When it comes to modern-day mixed martial arts, UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes Jon Jones is the greatest.
Debating who belongs at the top of MMA’s pound-for-pound list has never been GSP’s forte. ‘Rush’ insists that the world’s greatest combat sports athlete likely hasn’t even been born yet, but when picking from today’s crop of MMA icons, St-Pierre is adamant that there is no one who does it better than the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight world champion.
“In terms of where we are now, I think it’s hard to find someone better than Jon Jones,” St-Pierre told Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “Jon Jones is so good. Jon Jones is extremely talented, but he’s also extremely tough. People have no idea how tough he is. I’ve trained with him, I’ve seen him going through the grind. He’s so freaking tough. I remember the fight that he had with Vitor Belfort, I think his arm got dislocated, and he fought even with a dislocated arm. Even one of his fights, his toe was broken.
“Most of the time when you have a guy that is very talented, it doesn’t come with toughness. Jon Jones is the full package. He’s got everything. Elite striker, elite grappler, [and] he’s good everywhere. Of course, there’s things that people will say, ‘He did this, he did that,’ but in terms of who’s the best, he came back, beat Ciryl Gane the way he did. It’s hard to have an argument.”
Jon Jones’ meteoric rise to the top
Since making his MMA debut in 2008, Jon Jones is essentially undefeated with his lone loss coming against Matt Hamill after being disqualified for illegal elbows. Winning the light heavyweight title at UFC 128, ‘Bones’ defended the belt against a crop of MMA legends, including Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, and Alexander Gustafsson. After amassing 11 defenses over two separate reigns, Jones vacated the title in 2020 and announced his inevitable transition to heavyweight.
Fans would have to wait more than three years to see Jones step back inside the Octagon, returning at UFC 285 to challenge Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight strap. It only took ‘Bones’ 124 seconds to submit ‘Bon Gamin’ to add another world title to his collection.
Jones was scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic in November, but after suffering a pectoral tear weeks ahead of fight night, ‘Bones’ was forced to bow out of the bout. No official announcement has been made regarding his return, but UFC CEO Dana White is holding out hope that Jones vs. Miocic will go down sometime this summer.
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