Watch: A hyped up Jon Jones flexes on stage as Dana White dubs him the GOAT during UFC 309 press-conference
Jon Jones last entered the octagon back in March 2023 as he defeated Ciryl Gane via first-round submission at UFC 285 to capture the vacant heavyweight title. He will look to defend the belt this weekend when he faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in a bout that has been well over a year in the making.
'Bones' reacted to UFC CEO Dana White labeling him as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time during the UFC 309 press conference. The promotional frontman claimed:
"Listen, it is my belief that as long as this guy is active, he's the best. He's the pound-for-pound best in the world and he's the greatest of all-time."
Jones stood up to flex for the crowd after White's comments, before adding:
"I'll prove you right on Saturday, too."
Check out Dana White's comments on Jon Jones being the GOAT below:
White has long made it clear that he believes Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. It is hard to disagree with his stance as 'Bones' holds a plethora of promotional records, including most title fight wins and most successful title defenses, while also being the youngest champion and holding the longest unbeaten streak in promotional history.
Jon Jones hoping to bury the hatchet with Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones has had a rivalry with Daniel Cormier that dates back nearly a decade and has continued into the latter's retirement. 'Bones' revealed that he is hopeful the two can end their feud during Thursday's UFC 309 press conference, stating:
"Yeah, I would love to bury that hatchet with DC. You know, literally every time I see him, I try to give him a smile, I try to give him a handshake and I don't think - I just recently found out he doesn't like that very much. So, I think I'll just give him a little friendly wave from a distance from now on. That's all over for me a long time ago. I'm sure there's a lot of guys, a lot of former opponents, that really don't like me and that's just part of doing what I do."
Check out Jon Jones' comments on attempting to bury the hatchet with Daniel Cormier below:
Cormier has shared that he has no interest in burying the hatchet with Jones. The two shared the octagon twice - at UFC 182 in 2015 and UFC 214 in 2017. 'Bones' won the first bout via unanimous decision before picking up a third-round head kick knockout in the rematch. The latter result, however, was later overturned to a no contest.