UFC legend Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson explains why Jon Jones is the GOAT
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson took to social media to explain why he believes fellow former champion Jon Jones is indeed the UFC’s pound-for-pound greatest of all-time.
Following the retirement of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, the MMA community began to discuss his place in the UFC's all-time list, with some people claiming he deserves the top spot.
Jon Jones took exception to that and has continued to make a case for why he is the actual GOAT of the UFC.
Rampage, who held the UFC’s 205-pound title from 2007 to 2008, was the first challenger on Jones’ initial UFC light heavyweight championship run back in 2011.
In their title bout, Jones dominated Rampage before choking him out in the fourth round. Jones was also the first and only person to submit Rampage inside the UFC’s Octagon.
Speaking from first-hand experience, Rampage shared why he believes that his former rival is indeed the UFC’s best ever.
“Honestly I’d consider Jon Jones the P4P GOAT real talk I’ve never lost a fight when i was in great shape, and i was in the best shape of my career when i fought him. He’s beaten the best,” Rampage said in a tweet.
Rampage is the latest to side with Jones in the GOAT debate. Earlier this week, former UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson also gave his two cents and showed support for Jones.
After the loss to Jones, Rampage would fight - and lose - twice more in the UFC, before parting ways with the company in 2013. Rampage is currently fighting under the Bellator banner.
Jon Jones’ first UFC title run is unparalleled
Jon Jones’ submission win over Quinto “Rampage” Jackson was just the second of what is now a UFC record 14 wins in title bouts. It was also the second in his five-fight stretch wherein he defeated a current or former UFC world champion.
Bones dethroned Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back in 2011 to become the youngest UFC champion ever, and in his first four title defenses, he dispatched "Rampage", Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort, all former champions in the UFC’s 205-pound division.
He would then go on to defeat Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier, before getting involved in controversy outside the Octagon.
While Jon Jones’ latest streak of defenses is quite impressive in its own right, it’s hard to contest that first run that saw him dismantle a who’s who of legends in the light heavyweight division.