Who is the top pound-for-pound fighter in all of mixed martial arts (MMA)?
According to the official rankings (see them here), former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is numero uno, with longtime 125-pound kingpin Demetrious Johnson hot on his tail at No. 2. Sitting at No. 3 is featherweight titleholder Conor McGregor.
But that list is out of order, according to the “Notorious” UFC 196 headliner, who faces Nate Diaz this Saturday night (March 5, 2016) inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (details), because Jones in particular doesn’t take any risks.
From FOX Sports:
“He’s not,” McGregor responded when asked if Jones is the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA. “I’m No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and maybe Jon and ‘Mighty Mouse’ (Demetrious Johnson) is 10. That’s what I feel.”
“Fabricio pulled out and threw cards down the water. Jon pulled out and threw cards down the water,” McGregor said.
“Nobody was willing to step up or down. You play it safe. You don’t take risks. You won’t go all the way. I get in, I take risks and that’s why I go all the way.”
Jones murdered turned down a short-notice opponent for UFC 151.
McGregor, on the other hand, has now taken two fights at the last minute. In addition to Diaz stepping in for the injured Rafael dos Anjos, “Notorious” welcomed Chad Mendes to the UFC 189 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last July in “Sin City.”
Does that make him better than Jones, who from 2011-12 defeated five straight former champions?
You decide.