Michael Bisping weighs in on ‘GOAT’ debate, thinks a lot of fans are going to be disappointed
Michael Bisping weighed in on the MMA GOAT debate, which has been an ongoing debate among fans for years. It is subjective, but there seems to be a group of fighters that are always in the discussion.
Bisping uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he gave his thoughts on both the pound-for-pound king debate as well as the GOAT debate. He mentioned that based on career and quality of opponents, he believes that it is Jon Jones.
He said:
"Until that happens [heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane], when you look at the body of work, the people that he's beaten, legend after legend, champion after champion, the number one guy pound-for-pound has gotta be Johnny 'Bones' Jones." [5:27 - 5:39]
The UFC Hall of Famer also brought up that 'Bones' is a talented fighter who has been dominant at light heavyweight for many years. He mentioned that a lot of fans will be disappointed with his answer:
"The greatest of all time. And I know, once again, Islam [Makhachev] fans, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fans are gonna come after me, Georges St-Pierre fans are, Anderson Silva's fans are, but I'm sorry...Jon Jones. The resume, the people that he's beaten -- can't deny it." [5:50 - 6:16]
'Bones' will have an opportunity to make a stronger case for himself next Saturday, when he fights Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285.
Check out the full video:
Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones is still the pound-for-pound king
He's Baaaack!!
Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane at #UFC285 on March 4! https://t.co/eu8OEbmoEE
Michael Bisping praised Jon Jones as the former light heavyweight king prepares to make his heavyweight debut and attempt to become a two-division UFC champion.
In the aforementioned video, 'The Count' discussed both the current pound-for-pound debate as well as the GOAT debate. He mentioned that despite the three-year layoff, he still believes Jones is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, saying:
"That title [pound-for-pound No.1 fighter] belongs to a man that returns next week to the octagon. And yes, of course, I'm talking about Johnny 'Bones' Jones. Okay, he's been out of action for a while. Three years away from the octagon, we know this okay, but that's the guy." [3:22 - 3:36]
Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski currently holds the No.1 spot in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings. But that could change should Jones defeat Ciryl Gane to become the new heavyweight champion.