Jon Jones successfully defended his heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309. Now, the debate rages on as to his place in the pound-for-pound rankings. But “Bones” is putting some meat into his legacy. Now, “Jonny Meat” even ranks among sporting greats like Lionel Messi and Muhammad Ali. While he is taking the gags in, this particular comparison has him humbled.
Following his UFC 309 title defense, Jones reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Sportsnet/USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie Men’s Pound-for-Pound rankings and other such outlets. An AI-generated list of the top 10 sports stars of all time even grouped him up with giants like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and Lionel Messi. The fighter weighed in on the matter:
Just the thought of being mentioned alongside of these great athletes makes me happy. AI generated or not.
Jon Jones via X (@JonnyBones)
The linking to Cassius Clay – often called “The Greatest” – is not far off. Jones himself is arguably a GOAT and now 2-0 at heavyweight. Any comparison with Argentine legend Messi is naturally humbling. With how much Jones has contributed to the sport in light heavyweight and above, some even bill him the MMA Jordan. Others have snubbed him the rank due to his checkered past with lawful run-ins and DUIs.
Just the thought of being mentioned alongside of these great athletes makes me happy. AI generated or not. 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/cApIVmXIHf
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) November 18, 2024
But the UFC superstar was happy to be included in the AI’s list of the sport’s greatest. One does not easily disregard a spot with Muhammad Ali, Pele, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, and LeBron James. As for the actual weekly pound-for-pound rankings update, he moved back into the #2 spot above Alex Pereira. But his “undisputed” GOAT status still remain more than a bit disputed.
Michael Bisping highlights issue with Jon Jones using Jake Paul as example
Michael Bisping is not a fan of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ mentality. It’s no “Area 51” secret that Bisping has isseus with Youtuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul. He has often dubbed Paul’s eight-round boxing match with Mike Tyson as “elderly abuse.” It’s also no secret that the godfather of British MMA has a certain liking for Tom Aspinall. Now, he uses one parameter to expand on the other.
Jon Jones still “disputed” GOAT after UFC 309 (Source: X)Jon Jones further dismissed interim champion Tom Aspinall following the UFC 309 PPV. He expressed only wanting to fight Pereira in his next fight. Jones later said he’d need “f*ck you” money to fight, but Bisping has a problem with “Bones” seeking an easier stylistic matchup. He uses Paul (11-1, 7 KO) as example, who is coming of a weird lopsided beatdown of a 58-year-old.
My only issue is as a man, as a fighter, is him saying he doesn’t have this obligation to fight these young up-and-coming, hungry, dangerous guys that have an ability to beat him, …That’s what my problem is with Jake Paul! Fighting guys that [Jones] knows he can beat – Alex Pereira, he has a very blatantly obvious path to victory. He just took down Stipe. He took down Ciryl Gane…Would he be able to take down Tom? That’s the question.
Michael Bisping via his “Believe You Me” Podcast 611 (@bispingpodcast)
Bisping liked Jones’ performance against Miocic, which saw him land a huge takedown in the first round, and use brutal ground-and-pound. He also won the vacant gold with a R1 submission in March of 2023. So against strike-heavy Pereira, that would be a clear advantage in the bag.
Meanwhile, Aspinall is a BJJ Black Belt who even Islam Makhachev judges worthy of his mettle. While strike-heavy, Aspinall has shown he can just as easily submit people. Now, Bisping says the GOAT would be no different than Paul if he chooses the easy path towards ‘Poatan’.
