- Dana White insists Islam Makhachev is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world as that title belongs to Jon Jones
- “Bones” and Islam reacted to the UFC boss’s claim
UFC president Dana White was impressed of Islam Makhachev but he couldn’t say he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter as long as Jon Jones is here.
It’s Jones
Speaking to reporters in his post-UFC 302 presser, White elaborated on his take that no matter what people say about Makhachev, “Bones” is and will always be the real pound-for-pound king. For the UFC boss, Jones has proven that nobody could beat him and that solidifies his case as the No. 1 pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world or maybe even as the MMA GOAT.
“I think he’s one of the greatest of all-time,” White said of Makhachev. “I think he’s incredible. I don’t think he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. For anyone to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f**king fighting is nuts, and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound, or doing any of the f**king rankings ever. If that’s what you really think.
“Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever,” White pointed out. “He’s fought all the baddest dudes in the world, and then when you think about what pound-for-pound rankings really mean, he moved up to heavyweight and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active and in the rankings, nobody [else] is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world.”
“When you think about what pound-for-pound really means, he [Makhachev] fought [Alexander] Volkanovski, who’s a weight class lower than him. Jon Jones beat everybody at light heavyweight then beat the best heavyweight in the division like it was nothing at a higher weight class,” he argued
“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’s the baddest dude in the world, you put two guys in a row and who walks out? Jon Jones walks out of the f*cking room every time. No question about it,” he added.
Jones thinks the boss was on point
As expected, White’s comments did not go unnoticed. Jones quickly shared his thoughts on the subject on social media.
“It felt awesome to get that level of recognition from the boss, the man that’s literally been here since UFC 1,” Jones wrote on X. “I know the haters are not gonna like his comments but Dana’s a pretty hard person to argue with. Dana White has had a front row seat to my entire career, facts are facts.”
It felt awesome to get that level of recognition from the boss, the man that’s literally been here since UFC 1. I know the haters are not gonna like his comments but Dana’s a pretty hard person to argue with. @danawhite has had a front row seat to my entire career, facts are…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) June 2, 2024
On the other hand, Makhachev already expressed his dismay after being ranked No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings. This time, the lightweight champ was unsurprisingly not bothered by what White thinks about him and Jones.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s just his opinion but I think I saved this card today because all these fights [were] boring. All of the arena almost sleep. We showed with Dustin a great performance,” Makhachev in the debate.
Islam Makhachev reacts to Dana White’s comments saying he shouldn’t be the pound-for-pound #1 fighter:
“I don’t know, maybe it’s his opinion. But I think I saved this card today because all these fights boring, and all the arena almost sleep.”#UFC302 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/OjpCoxxkXj
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 2, 2024
Makhachev submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 to retain his lightweight title. As it stands, Makhachev now has three successful title defenses to his name. Jones, meanwhile, already has 13 title defenses on his resume. That said, maybe the UFC boss was right about the pound-for-pound No. 1.
Watch White’s full interview below:
