Dana White has hailed Jon Jones as the best fighter of all time.
The two-weight UFC champion is widely regarded as the greatest ever when it comes to MMA, but White took his praise to the next level on Saturday night.
The MMA mogul was fielding questions from the media following Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title fight win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey.
Although he was impressed by Makhachev’s performance, White angrily protested the idea that he is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
The UFC CEO insisted that the accolade belongs to Jones, who he regards as the best fighter of all time across all combat sports.
“Jon Jones beat everybody at light-heavyweight and then beat the best heavyweight in the division like it was nothing,” White said.
“Jon Jones is absolutely positively the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and probably the greatest fighter of all time in any sport.
“When you talk about who is the baddest dude in the world, you put two guys in a room and who walks out, Jon Jones walks out of the room every f****** time. No question about it.”
White’s comments are unlikely to sit well with boxing fans, who rank Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and countless other ring legends ahead of ‘Bones’.
The 54-year-old doubled down on his claim about Jones by comparing him to Ali, who was exiled for three years because he refused to fight in the Vietnam War.
Jones’ self-imposed three-year layoff ended with a 124-second submission win over Ciryl Gane in March 2023.
White added: “Three years off, nobody, not even Ali, nobody has ever come from three years off and looked the same
“Jon Jones walked through the number one guy in the heavyweight division like it was nothing with three years off.
“Jon Jones is the best ever. Ever! And when I say ever, I mean in any combat sport, he’s the best ever.
“You throw Jon Jones into a room with anybody, Jon comes out of the room.”
Jones picked up a bicep injury in November and hasn’t fought since beating Gane.
A fight with former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has been booked for some time, and it’s now just a matter of waiting for White to confirm a date for the clash.
Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is waiting in the wings for the winner, but Jones has repeatedly distanced himself from a scrap with Tyson Fury’s former training partner.
Whatever happens, Jones’ legendary legacy is already secure with MMA fans and White, who is clearly passionate about his heavyweight champion’s position in the fight world.
News Summary:
- Dana White compares Jon Jones to Muhammad Ali as he snubs boxers to name UFC star the greatest fighter ever
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