removal from the rankings this week means that Jon Jones has been bumped up to the top spot in the men’s rankings with Kamaru Usman and Stipe Miocic in the number 2 and 3 positions. When it comes to the women's divisions, nobody is coming close to touching Amanda Nunes at the top of the pile.
The real question regarding Jon Jones' place in the rankings is whether he is going to stay in the top spot. He has already shown a few weaknesses in his last few fights, including the bout against Dominick Reyes, which many fans and pundits thought he lost. In the end, though, the judges handed “Bones” the victory via decision.
Now, Jon Jones comes up against arguably the biggest challenge of his career as he makes the switch to the heavyweight divison - a move many have been waiting to see.
Jones is set to fight the winner of the UFC 260 heavyweight bout between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. If Miocic wins, fight fans can see him square off with Jones for both the title and the top spot in the P4P rankings.