Dana White believes Jon Jones is the greatest P4P fighter on the planet and we don’t recommend you try to tell him otherwise.
Following Saturday’s stellar UFC 303 card in Las Vegas, White got into a heated debate with combat sports journalist Kevin Iole regarding whether or not ‘Bones’ belongs at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings even though he hasn’t fought in over a year.
Dana White got into a HEATED debate with a reporter on whether or not Jon Jones is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world
@ufc #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/mdy1jPfFpJ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 30, 2024
“Listen to me. I’m not defending Jon Jones,” White said during the post-fight press conference. “He’s been one of my biggest f*cking headaches the entire time I’ve been in this company. The guy hasn’t been the model fighter in the company. No matter what you think of Jon Jones, he’s the f*cking best ever. He’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.”
Iole, on the other hand, believes that Jon Jones should be exempt from P4P honors due to his recent activity. However, White was quick to point out that ‘Bones’ isn’t sitting on the sidelines by choice. He was injured in October and forced to undergo surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle weeks before his previously scheduled scrap with two-time heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic.
“If you were coming into a fight and you f*cking got hurt, that means you’re not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world anymore? How does that even make sense? That doesn’t make sense,” White continued. “If he was sitting out, f*cking getting arrested, running around, and whatever, you’d say, ‘Well, Jon Jones is inactive’ and I’d say maybe you’re right.
“As an educated adult who knows the fight business, you cannot deny that while Jon Jones is active, he is the greatest fighter in the world. I don’t know what you’re arguing about here. I don’t know how we’re in this conversation.”
Jon Jones’ resume speaks for itself
As it stands, Jon Jones is listed as the No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, one spot behind reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. But when it comes to the all-time list, you’re unlikely to find anyone with the resume and longevity of the former light heavyweight and reigning undisputed heavyweight king.
Dominating the competition at 205 for more than a decade, ‘Bones’ has bested a who’s who of light heavyweight legends, including Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier.
In May 2023, Jones returned to the Octagon for the first time in three years and quickly dispatched Ciryl Gane in the opening round to claim the vacant heavyweight title, securing his legacy as a two-division champion. Bones’ is expected to step back inside the cage later this year for his long-awaited scrap with consensus heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic.
When and where that takes place is yet to be announced, but all signs point toward the two headlining the promotion’s annual pit stop at MSG in November.
Until then, look back at some of Jon Jones’ greatest highlights below: