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Tag: Jon Jones

  • Fernand Lopez: Gane Is Ready To Take Jones If Ngannou Isn’t

    Ciryl Gane is willing to welcome Jon Jones to the heavyweight division.

    Although the heavyweight championship belt did not change hands at UFC 270, challenger Ciryl Gane is not discouraged. He is still a force to be reckoned with in the division, and with some uncertainty looming with champion Francis Ngannou in both health and contract, Gane is willing to step into the big opportunities.

    Ngannou might be out of competition for an extended period of time. The champ needs surgery following his win over Gane. This fact, paired with the unstable relationship he has with the UFC, could put his future in the organization in jeopardy. This is where Gane can step up. He was the interim champion and still the number one contender. If the UFC needs a big fight while Ngannou is out it could be Gane vs. Jon Jones.

    Jones has been teasing a move to heavyweight for over a year. He too has been having some contract trouble along with some personal issues throughout his transition. However, Jones will most likely be making his heavyweight debut in the near future and Gane could be the man to welcome him according to his coach.

    “If they (the UFC) solve the problem with Francis, what they would like to do, what everyone would like to have, is Jon Jones vs. Francis,” Gane’s coach Fernand Lopez told MMA Fighting. “I’m realistic, Jon Jones is number one. This is how it works, it’s a business… If that does not happen, and they have any issues having Francis onboard in the company, then obviously, we are ready to take Jon Jones.”

    It may be unlikely to see Jones come to the heavyweight division and fight for anything less than a title fight. Ngannou may be out for a while and the UFC could easily strip him or create another interim title. If either of these options were to happen, Gane vs. Jones could be a perfect fit.

    Do you want to see Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones in the heavyweight division?

  • Dominick Reyes Fires A Shot At Jon Jones After UFC 270 Comments

    Dominick Reyes took a shot at former champion Jon Jones on social media.

    It has been a while since Dominick Reyes has made any noise. Reyes is one of the more quiet fighters on the UFC roster. He doesn’t engage in a lot of trash-talking, but when he does, it is usually pointed at Jon Jones.

    Reyes and Jones have a history together. They fought back in Feb. of 2020 when Jones defeated him via a narrow split decision. Since then, Reyes has occasionally been commenting on Jones’ behavior. He did so recently again on a post made by ESPN.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZEBhTBLDtB/

    “Poor guy. At the end of the day, he’s home alone in the basement writing mean messages. Get better bro,” Reyes commented on a picture of Jones saying he would defeat both Ngannou and Gane following UFC 270.

    Jones has not fought in the UFC since his bout against Reyes. Since then he has relinquished his light heavyweight title and made the decision to move to heavyweight. Jones then was involved with some negotiation disputes with the UFC and some legal trouble as well.

    He has not set a date for his UFC heavyweight debut but has been increasingly present on social media calling out Ngannou. Most recently, Jones criticized the performances of Ngannou and Gane at UFC 270, which is what prompted these posts from Reyes.

    When Reyes was questioned by another commenter about his remarks, he responded.

    “Just pointing out literal facts,” he wrote (via Sportskeeda). “We all had a great time at the fights and homeboy is tweeting mean stuff before the belts wrapped around the winner… Don’t get it twisted, I do truly want to see him get better. I wish harm on no man.”

    Reyes has been unsuccessful in his last three UFC outings. He lost his title shot against Jones, then another title shot against Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title. Most recently he was defeated by title challenger Jiri Procházka. Reyes does not currently have a fight lined up at this time. He is still sitting in the #7 spot in the rankings. With a few wins, he could be right back at the top challenging for the title again.

    Do you think Dominick Reyes was right in his comments towards Jon Jones?

  • Aspinall: Jones’ Heavyweight Transition Will Be Harder Than People Think

    UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall doesn’t think it’ll be a walk in the park for Jon Jones in his planned move to heavyweight in 2022.

    Aspinall is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous heavyweight contenders in the UFC. After seven-straight wins, he’ll get a main event slot against Alexander Volkov on the upcoming UFC London card in March.

    Jones is expected to make his return to the Octagon in 2022 at heavyweight, but it’s unclear if he’ll face heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next. He’s been sidelined for nearly two years amidst an ongoing contract dispute with the UFC, in addition to his preparation for the move up in weight.

    During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall opined on who would win in a matchup between Ngannou and Jones.

    “Ngannou… I think the big jump between (light heavyweight and heavyweight), him (Jones) carrying an extra 30, 40, 50 pounds, whatever he’s put on, that’s very difficult man, that’s very difficult,” Aspinall said. “That’s a lot of weight to carry around with you that you’re not used to before. Then you’ve got to fight a guy who’s naturally that weight. So, I think it’s gonna be a lot more difficult than a lot of people think. But obviously, Jones is much more skilled than Ngannou, so I don’t know. But I think Ngannou just looks unstoppable at the moment.”

    Depending on how his fight with Volkov plays out, Aspinall and Jones could be on a collision course soon. The heavyweight title picture is a bit uncertain as Ngannou continues to quarrel with the UFC brass.

    Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title following his win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Reyes and Jan Blachowicz would go on to fight for the vacant belt just months later.

    UFC President Dana White has remained cautiously optimistic about Jones challenging for the heavyweight title next.

    As the UFC faithful continues to wait for Jones’ return to the cage, speculation continues to grow as to how he’ll do at heavyweight. Aspinall may not be alone in his reservations of Jones’ planned move to challenge for heavyweight gold.

    Do you agree with Tom Aspinall’s comments on Jon Jones?

  • Chael Sonnen Has All Misdemeanor Battery Charges Dismissed

    Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen had all charges dismissed after an alleged hotel brawl in Las Vegas last month.

    TMZ Sports was among the first to report the initial news of the charges. Sonnen was given five misdemeanor battery charges after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with a couple at the Four Seasons hotel.

    According to witnesses, Sonnen was seen banging on a hotel room door just after 7 p.m. on Saturday. A man opened the door and confronted Sonnen, who then engaged him in a brawl in the hotel. A woman was heard screaming and pleading for help, but it’s unclear if she was also involved in the altercation.

    Las Vegas police and local paramedics quickly responded to the scene, escorting Sonnen away in handcuffs. It’s unclear if anyone was treated for injuries when authorities arrived.

    It’s also unknown what led up to the altercation between Sonnen and the unidentified man. ESPN was the first to report the news of the charges being dismissed without prejudice, meaning the charges could still be re-filed in the future.

    Jon Jones & Brendan Schaub Reacted To Chael Sonnen’s Incident

    Following the initial news of Sonnen’s brush with the law, Jon Jones took to social media to address his old rival in a series of tweets. Jones had been arrested for battery in Las Vegas last year after allegedly assaulting his fiancée at Caesar’s Palace. Sonnen voiced his opinion on that matter, which predictably may have rubbed Jones the wrong way.

    “Chael Sonnen, I’m not gonna sit here and celebrate you getting battery charges against a female last night,” Jones said. “That would make me like you, and I’m nothing like you. Instead, I will wish your family well, I wish the victim’s family well.

    “It’s funny how the people who criticize and judge you the most have some of the nastiest things in their closet. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You’ll get no stones from me, good luck.”

    Despite Jones’ tweets, there was never any confirmation that the woman was assaulted by Sonnen or if it was solely the male in question.

    Brendan Schaub recently shared his uncorroborated version of events, which is that Sonnen was defending his wife from the harassment of several men. Schaub also blasted Jones’ remarks on the incident.

    Sonnen and Jones have been on each other’s nerves for years. Their history together began with the two coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite one another and competing at UFC 159. Jones would win the bout via first-round TKO.

    Things have progressively gotten more heated between the two UFC legends over the past few years, with Jones and Sonnen poking at each other on social media and Jones shunning Sonnen in an ESPN interview following UFC 232 in 2018.

  • Daniel Cormier To Jon Jones: “When Are You Going To Fight?”

    Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has encouraged Jon Jones to return to fighting before talking down the quality of the heavyweight division.

    Among the abundance of stories and narratives heading into the unification showdown between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last weekend was the future of Jones. In the minds of many, despite the hesitance of Dana White to confirm it, the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s return would come against whoever emerged victoriously.

    With Ngannou defying the odds to retain his belt, a clash between “The Predator” and the divisional newcomer appears to be back on the cards, should Ngannou and the UFC’s contractual dispute be settled in the coming months, something that is looking increasingly unlikely.

    But while many were impressed with Ngannou’s development in the wrestling department and his ability to turn the tide in the fight by incorporating takedowns and grappling, one man was licking his lips at the prospect of a title in a second weight class.

    In one tweet, Jones suggested he was excited about his chances when he makes his long-awaited move to the division having witnessed the “apex of heavyweight fighting.”

    “If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break.”

    Cormier Criticizes Jones For “Judging” Instead Of Fighting

    Cormier, Jones’ former arch-rival, has previously expressed his bleak outlook on the GOAT contender’s future at heavyweight. But while he and “Bones” may disagree with the two-time 205-pound champ’s chances in the heaviest weight class, “DC” has reminded him that we’ll never know if he doesn’t actually fight.

    Echoing a recent sentiment shared by his fellow color commentator Michael Bisping, in which “The Count” told Jones to, “Stop tweeting and start fighting,” Cormier suggested the 34-year-old should reserve himself from judging either Ngannou or Gane’s performance at UFC 270 when they’re actually entering the Octagon to compete.

    “For me, it’s about Jon Jones needs to fight, right? At some point you gotta fight,” said Cormier during a recent episode of DC & RC. “It’s one thing to be the champion, defending, fighting… even when him and I were going through our thing, he would get suspended, but then he would come back and he would fight, even if that meant fighting Ovince Saint Preux when I was hurt. But ultimately, he was fighting.

    “Right now, he’s just talking. It’s like, he’s just talking RC? When are you going to fight?” Cormier added. “Because for as bad as it was, Francis had a torn meniscus, Francis was hurt, Francis had a bad training camp, all these thing; Francis still fought. So you can say, ‘They’re not that good,’ but ultimately, they’re still in there doing their thing.

    “Why aren’t you in there doing your thing? You are one of the most talented mixed martial artists of all time, why aren’t you in there doing your thing against these guys, as opposed to judging them?”

    Despite having not fought since February 2020, Jones’ comments on social media and frequent updates on his weight transformation ahead of a desired heavyweight switch suggest he is still committed to making a push for a second divisional UFC belt.

    With Ngannou’s future firmly up in the air, it remains to be seen who Jones must go through to achieve his goal. One thing that is certain, though, as Cormier pointed out, is he has to fight somebody soon if he’s to back up his talk on social media.

    Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s take on Jon Jones’ reaction to UFC 270?

  • Dan Hooker: People Defending Jon Jones Are F*cking Idiots

    Dan Hooker has stood by the comments he directed at Jon Jones, and suggested those who defend the former UFC light heavyweight champion are “f”cking idiots.”

    In one of the more unlikely social media feuds in recent times, Hooker, a UFC veteran who will be returning to featherweight from lightweight at UFC London on March 19, took aim at the recent discretions of two-time 205-pound king and GOAT contender Jones.

    During his ongoing period of inactivity, which came after he vacated the light heavyweight title to pursue a move up to heavyweight, Jones found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons yet again. Just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing last September, “Bones” was arrested for battery domestic violence.

    In the days and weeks that followed, a host of names and personalities, including Anthony Smith, Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen, and Brendan Schaub publicly spoke out about Jones’ latest run-in with the law. In December, it was “The Hangman” who took aim.

    After Jones appeared to mock Chael Sonnen’s December arrest and compared it to his own, Hooker defended the former two-division UFC title challenger and, in doing so, slammed Jones’ September incident.

    In response to Hooker’s remarks, Jones suggested the New Zealander was only getting vocal because he was jealous of the former light heavyweight titleholder’s success.

    “@danthehangman, every opportunity you’ve had to make a name for yourself and be closer to your boy Izzy, you dropped the ball. You can’t achieve greatness, so you hop online and attack someone who has. Sounds about right.”

    Not one to back down, Hooker turned the attention back to Jones’ domestic violence charge.

    Hooker: “I Said What I Said & I Stand By It”

    After going back-and-forth with Jones on social media, Hooker appeared to have the last laugh after “Bones” deleted his post. Now, in an interview with John Hyon Ko for The AllStar, “The Hangman” has looked back on his interaction with his UFC peer.

    Hooker’s takeaway from the incident? Don’t come for him when he’s at least two beers deep on Christmas Day.

    “It is what it is. It’s the internet. Brendan Schaub was right, he’s not wrong. I feel like he (Jones) definitely didn’t receive a lot of criticism for the things he’s definitely done,” said Hooker. “But it wasn’t really until he bit back at me… I didn’t tag him in it or anything like that, then he decides Christmas Day to tag me in. Dan Hangman was drinking some beers on Christmas Day. It’s a bad day to come at me on Twitter. If I’ve had a couple beers, it’s a bad day to come at me because I’m gonna shoot back, and I’m not gonna bite my tongue as most people would.”

    Ultimately, Hooker said he completely stands by his words, and while an official fight with Jones wouldn’t make sense, the fan-favorite New Zealander says he’d be open to a car park scrap if Jones still harbors ill will towards him, something he’d never back down from after criticizing someone publicly.

    “I said what I said and I stand by it. I would never say anything about someone or to someone and not give them the opportunity to not punch me in the face,” added Hooker. “Do I have any kind of malice or ill will towards Jon Jones? Definitely not, I don’t spend any time thinking about Jon Jones, I couldn’t care less about Jon Jones. Would we have a fight? No, the fight would never make sense. Would I fight him in the car park? If he had a problem with me, of course, I would oblige.

    Dan Hooker, Jon Jones
    Dan Hooker, Jon Jones

    “I would never insult someone and not give them the opportunity to punch me in the face. That’s an entirely different discussion. But do I have any ill will towards Jon Jones? Nah, definitely not.”

    Discussing how the exchange came about, Hooker said he was compelled to defend his “mentor” and “good guy” Sonnen after Jones attempted to group the retired fighter’s arrest, which seemingly came after he attempted to defend his wife, with his domestic violence charge.

    “I don’t know too much about Jon Jones, you can only see what he’s done… It was more that Chael Sonnen’s my guy. That’s my guy. I view Chael as a mentor… He’s a good dude, he’s a great guy,” Hooker continued. “As Brendan Schaub said, those are two entirely different situations, and the way that Jon tried to portray it with Chael was that they were similar. He goes out his way to share the thing of Chael getting arrested.

    “He’s trying to compare them but, there’s like, a definite line. To me, defending your wife from people insulting her is one of the most honorable things you could possibly do. And then to put hands on your wife is one of the most terrible things. This is just my viewpoint.”

    In Hooker’s mind, the sides of the coin are simple; either you’re against domestic violence in all forms or you think it’s fine as long as the attacker is good at a sport. For “The Hangman,” those who follow the latter mindset are “f*cking idiots.”

    “As far as I’m concerned from what I said, there’s like, only two arguments. that come to it, it’s people that think it’s not okay to physically abuse your spouse, and then the other side of it is people that think it’s okay if you’re really good at a sport. Those people are, excuse my French, those people are f*cking idiots, like, those people are just young and immature and not up to scratch. It’s just not okay… There’s no possible way you could convince me there’s any kind of exception,” concluded Hooker.

    With his social media fight versus Jones now behind him, Hooker will turn his attention to his return to the Octagon. He’ll hope to push back towards contention when he moves down to 145 pounds to face Arnold Allen.

    While his toughness and willingness to trade blows inside the cage have always been clear, the New Zealand brawler is evidently not afraid to bite back at his fellow fighters on Twitter when he thinks they’re in the wrong.

    Do you agree with Dan Hooker’s take?

  • Post-UFC 270, Jon Jones More Confident Than Ever About His 2022 Goal

    Jon Jones is teeming with confidence after taking in the UFC 270 main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.

    For months, Jon Jones has not wavered about his decision to finally make the move up to heavyweight and vie for the division’s world title. After an inactive 2021 with another arrest controversy, Jones’ future in the sport was once again subject to speculation.

    Heading into 2022, however, Jones let it be known that his professional focus remained steady despite his ever-turbulent personal life.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhOaYSvHgQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=312b1750-7a3b-413c-9a1a-fe0d2bae16c6

    “I said I’ll be the champion in 2022, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I feel like I’m jumping up three weight classes, going from competing at 205 pounds to 265 pounds is no easy task. Nothing great happened overnight, I’m patient and I’m working my ass off every day towards my goals,” Jones posted last month.

    Of course, heading into this past weekend, the entire world was waiting with bated breath to see what would happen when the Ford Escort power of Francis Ngannou crossed paths with the new-wave heavyweight that is Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

    Jones was expectedly chief among those interested. In fact, Jones himself took to social media to express just how closely he’d be watching the highly anticipated heavyweight clash.

    “Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down,” Jones responded when asked to give his official prediction for the UFC 270 main event.

    Jon Jones Shares Post-Fight Reaction To UFC 270 Main Event

    The main event went down at UFC 270, and as Ngannou hinted, it was indeed a surprising one for many fans. The outcome was so surprising that the oddsmakers had it listed as +1200, meaning that those who bet $100 on a Ngannou decision victory took home $1,200.

    As for Jon Jones, he derived something even more valuable from the main event than cash: a new level of confidence ahead of his anticipated heavyweight debut later this year.

    “If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break,” Jones posted.

    “I love how everyone gets so impressed with the new guy lol,” Jones’ main event commentary began in an apparent reference to Ciryl Gane.

    “Lol Shit I may just enjoy retirement,” Jones posted in a cryptic tweet before letting his confidence be known in his follow-up tweets:

    “Lol stay humble? Sure I’ll stay humble, sleeping like a baby tonight. People talk so much shit, have no clue what it takes.”

    “At the end of the day, I’m fucking them both up,” Jones concluded in a since-deleted tweet.

    As of now, it is still unconfirmed if Jones will be next in line for Francis Ngannou or even if he will compete at all this year. Not unlike Ngannou, Jones has been in sterile contract negotiations with the UFC, thus his future in the promotion remains uncertain.

    In fact, White himself stated as recently as last week that he was uncomfortable to say with certainty that Jones is next in line for a title shot due to him not being sure of what Jones will decide to do. All things considered, 2022 may be the one year where the heavyweight drama outside of the cage is more impactful than the heavy blows dealt on the inside.

    MMA News will keep you posted on the latest developments of what is next for the biggest players of the division and the landscape of the world title picture.

    After watching UFC 270, who do you think would win between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones?

  • Archives: Gane Wants To Fight Jon Jones Because He’s “The GOAT” (2021)

    Last year, Ciryl Gane explained why he would love a fight against Jon Jones. If Jones makes his heavyweight debut on schedule and Gane is victorious tonight at UFC 270, then there is nothing theoretically preventing that fight from happening.

    The following article is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 30, 2021, 11:00 AM]

    Headline: Ciryl Gane Wants To Fight Jon Jones Because He’s “The GOAT”

    Author: Cole Shelton

    Ciryl Gane says Jon Jones is the best MMA fighter of all time and wants to fight him down the line.

    Jones, the former longtime UFC light heavyweight champ, has been bulking up for a move to heavyweight. The plan was to face Francis Ngannou, but that hasn’t come to fruition yet. Nevertheless, he still plans to move up to heavyweight, and Gane says he would love for the chance to fight him down the line.

    “Yes of course, of course. A lot of people talk about this fight because I am a technical fighter and he is, too, a technical fighter, so the people like to say, ‘Yeah, this is a good matchup.’ So yes, I’m really excited about that because Jon Jones is the GOAT and everybody knows that. So wow,” Gane said to TMZ Sports (h/t BJPENN.com).

    “I think it’s a good move for him (going to heavyweight), of course. He can make a lot of money with it,” Gane continued. “He did a lot at light heavyweight, so I understand his move to the heavyweight division, he wants to prove something. But yes, of course, there are a lot of people in this division waiting for the title shot, so every time people say ‘Jon Jones, Jon Jones,’ but we are here, too.”

    Ciryl Gane
    Image Credit: UFC’s YouTube

    Although Gane says he wants to face Jones down the line, he will make a quick turnaround and face Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 for the interim heavyweight title. The 9-0 fighter is coming off a decision win over Alexander Volkov and just three years into his career gets to fight for UFC gold.

    Should Gane beat Lewis, he will get a title shot against Ngannou, and if he wins that, a scrap against Jones does make a ton of sense. Whether or not that will happen is to be seen.

    Would you like to see Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones?

  • Dana White Doesn’t Feel Confident Saying Jon Jones Is Next For HW Title

    UFC President Dana White does not yet feel confident in confirming whether or not former 205-pound king Jon Jones will fight for the heavyweight title next.

    Jones, who is widely considered the leading contender for GOAT status in the UFC, hasn’t been in action since February 2020. After returning to the Octagon in 2018 and regaining the light heavyweight title, “Bones” defended the gold three times against Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes.

    After a tight decision victory over “The Devastator,” a result many believe should have gone the other way, Jones believed he’d exhausted all of his challengers at 205 pounds and had pretty much cleared out the division. With that in mind, he vacated the title and announced his intention to pursue championship glory at a new weight.

    But his much-awaited heavyweight debut is yet to arrive. After a blockbuster showdown with champion Francis Ngannou fell through due to a public pay dispute with White and the UFC, Jones sat out the entirety of 2021.

    In the meantime, fans have seen glimpses of the Albuquerque resident’s transformation through gym pictures and training footage he’s uploaded to Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhOaYSvHgQ/

    White: I Don’t Know What Jones Wants To Do Next

    Despite his long layoff, Jones’ social media posts, and a recent stint training at Fight Ready with former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, suggest the 34-year-old is eager to make his comeback.

    Given some previous interviews and a tweet that read, “Champion 2022,” many expect Jones to challenge either Ngannou or Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight belt later this year. “The Predator” and “Bon Gamin” are set to square off this weekend in an intriguing unification clash.

    In an interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Dana White suggested Jones will be watching this Saturday’s UFC 270 main event closely from home and expects him to make a statement of intent on social media following its culmination.

    “He’s absolutely sitting back at home and watching, and seeing how this plays out,” White said. “I think as soon as this fight is over, either way, however, the fight ends, whoever wins will probably hear from him on social media. He might even hear from him during the fight, who knows?”

    However, when asked if Jones is likely to be next for whoever emerges as the undisputed titleholder, White said he’s not yet confident enough to confirm that. In his mind, Jones’ future and next step is yet to be decided, and we could even still see the veteran return to his old stomping ground of light heavyweight.

    “Yeah, I don’t feel confident saying that Jon Jones is next,” White added. “Not because I think he’s unreliable. It’s because I honestly don’t know what Jon Jones wants to do next. I think Jon’s gonna watch this fight and, you know, he’ll decide, maybe he doesn’t fight at heavyweight, maybe he goes back and tries to regain the light heavyweight championship. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CY4baMPNZ1z/

    With the UFC’s opening pay-per-view main event of the year already boasting a host of intriguing storyline heading into it, the idea of Jones waiting in the wings for the victor is another facet to a compelling heavyweight title fight.

    Would you like to see Jon Jones face the winner of this weekend’s UFC 270 main event later in the year?

  • Gane Believes A Fight With ‘Inspiration’ Jones Could Happen Win Or Lose

    Ciryl Gane is looking towards a heavyweight legend next, win or lose at UFC 270.

    UFC 270 goes down in Las Vegas on Saturday night and the main event will crown the undisputed heavyweight champion. While interim champion Ciryl Gane has his hands full taking on Francis Ngannou, he can’t help but look to another fight. Gane believes that with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones targeting a move to heavyweight, the two will eventually meet.

    Jones could be next for a title shot following UFC 270, but a win for Gane is not the only scenario where he sees the two of them opposite the Octagon from each other. Gane believes he will see Jones one way or another.

    “Even if I lose, I think this fight can happen because a lot of fans and media talk about this fight because you have a really good matchup,” Gane told GIVEMESPORT.com. “Jon Jones was an inspiration to me when I started my career. Not a hero per se, but a model, and an inspiration as a fighter. Jon Jones is very well-rounded, I want to be this kind of fighter, so yeah I’m very interested in this fight.”

    Although Jones is new to heavyweight, he has been a vet of the light heavyweight division for a long time. He has ruled the 205-pound division since 2011. Gane, on the other hand, only burst onto the UFC scene in 2019 and has quickly made a name for himself. He represents a “new guard” in the organization and he thinks his generation will do great things.

    “I love my generation. I think just behind me there are a lot of future stars. Like, I like to say his name, but Tom Aspinall is a really good fighter.”We have a lot of names when we talk about the new generation just behind me and I think they are the future of the division.”

    Gane is undefeated as a professional and, at only 31 years old, could have a decent amount of time ahead of him at the top. If he becomes the heavyweight champion on Saturday night, he might get the chance he has been waiting for: a fight against Jon Jones. With a long enough run as champ, he could get a chance to face a few vets of the division as well as some up-and-comers.

    Would you rather see Jon Jones face Gane or Ngannou in his divisional debut?

  • Jon Jones Eager To Learn About Gane & Ngannou At UFC 270

    Jon Jones has his eyes on the top names at heavyweight this weekend.

    The former UFC light heavyweight champion mentioned that he will be watching UFC 270 this weekend when heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou faces interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. While he doesn’t have a prediction for this weekend’s fight, Jones says he is looking forward to learning about each fighter.

    Jones hopes to gain knowledge about the two top heavyweights before he debuts in the division later this year.

    “Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight,” he said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. “Going to learn so much about [them] both of them no matter how it goes down.”

    Jones Hopes For Move To Heavyweight

    Jon Jones
    Jon Jones (Image Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

    Jones has long hoped to move up a division and fight at heavyweight in the UFC. He vacated his light heavyweight belt in 2020, citing his intentions to leave the division. Due to his longstanding success at light heavyweight and his level of notoriety in the sport, he would be likely to go straight into the title picture when moving to heavyweight.

    In a recent poll done by TSN reporter Aaron Bronsteter, 73 percent of respondents picked Jon Jones over Stipe Miocic or “Others” facing the winner of Ngannou vs. Gane.

    Jones is recognized by many as one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history. He was the promotion’s 205-pound champ for the better part of a decade, earning the belt in 2011 and holding it for years to come.

    Many recognize Jones as a fighter who has yet to truly be beaten. His sole pro loss came in 2009 when illegal elbows he landed against Matt Hamill caused a disqualification result.

    Would you want Jon Jones to join the title picture when moving up to heavyweight?

  • (Archives) White On Jones’ Rehab Story: The Truth Will Come Out (2015)

    On This Day Seven Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 15, 2015, 1:16 PM]

    Headline: Dana White Says Jon Jones One Day Rehab Story Isn’t True, “The Truth Will Come Out Soon”

    Author: Matt Boone

    Although Jon Jones’ mother, Camille Jones, claimed that her son checked himself out of rehab after only one day, UFC President Dana White says that is “not necessarily the case.”

    White spoke with the Boston Herald this week about the highly publicized story of Jones’ positive test for cocaine and subsequent rehab stint, indicating that there’s more to the story than people might think.

    “When the whole story comes out, people will understand, it will be put into perspective,” said White. “When Jon Jones comes out and does his interview, the truth will come out, and everyone will understand. Or they won’t, you know. Jon is a very polarizing guy, people either love him or they hate him. Either way, the truth will come out soon.”

    White and the UFC have taken some pretty heavy criticism themselves regarding the matter, as many questioned how a failed drug test on December 4th did nothing to prevent a fight between Jones and Daniel Cormier taking place a month later at UFC 182, and how Jones has ultimately seen zero consequences despite the fact that he consumed illegal drugs.

    White was quick to point out that although it’s a serious situation, legally speaking, he and the UFC’s hands were tied.

    “You can bust guys, you can fine guys, but I can’t pull him out of a fight,” said White. “That thing will be in a lawsuit in 3.5 seconds and I’ll lose. So then we don’t have a fight and I’ve still got to pay the money.”

    The UFC boss continued, “When you start talking about cocaine and some of these other drugs, that’s hardcore stuff, man, and that’s when people need help. So I want to know that. I wish I could know what everybody was doing, but you can’t police 567 guys year-round.”

    Jones is rumored to be attending the NFL’s AFC Championship game on Sunday, as both of his brothers will be playing, however, whether or not he breaks his silence once he’s back in the public eye for the first time since all of this has gone down remains to be seen.

  • Bisping Thinks DC’s Assessment Of Jones’ HW Potential May Be Biased

    Daniel Cormier recently suggested Jon Jones can’t defeat Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane, an opinion former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes is wrong.

    Jones has been on the sidelines since he successfully defended the light heavyweight gold against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020. Despite an impressive performance from Reyes, “Bones” was awarded the nod on the scorecards. The win marked his third defense since winning the title for the second time with a win against Alexander Gustafsson in 2018.

    Believing he’d accomplished everything he could at 205 pounds and cleared out the top contenders in the division, Jones sought a fresh challenge: championship glory in a second division. But after a public despite with the UFC over pay, a potential clash with heavyweight champion Ngannou fell through and the GOAT contender was away from the Octagon for the entirety of 2021.

    Nevertheless, Jones’ bulk to heavyweight has been ongoing, and he now looks primed to make his divisional debut this year. In the minds of most, Jones will likely challenge the winner of next weekend’s unification fight between Ngannou and interim titleholder Gane.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhOaYSvHgQ/

    Jones’ former rival Cormier fully expects him to make his first appearance at heavyweight this year and believes he deserves to dictate the weight classes’ title picture. However, “DC” doesn’t expect the former two-time undisputed champ to defeat the elite in the division.

    During a recent episode of his ESPN show DC & RC, the former heavyweight and light heavyweight king, who knows a thing or two about achieving two-division glory, claimed Jones’ layoff would play a major factor in fights against Ngannou and Gane, two names he doesn’t think Jones can beat.

    “I believe that Jon Jones will fight at heavyweight and he’ll fight for the belt, but he’ll lose to Ciryl Gane or Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said. “I just think that the time away, with the weight difference, and those guys being who they are, that’s the problem. It’s not that Jones has gotten worse; it’s just that these guys are a different level of heavyweight.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

    Bisping’s Opinion Differs From His Broadcast Colleague’s

    One man who clearly disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s take is his fellow UFC color commentator Michael Bisping. Responding to the remarks in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, “The Count” suggested Cormier’s comments may have been “skewed” due to his bitter rivalry with Jones.

    “He (Cormier) came out today and made a statement that said, ‘Jon Jones will never become the heavyweight champion…’ I think I gotta disagree with Daniel Cormier here,” said Bisping. “Because he does know him, and because they have that history, and because they don’t like one another, I believe that maybe that’s skewing the judgment of DC just a little bit here.”

    For Bisping, given that Jones is one of the greatest of all time and still under the age of 35, the recent layoff won’t play a massive part in his performances when he returns. Despite admitting the two titleholders at heavyweight are phenomenal fighters, the Englishman doesn’t believe Jones can be counted out given what he’s accomplished in his career to date.

    “We’re talking, regardless of his behaviour outside the Octagon, and regardless of the steroid test… the reality is, if you look at the performances, he’s potentially the greatest of all time,” added Bisping. “He’s beat everybody at their own style. He would make a point of doing that, he would beat them at their very own style. He’s not even 35 yet, so there’s no way he’s going to show up ‘old.’

    “Ciryl Gane is unbelievable, Francis Ngannou is unbelievable, they’re gonna fight next weekend, I don’t know who’s gonna win that fight… But still, Jon Jones is out there. Jon Jones has a resume. Jon Jones is one of the best to ever do it. So to say that he can’t come back after all this time and beat those guys, I don’t think I agree… To say he has no chance, I don’t think that’s right,” concluded Bisping.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXxpEd7j3PX/

    With any luck, Jones’ return will remain on track and either Bisping or Cormier will be proved right in the coming months. No doubt the victor of that debate will be eager to rub it in when they share the commentary desk after Jones’ return.

    Who do you agree with, Michael Bisping or Daniel Cormier?

  • Daniel Cormier Believes Jon Jones Should Dictate HW Title Picture

    Daniel Cormier thinks Jon Jones could be next for the heavyweight title.

    Daniel Cormier knows what it is like to be the UFC heavyweight champion. Now as a retired fighter and UFC analyst, Cormier is on the outside looking in. With a heavyweight championship bout happening in just a few weeks, the future of the division is now a topic of conversation. Cormier believes that the winner between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 will find themselves matched up with Jon Jones next.

    “Honestly, it’s just a matter of when Jones gets there,” Cormier told The Schmo. “And rightfully so.

    “For all that he’s done at 205, when he goes to heavyweight, it is his matchup to turn down. It has to be for Jon Jones and what he decides to do.”

    Jon Jones was the longtime king at light heavyweight. He decided to make the move to heavyweight back in May of 2020 but has yet to do so. He is working on his physique and putting on weight to get ready for his heavyweight debut.

    Last year, there was some UFC negotiation trouble and legal trouble that made Jones’ return to the cage unclear. However, with all this Jones drama, Cormier still thinks it will be him next in line anyway, not former two-time champion Stipe Miocic.

    “As much as Stipe is probably deserving, are we talking deserving, or what is going to happen?” Cormier explained. “Because even though Stipe is deserving, Jones makes it known that he is at heavyweight and ready to fight he’s going to be the guy who gets the title fight.”

    Stipe Miocic is itching at another chance at Ngannou or whoever is holding the belt come Jan. 23. Miocic was the longest-running UFC heavyweight champion and has been waiting for a shot to show that he is still champion material. Miocic was overlooked when the UFC decided to make the interim title and now might be waiting even longer if Jones jumps the line.

    Do you agree with Cormier that Jones will get a title shot before Stipe Miocic?

  • Archives: Anthony Smith Would Fight Luke Rockhold At Walmart (2019)

    As of this writing, Anthony Smith never was able to get a hold of Luke Rockhold at Walmart. But here’s a story where he expressed a willingness to do just that, even naming his preferred isle for the desired altercation.

    The following article is published in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Three Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2019, 6:57 PM]

    Headline: Anthony Smith Would Fight ‘A**hole’ Luke Rockhold At Walmart

    Author: Jon Fuentes

    Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is currently expected to be Jon Jones’ next challenger for the 205-pound title. However, it appears he could already have another opponent at light heavyweight lined up as well.

    Recently, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took aim at Smith. Hyping his eventual jump to 205 pounds, Rockhold is also eying a fight with Jones. However, with talk of Jones likely facing Smith next, Rockhold said “Bones” should quit wasting his time with fighters like “Lionheart.”

    Speaking to Luke Thomas on Sirius XM Fight Nation Smith got the opportunity to respond. Smith is unsure what he did to provoke Rockhold to speak his name, but one thing is for sure, he certainly isn’t a fan (via MMA Mania):

    “For Luke to come and start talking about me, first of all, you’ve been knocked out two of your last three times. Yoel Romero almost f*cking decapitated him. He’s coming off a loss and he can’t even make it to his next fight,” Smith said.

    “So who is he to talk about anybody else in the UFC? He’s the most arrogant prick I’ve ever seen or heard speak in my life. And I’ve never done anything to that dude. I’ve never even literally shook his hand. I just don’t know where his sense of arrogance comes from.

    “I fought four times in 13 months or something, got three bonuses. What are you doing? You’re not doing sh*t. You’re sitting on the sidelines, limping around.”

    Fight Rockhold At Walmart

    For the time being, Smith will focus on preparing for a likely title shot against Jon Jones. But if he were ever to run into Rockhold in public, say somewhere like Walmart perhaps, there could be trouble:

    “I don’t understand how you can just disparage someone so bad that, number one, has done nothing to you, and number two, is highly-regarded as one of the hardest-working and most devoted guys in the sport,” Smith said.

    “I’ve never attacked him, I just don’t get it. I will fight that guy anywhere. I will fight that guy in aisle five of Walmart.”

    What do you think about Smith saying he’d fight Rockhold at Walmart?

  • Archives: McGregor Sends Jon Jones Gift After UFC 232 Win (2019)

    The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Three Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 2, 2019, 11:24 AM]

    HEADLINE: Archives: McGregor Sends Jon Jones Gift After UFC 232 Win (2019)

    Author: Jon Fuentes

    Jon Jones is back. “Bones” made dominant work of Alexander Gustafsson this past weekend (Sat. December 29, 2018) at UFC 232. The two main evented the pay-per-view (PPV) with their rematch from their legendary 2013 title fight. While their first fight went all five rounds, Jones finished Gustafsson in the third round via TKO in their rematch. Now, he’s once again the 205-pound champion of the world.

    It looks like former “Champ Champ” Conor McGregor has offered Jones a congratulatory gift. Per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, “The Notorious” has sent Jones and his team a few bottles of Proper 12 Whiskey to celebrate the occasion:

    “Ran into @jonnybones in the hotel lobby and he said @TheNotoriousMMA sent him and his team a bunch of Proper 12 whiskey!”

    This certainly might not be the best gift to offer Jones at the moment. Jones has had some issues with drugs and alcohol in the past, which have greatly affected his career inside the cage. McGregor received a lot of criticism for this on Twitter. He even responded to one fan, who called the Irishman a ban influence.

    McGregor responded by saying, “I prefer the term “influential”. But McGregor soon made the decision to delete the Tweet:

    What do you think about McGregor sending Jones bottles of Proper 12 after his UFC 232 win?

  • Archives: Bisping Says Jon Jones Wasn’t Pleased With Interview (2019)

    Three years ago, Jon Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson to once again become the UFC light heavyweight champion. As you’ll find out in the following article, it wasn’t all laughter and celebration for him after his victory, however. Jones did not take kindly to post-fight questions regarding past drug test issues.

    The following story is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Three Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 2, 2019, 10:59 AM]

    Headline: Michael Bisping Says Jon Jones Wasn’t Pleased With FOX Sports Interview

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    Michael Bisping says Jon Jones wasn’t too happy with him and FOX Sports higher-ups following UFC 232.

    Jones emerged victorious at UFC 232. He took on Alexander Gustafsson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship. “Bones” won the bout via third-round knockout. When Jones was interviewed by the FOX Sports panel, there was some tension, and “Bones” even apologized on air for being a bit fired up.

    Bisping Reveals Jones’ Off-Air Rant

    Bisping recently took to his “Believe You Me” podcast and claimed that Jones was none too pleased during the commercial break:

    “On the weigh-in show, we had to interview Jon Jones. And of course every time we do this, we at FOX Studios obviously is a well-polished machine. It’s not like Believe You Me, everything is planned with a fine-tooth comb. It’s proper TV, so they have to know, the producers, what questions are gonna be asked. So they tell us what questions to ask, they give us on little printed out cards.

    “The only thing is, I don’t care asking difficult questions. And I asked Jon Jones some questions, which apparently he didn’t like. After the fight, we interviewed him again and when we were on commercial break he was talking f*cking sh*t to whoever the powers that be were at FOX. ‘That motherf*cker Michael Bisping gonna be asking questions again with that dumb sh*t.’”

    The questions Bisping asked were related to Jones’ past drug testing issues. Jones hasn’t taken too kindly to PED-related questions and even apologized to a journalist after he blasted her for one of those questions.

    Do you think Jon Jones is mishandling PED-related questions, or is he right to be upset?

  • Recognizing The Difference Between GOAT & BOAT

    No matter the year, there is one thing you can be sure will never change: there will continue to be the never-ending debates about who is the greatest of all time (GOAT). This year, however, I say we finally add an extra dimension to these debates that is long overdue: adding the term “BOAT” to the official sports lexicon.

    There is a difference between being the greatest and being the best. Being the greatest is based primarily on accomplishments and résumé. Think of this as having the strongest and most accomplished career.

    Being the best is based primarily on skill level. Think of this as having the most talent and being the most dominant.

    Naturally, there is some overlap between the two, which is where most of the confusion lies when there are GOAT debates with varying criteria.

    Being considered the best is something that is backed by the eye test, and then the accomplishments and résumé help prove that the talent level is as high as your eyes thought.

    Being the greatest is like the number of trophies you have in your closet and the number of heads you have mounted on your wall. It’s based more on what you did than how you did it. But there is still naturally some skill and domination that played a factor in that. The biggest difference is being the best can be judged in a shorter period of time while being the greatest is almost always reserved for those with a very wide body of work.

    Jim Brown, Marion Motley finalists for RBs on the NFL's All-Time Team
    Jim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Famer

    In football, you could argue that Emmitt Smith or Walter Payton is the GOAT at running back based on the records they set and their Super Bowl victories. However, the title of “BOAT” might be reserved for a Jim Brown or Barry Sanders, who ran with a form that set them apart from the pack, even if they lack the championships that a typical “GOAT” would have.

    In basketball, one might argue that Kareem Abdul Jabbar is the greatest center who ever lived, with six NBA titles, six MVPs, and two Finals MVPs to support that claim. But in terms of the best? Give me the 1999-2001 Shaquille O’Neal every time. Because no one was more dominant.

    In MMA, we’ve seen a couple of glaring examples of people having debates without realizing that they were arguing two completely different things.

    Let’s take Jon Jones vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, for instance. The following graphic best summarizes the difference between GOAT vs. BOAT (graphic via ESPN MMA).

    No photo description available.

    Here, Brett Okamoto is arguing for Khabib as the BOAT while Marc Raimondi is arguing for Jon Jones as the GOAT. The clash comes when the opposing sides feel they are limited to one term of “GOAT.” What results are impossible debates about different topics unbeknownst to the participants. We’ll have more on the Khabib vs. Jones debate a bit later on.

    BOAT Sightings

    Botnia Targa 25.1 GT: Outboard powered boat is built like a missile bunker

    While we still have a ways to go before BOAT is officially added to the sports/MMA lexicon, there have been some “BOAT” sightings that have happened over the past year.

    Alexander Volkov Cites Evolution

    Below, Alexander Volkov essentially argues that Fedor Emelianenko is the heavyweight GOAT while Francis Ngannou is the heavyweight BOAT.

    “Right now, it’s the UFC Champion Ngannou, most likely,” Volkov told RT Sport MMA in response to who is the greatest heavyweight of all time. “Depends on the particular era of MMA. Of course, in terms of achievements, Fedor is one of the greatest, a legendary fighter who was undefeated for many years, had spectacular fights, came back from different bad situations in his fights, beat them all in his time.

    The Emperor’s Reign: 10 Career Defining Moments of Fedor Emelianenko | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

    “But now, there’s a new generation with new skills, new physical conditions, new techniques. And it’s unclear if the fighters of the past generation would do well against the elite fighters of the present. So before we talk about the greatest heavyweight of all time, we need to define what it really means. For me, there’s no such thing. There’s just the best fighter at the moment. Now, it’s the UFC champion, in my opinion.”

    Chael P. Sonnen Weighs In

    Next, here’s Chael Sonnen giving his own breakdown of how the line between the best and the greatest often gets warped into a haze.

    “Khabib is the most dominant. I can prove that,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “That’s not my opinion. I can prove to you that Khabib is the most dominant. I think that is a wonderful compliment to give a guy. You were the best fighter of all time. Hard to prove. Big compliment, hard to prove. Dominance is hard…Guys, Khabib has won more 10-8 rounds in his career than anybody in the history of unarmed combat. I’m including boxing. What an incredible statement. Then, OK, who’s the greatest of all time?

    Khabib Nurmagomedov
    Khabib Nurmagomedov

    “…Khabib does have one thing against him. It’s only one. It’s only one. But it’s still against him, and it’s gonna grow over time. Now that we’re still in the Khabib era, we’ve all seen him fight, we all miss him and want to see him fight again…over time, we’re gonna forget that. We’re gonna forget how we feel right now. We’re gonna see new talent in there. So we’re now left with paper.

    “And this even happens now, I mean, Jordan vs. LeBron. You talk about Jordan had six rings and LeBron had none—at one point—but this was the argument. And you could see—many people said, ‘No, LeBron’s better. I don’t give a damn if he has the rings or not. He’s gonna get ’em and he’s better.”

    El Cucuy Knows What’s Up

    And what kind of guy is Tony Ferguson? Tony Ferguson is the kind of guy to hop on board the BOAT movement before it was cool. Be more like Tony Ferguson.

    Recent MMA Examples of GOAT vs. BOAT

    Jon Jones vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

    The two most frequent examples of GOAT vs. BOAT debates this past year were the Jon Jones/Khabib GOAT debate and the Georges St-Pierre/Kamaru Usman welterweight GOAT debate. For Jones’ part, he was offended that he was even being compared to the Dagestani in terms of their overall careers (graphic via ESPN MMA).

    No photo description available.

    Here, Jones is solely arguing about greatness in terms of accomplishments. This quote and argument do not address actual talent and dominance over competition.

    Now Jones did go on to say that Khabib had just started fighting elite competition, so his dominance is overstated. However, for one thing, “elite” is subjective. You could argue that Rafael dos Anjos was elite already at the time Khabib faced him in 2014. He just didn’t look like it because…you know, Khabib.

    Second, if what Khabib did was easy, more people would be dominating “non-elite” competition the way Khabib did. Or maybe….just maybe…he’s just insanely good.

    But the frustration Jones is experiencing in this quote below and that a Twitter user had in this tweet is a classic case of what happens when you are in debates about two different things: greatness in terms of accomplishments (GOAT) vs. being superior to everyone else purely in terms of talent (BOAT).

    Georges St-Pierre vs. Kamaru Usman

    May be an image of 2 people and text that says 'TITLE DEFENSES 9 5 UNIQUE OPPONENTS DURING TITLE REIGN 8 1 VICTORIES OVER UFC WORLD CHAMPS 6 2 ROUNDS FOUGHT 62 48 STRIKES ABSORBED 497 647 COMBINED RECORD OF UFC OPPONENTS 438-80 281-70'

    First off, the date in which this viral graphic was created is unclear, as Usman’s unique opponents as champion is currently 3, not 1. Although this discrepancy calls the rest of these numbers into question, that’s not what I want to point out.

    This is a classic example of the “lying with statistics” maneuver, and/or the cherry-picking fallacy. Because there’s no logical reason to have stats this in-depth but somehow neglect to mention UFC win/loss record, which at the very least is equally as important as anything else here.

    And even aside from posts like these, the most common argument for GSP as the welterweight GOAT is that he had more title defenses. That’s where the majority of the pro-GSP GOAT arguments begins and ends. This argument completely ignores Usman’s longer, harder road to the title through no fault of his own.

    Other things to be considered in Usman’s favor is his record for longest welterweight winning streak, having the highest winning percentage out of any fighter who has ever competed in the UFC, and the fact that he has never lost in the UFC while GSP lost twice, including to Matt Serra, and had an extremely hard time against Johnny Hendricks in a win closer than any of Usman’s wins.

    Usman’s opponents were considered tougher at the time of the fights. Just compare Usman’s odds history vs. GSP’s odds history to see how experts/the public viewed their level of competition. For the most part, GSP’s level of competition was not as strong, which is something people knock Demetrious Johnson for.

    GSP Odds History: https://www.bestfightodds.com/fighters/Georges-St-Pierre-80

    Kamaru Usman Odds History: https://www.bestfightodds.com/fighters/Kamaru-Usman-4664

    In terms of GOAT vs. BOAT, GSP may very well still have the stronger argument for welterweight GOAT in terms of his overall career, but Usman would make for an easier argument on who is more likely to win any fight and is thus better.

    At minimum, that is of equal value to being the GOAT. For instance, you can’t win money on someone’s overall career achievements. But you can win money when correctly judging who will be the better fighter on a given night. Usman has proven to be more reliable on that regard not only in terms of wins/losses but in terms of rounds.

    To paraphrase Brett Okamoto in the earlier graphic, if my life is on the line and I’m picking who to bet on, I’m betting on the dude with the longest winning streak, the highest winning percentage in company history, and who in my opinion, the eye test shows is the more difficult fighter to beat overall. And none of those conclusions on Usman are being made with a small sample size. The man is setting records that can only be broken with amazing consistency.

    Conclusion

    In closing, there is a difference between being the best of all time (BOAT) and being the greatest of all time (GOAT). Let’s start firing up the scholarly articles, talk-show debates, or whatever is needed to get the term “BOAT” officially accepted into the sports lexicon! And come on, the boat emojis would be lit, too! ?️ 

    Not recognizing the difference between GOAT and BOAT is a big reason why so many people grow frustrated when having these debates because they and their opponent are literally debating two different things without realizing it. Would differentiating these terms suddenly make these subjective debates more clear-cut and definitive? Of course not. But it sure would make the impossible a little bit easier and the goal post much clearer.

  • (Archives) Jones: What Rousey Does Next Will Determine Legacy (2017)

    After Ronda Rousey was knocked out for the second time after once being viewed as an unstoppable force, everyone in the MMA community pondered what might be next for her and where she’d go from there. That includes former light heavyweight king Jon Jones.

    Rousey has not competed since the loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 1, 2017, 11:28 AM]

    Headline: Jon Jones On Ronda Rousey’s Loss: “What She Does Next Will Truly Determine Her Legacy”

    Author: Matt Boone

    Many have reacted to the second professional MMA loss UFC mega-star Ronda Rousey suffered at the hands of UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes in their 48-second main event at UFC 207 this past Friday night, the latest of which is a teammate of the first woman that handed Rousey the taste of defeat, Holly Holm, as Jon “Bones” Jones has chimed in with his thoughts on the matter.

    Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who is currently serving a one-year suspension for testing positive ahead of his scheduled rematch with Daniel Cormier at the landmark UFC 200 event in July of 2016, took to social media this weekend where he posted a series of tweets to Rousey regarding her loss to Nunes.

    “My advice to Ronda [Rousey] would be to pick yourself up and try again,” wrote Jones. “I believe Rousey will be a champion for the rest of her life, even if she never wins another fight I think it’s important for Ronda to show her fans how great she truly is by displaying her courage and giving it another try.”

    Jones continued, “What she does next will truly determine her legacy. I really hope she chooses to be a unbroken. Her story doesn’t have to be over here. I also still believe she beats 90% of the division. Lots of ass kicking still to be done, lots of money to be made.”

    Agreeing with what has been a big part of the story coming out of both of her losses, Jones pointed to the team and coaches Rousey currently works with as something that he feels would be wise to address if she were to consider a return to the Octagon.

    “Maybe she just needs to [compliment] her coach with an MMA family,” Jones continued. “Maybe she should join one of the bigger MMA teams. Being around other bad asses and constantly sharing your spotlight could be good for you [in] so many ways.”

    “They can improve on your humility,” said Jones. “Constantly being humbled is never a bad thing in a sport like this.”

    For video highlights of Ronda Rousey’s 48-second TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 from this past Friday night, click here. You can also view Jones’ tweets below. 

  • Archives: Gustafsson Says “Of Course” Jones Has Always Cheated (2018)

    Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Heading into UFC 232, that history had more questions and fewer answers than ever before. But there was one thing Jones’ upcoming opponent at the time, Alexander Gustafsson, felt he knew for sure: Jones has always been a cheater.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2018, 9:00 AM]

    Headline: Gustafsson: “Of Course” Jon Jones Has Always Cheated

    Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will be squaring off in the main event of UFC 232 this Saturday night from The Forum in Los Angeles, California, and there has been a lot of tension between Jones and Gustafsson during the lead-in to their contest.

    After Jon Jones’ latest run-in with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) with a test that rendered an “atypical” result, Gustafsson joined in on the chorus of criticisms that has rained down on Jones. In spite of slamming Jones publicly, though, Gustafsson claims that trash talking is not in his nature:

    “I’m not one to trash talk my opponents,” Gustafsson told the LA Times. “If the talk is on, then let’s go, I’ll say the truth — nothing more or less. But it doesn’t affect me in my competition.”

    It is with this pledge of truth that Gustafsson answered the question of whether he believes Jon Jones has always cheated, even before USADA partnered with the UFC in 2015,

    “Yeah, of course I do,” Gustafsson said frankly. “I don’t care, though. It is what it is. That’s in the past and it doesn’t change anything. We have a new fight coming up and it’s all about that fight. Nothing else. I’m going to prepare for the best Jon out there — dirty or not, I don’t care. I’ll be sure I win this fight.”

    At the end of the day, Gustafsson does not care what Jones has done or even what he may be doing. All he cares about is what he can control and the results dictated by his own performance:

    “I don’t put an effort into what Jones is doing or not doing. I’m not sitting at home and thinking if he’s doing [performance-enhancing drugs] or not, and it’s not my job to prevent it. I’m just looking at the fight,” said Gustafsson.

    “My job is to go out there and do my talking in the cage, and to beat the crap out of him.”

    Do you agree with Alexander Gustafsson? Do you believe Jon Jones has been cheating throughout his career?

  • Archives: Miocic Sends Message To DC After Jones’ Test Incident (2018)

    Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Once the news broke of another atypical test finding for Jones, Daniel Cormier was expectedly one of the first to react. Stipe Miocic would then react to Cormier’s reaction, five months after DC defeated him for the UFC heavyweight championship.

    The following story is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2018, 10:23 AM]

    Headline: Stipe Miocic Sends Message To DC After Jones’ Drug Test Incident

    Author: Jon Fuentes

    Current UFC “Champ Champ” Daniel Cormier’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career is coming to an end. Cormier has said that, following his heavyweight title defense over Derrick Lewis in November, he has one fight left in him. It’s believed that fight will be against the returning Brock Lesnar sometime in the first quarter of 2019. However, it’s also believed Cormier will fight longtime rival Jon Jones once more before retiring as well.

    Should that take place, however, there will always be doubts about Jones’ competitive integrity. After having issues with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in the past, Jones has once again found himself in a bit of controversy. “Bones” is set to face Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of this weekend’s UFC 232 pay-per-view (PPV). Initially, the fight was to take place in Las Vegas.

    However, traces of turinabol were recently detected in Jones’ system. It has been said that those traces are leftover from Jones’ initial failed drug test last year, and are not new traces. Despite this, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) did not license Jones to fight this weekend. This forced the UFC to move UFC 232 from Vegas to California, where Jones was able to get licensed.

    After the news initially broke, Cormier took to Twitter to react:

    “He tested positive again!”

    Stipe Miocic, the man Cormier defeated to win the heavyweight title, offered a response:

    “I’m always clean. I train and drink Modelo.”

    “I know you are and that’s why It was a pleasure in the lead up to the fight with you, and if we do it again it will be the same.”

    What do you make of Miocic’s message to Cormier after Jones’ drug test incident?

  • Archives: Jon Jones Says UFC 232 Fighters Accepted His Apology (2018)

    Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Heading into UFC 232, the biggest story was not about the fights that were taking place but about where they were taking place. That’s because the event was moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles due to some testing issues surrounding event headliner Jon “Bones” Jones.

    In the below article, Jon Jones opened up on the controversy and how his peers reacted to the situation at the time according to him.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2018, 8:56 PM]

    Headline: Jon Jones Claims UFC 232 Fighters Have Accepted His Apology

    With a card as stacked as UFC 232, including a main event and co-main event of the ages, it is difficult to believe that most of the attention recently has been away from the lineup. But when one realizes the extent of the controversy surrounding Jon Jones and the UFC’s decision to move the card from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, it may become easier to understand.

    Many fighters on the card have voiced their aggravation at the UFC’s last-minute decision to move the card, including fighters like Corey Anderson and Amanda Nunes, and Jon Jones decided to do something to attempt to alleviate their frustrations:

    “I feel good,” Jones today told MMAjunkie. “I really can’t afford to feel any other way. I feel bad for the fans. I went around today apologizing to every UFC fighter that was on the card that I’ve seen in person. So far, they’ve all said that they’ve forgiven me, and I think I need to prioritize my emotions and save all the emotions for after the fight. After the fight, I definitely plan on doing what I can do to give back to fans who really lost out.”

    The latest episode of UFC Embedded (Ep. 3) shows the UFC discussing the news of Jones’s atypical drug test result with Alexander Gustafsson. One person conspicuously absent from the episode was Jon Jones himself. So what was Jon Jones’ reaction when he first heard about his failed drug test? And how has he dealt with all of the controversy surrounding him on fight week amidst all the chaos?

    “Honestly, my initial reaction was ‘not again,’” Jones said. “It felt like a nightmare, but honestly, I think my faith in God has really, really helped me out with this situation, just believing that, ‘Hey, listen, this is all what my story is going to be. Just be with me, God, through it all, and keep me strong to handle all this.’ Some things are out of my control, and you’ve just got to learn to focus on what you can control.

    “Another thing I’ve done is to be able to lean on my team. So many people stepped up and wrote me the most positive things, and all the messages were pretty much the same. ‘You can’t afford to get emotionally weak this close to the fight. Stay focused. Stay strong, and believe that this is just meant to be and let go, let God, and do your best. Control what you can control,’ and that’s what I’m doing.”

    As for all the outside noise, Jones is very aware by now that it comes with the territory:

    “I’ve just got to be comfortable in the chaos,” Jones said. “That’s really what I have to do. To be a multiple-time world champion or one of the best fighters possibly ever, you have to expect things out of yourself that would make most people crumble. You’ve got to be able to deal with the media, the weight cut, the criticism, the back story, the crazy, tough opponent – you’ve got to be able to swallow it all, and that’s what I plan to do.

    If you were one of the UFC 232 fighters Jon Jones apologized to, would you have accepted his apology?

  • Jon Jones & Dan Hooker Partake In Hostile Christmas Exchange

    Jon Jones and Dan Hooker partook in a big exchange on Christmas Day, and they weren’t swapping gifts.

    Earlier this week, Hooker threw a bit of shade in the direction of Jon Jones after the former light heavyweight king’s comments on Chael Sonnen’s recent brush with the law.

    When Jon Jones was arrested for battery domestic violence of his fiancée in September, one of the people to weigh in on the matter, as expected, was Chael P. Sonnen.

    Sonnen has become one of the most vocal figures of MMA about any trending topic in the sport, but perhaps no subject has been more extensively covered by Sonnen than all things Jon Jones.

    The relationship between Sonnen and Jones has gradually deteriorated in the years after they coached The Ultimate Fighter together in 2013, which culminated in Jones blocking “The Bad Guy” on Twitter earlier this year.

    Jones apparently was unpleased with what Sonnen had to say about his latest arrest, which prompted “Bones” to immediately chime in after Sonnen was issued multiple battery citations in Las Vegas over the weekend.

    “It’s funny how the people who criticize and judge you the most have some of the nastiest things in their closet. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You’ll get no stones from me, good luck,” Jones posted in one of the pair of tweets he submitted Sunday.

    Sonnen himself has yet to respond to Jones or even address the matter of his arrest at all as of this writing. In fact, thus far the only account we have at the moment is an uncorroborated one from Brendan Schaub, who claimed Sonnen’s battery citations were a result of defending his wife from five harassers.

    Wednesday, Dan Hooker came across a story that covered Schaub’s version of what took place over the weekend with Sonnen, and he appeared to throw shade at Jones when retweeting the article.

    “Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife. (JJones RN),” Hooker posted along with a “mind blown” emoji.

    The full details of Chael Sonnen’s Las Vegas incident remain unclear and it remains a developing story. Saturday, however, Jones’ response had nothing to do with the original subject matter of Sonnen and was instead targeted at firing a direct shot at Hooker.

    Jon Jones & Dan Hooker Partake In Hostile Christmas Exchange

    If there is one thing MMA fans have learned about Jon Jones over the years it’s that he is never shy about replying to his critics, whether it’s fans or any of his peers, regardless of weight class or current activity status. Furthermore, his responses are liable to come at any given moment, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even in the middle of Christmas day.

    In-between the holiday festivities at the Jones household, the former light heavyweight king managed to step away from his loved ones to fire the following retort at the “Hangman.”

    https://twitter.com/JonnyBones/status/1474808807368761345

    “@danthehangman, every opportunity you’ve had to make a name for yourself and be closer to your boy Izzy, you dropped the ball. You can’t achieve greatness, so you hop online and attack someone who has. Sounds about right.”

    Hours later, Dan Hooker returned with the following retort:

    “I was triggered by your disingenuous attempt to bring attention to Chael’s situation. He was arrested for defending his wife, you were arrested for assaulting yours,” Hooker said with an apples to oranges emoji.

    “Life hack: if you don’t beat up your wife, family events will be more enjoyable. Merry Xmas bitch.

    The domestic violence charges against Jones were dismissed last week following a plea deal, which included the completion of anger management counseling. Jones has denied assaulting his fiancée.

    As Jones alluded to in his response, Hooker has had his share of struggles in the Octagon, specifically in his most recent fights. Hooker has gone 1-3 in his last four bouts, prompting him to try his luck back down at featherweight in 2022.

    What do you make of this Christmas exchange between Jon Jones and Dan Hooker.

  • The Asterisks Behind Jon Jones’ Drug Test Failures

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 23, 2020, 9:09 AM]

    Today marks two years to the day since Jon Jones had his most recent drug test controversy when an “atypical finding” prevented him from being granted a license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to compete at UFC 232. And as with all his other testing incidents, Jones swore his innocence and continues to do so to this day.

    Perhaps no one but Jon Jones himself really knows if he has intentionally taken performance-enhancing drugs during his MMA career. As his complicated test history has proven, science may not lie, but it also does not necessarily tell the whole truth. It is no secret that Jones has failed multiple drug tests, but the official statements that clear him of intentionally cheating are gradually fading to black as he continues authoring his legacy.

    These statements declaring Jones’ lack of intent are very rarely mentioned in articles or general discourse related to his drug test failures. At this point, it may even come as a surprise to many newer fans that each drug test that Jones failed had a final determination that he did not intentionally cheat. Yes, the asterisks of Jon Jones’ legendary career are not only his failed drug tests but also the obscure asterisks attached to the drug tests!

    This piece will aim to re-expose these asterisks that are seemingly buried deeper and deeper as time passes, not as an argument for Jon Jones’ innocence but as a resource for ethical journalism and a reference for objective and/or newer fans who are fascinated by the subject. It is not intended to sway any solidified opinions or provide an extensive examination of the cases in question. Rather, we will take a brief look at each drug test failure and grasp what exactly Jon Jones means when he says he was “proven innocent.”

    The word “innocent” indeed may be a stretch, as even the biggest defender of Jon Jones would tell you that he has behaved carelessly at times and thus has deserved to be punished. They also would concede that banned substances have been found in Jones’ system, further tainting his “innocence.” But it seems the spirit of Jones’ argument is, “I was found not to be a cheater,” which is a fact…a fact that may be inconvenient for many to revisit or accept, but one supported by unambiguous documentation.

    UFC 182

    DRUG TEST ISSUES: Days after retaining his light heavyweight championship at the event against Daniel Cormier in 2015, a cocaine metabolite was found in Jon Jones’ system. He also had very low testosterone levels, which is an indication of possible PED use.

    WHY JON JONES SAYS HE WAS PROVEN INNOCENT:

    1) The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) used the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code for its testing procedure for the event. According to the 2014 WADA Prohibited List, there should not have been any out-of-competition testing done for recreational drugs. Simply put, this test finding is irrelevant, which is why Jones was not sanctioned for the presence of a cocaine metabolite in his system.

    2) After testing was done to determine if Jon Jones’ testosterone level stemmed from an exogenous (non-natural) source, the Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) issued the following statement:

    “Based on the review of steroid profiles and available IRMS data, there is no evidence to indicate the administration of exogenous testosterone or testosterone precursors.”

    You can view the original document here.

    Though the testosterone levels raised reasonable suspicions and the cocaine positive will continue being a source of memes and jokes indefinitely, this all would take a backseat to the much larger testing issues to come.

    UFC 200

    DRUG TEST ISSUES: Days before the 2016 event, Jon Jones was removed from the main event against Daniel Cormier after testing positive for two banned substances: clomiphene and letrozole.

    WHY JON JONES SAYS HE WAS PROVEN INNOCENT: A “dick pill” that Jon Jones consumed was proven to be the contaminated supplement that contained both banned substances. Jones’ poor decision-making in allowing the banned substances into his system resulted in the suspension, but the official statement provided by the independent arbitration panel presiding over the case said in no uncertain terms:

    “On the evidence before the panel, the applicant is not a drug cheat. He did not know that the tablet he took contained prohibited substances or that those substances had the capacity to enhance sporting performance.”

    You can view the original document here.

    Following the outcome and arbitration statement, Jones issued a statement of his own:

    “Although I was hopeful for a better outcome in the USADA ruling today,  I am very respectful of the process in which they allowed me to defend myself. I have always maintained my innocence, and I am very happy I have been cleared in any wrong doing pursuant to the allegations made that I had intentionally taken a banned substance.

    “I am pleased that in USADA’s investigation they determined I was ‘not a cheater of the sport.’ Being cleared of these allegations was very important to me. I have worked hard in and outside of the octagon to regain my image and my fighting career and will take these next eight months to continue my training and personal growth both as a man and an athlete.”

    Jon Jones often cites USADA when addressing his proven “innocence,” but it is actually not USADA making these statements but independent arbitration panels, which are used to preside over contested cases. Jones is erroneously conflating USADA with the independent arbitration panel, so when people respond with, “USADA never said you were innocent,” they’re not wrong.

    It would be more effective and accurate for Jones to use phrases like “proven innocent in the final decision” or “by independent arbitration” to prevent his point from being lost in translation and the exchange veering off into semantics instead of whether or not his name was vindicated.

    This outcome was very similar to that of the next test failure, which appeared to possibly be the case that would break Jonny Bones.  

    UFC 214

    DRUG TEST ISSUES: Following his KO victory over Daniel Cormier in 2017, it was revealed that Jones had tested positive for trace amounts of Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone aka Oral Turinabol (an anabolic steroid). The result of the fight was then overturned to a no contest.

    WHY JON JONES SAYS HE WAS PROVEN INNOCENT: Primarily (but not exclusively) due to the “extremely low” amount of Turinabol found in Jon Jones’ system and because it could not possibly have any performance-enhancing benefits, Jones was found to not have cheated intentionally. He was suspended anyway largely because he was never able to prove how the banned substance (trace or otherwise) entered his system. The suspension was later reduced because Jones agreed to provide “substantial assistance” to USADA, but the reduced suspension has nothing to do with why Jones claims he was proven innocent here.

    Chief arbitrator Richard McLaren issued the following statement after an extensive investigation:

    “I find that all of the evidence available to me leads me to conclude that the violation was not intended nor could it have enhanced the Athlete’s performance.”

    You can find the official document here (Section 7.17, pg. 20).

    This led Jones to issue this statement: “It’s difficult to express myself at this moment, but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life. It has meant the world to me and always will.”

    Jones felt a sense of victory and closure after the independent arbitration panel’s findings, but this was not the end of the Turinabol chapter.

    UFC 232

    DRUG TEST ISSUES: An extremely low amount of Turinabol was found in Jon Jones’ system again leading up to his fight against Alexander Gustafsson in 2018.

    WHY JON JONES SAYS HE WAS PROVEN INNOCENT: Aside from the same fact that scientists once again agreed that no performance-enhancing benefit could come from the amount of Turinabol found in his system, there was also no proof of re-administration. In other words, Jones tested positive for the same Turinabol traces he popped for in 2017 (UFC 214) due to the pulsing of the M3 metabolite. Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for the UFC Jeff Novitzky fielded questions on this complex issue, including addressing topics on the precedent for this M3 metabolite situation, microdosing, USADA objectivity, and the credibility of sources external to USADA.

    One of those sources was Dr. Daniel Eichner, president of SMRTL. When Jones regained his Nevada State Athletic Commission fighter’s license after his latest drug test issue, the commission cited Daniel Eichner in their official statement:

    “Dr. Daniel Eichner, President and Laboratory Director of SMRTL, reviewed the above investigative reports and determined that they show no evidence that dehydrocholormethyltestosterone (DHCMT) has been re-administered. Dr. Eichner further provided that there is no scientific or medical evidence that the athlete (Jones) would have an unfair advantage leading up to, or for, his contest scheduled on March 2, 2019.”

    You can find the original document here.

    After this latest resolution, Jon Jones has repeatedly claimed that he’s been proven innocent and has accused his detractors of conveniently remembering the accusations but not the vindication. When Jones makes these claims, he is not specific on what “proof” he is referring to, so many fans may believe he is delusional or in denial. But the independent panels that presided over his cases felt that the evidence presented on Jones’ behalf met the burden of proof for non-intent, and this well-documented fact is what Jones is referring to.

    CONCLUSION

    In each of Jon Jones’ test failures, an authority prepared an official statement declaring that Jon Jones is not a cheater.

    The semantics on the usage of the term “innocent” or whether it was USADA directly can be disputed, but the fact remains that an entity not named Jon Jones with authority presiding over the cases have said each time that he is not a cheater.

    Whether because of contaminated supplements, trace amounts that could not affect performance, or non-re-administration, the fact is that Jones has been declared not to be a cheater, hence his use of the term “innocent.”

    For media members, I feel that it is the duty of every journalist in this field to make reference to these official statements when writing on any topic directly related to Jon Jones’ test history. It does not need to be a thorough revisitation of each case; it could be put just as succinctly as Jeff Novitzky put it:

    “You look at both of Jon’s (suspension) cases…Richard McLaren, maybe the most credible anti-doping guy in the world and/or his group in both written decisions, in both instances, they determined this was non-intentional.”

    Even more succinctly stated and more article friendly: Each of Jon Jones’ test failures that led to suspensions was found to be non-intentional through independent arbitration.

    To simply list the drug test failures is not presenting both sides of the story nor the whole truth. When the only statement on the other side is “Jon Jones has always proclaimed his innocence” without referencing the authorities who said the very same thing, there lies a crucial omission that misrepresents the case and Jones’ claims of innocence.

    It is an integral and fundamental component of the story to include why Jon Jones claims he is innocent: because every time he failed a drug test, it was determined that he did not intentionally cheat. It is not editorializing nor opinionated to state that the final decisions in his cases included a statement that absolved him from being a drug cheat. That’s a very relevant, impartial fact.

    For fans and media members alike, you are not necessarily a “hater” or biased if you believe that when there’s smoke, there’s fire. And for fans specifically, I can understand the urge to simplify things and not revisit each case individually and instead proceed with the snapshot information consumption that dominates today’s digital literacy.

    But the objective truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as being “guilty by math.” In other words, each official statement saying that Jon Jones is not a cheater does not become void because there were other such statements issued in the past.

    In the context of the law, a man cannot be found guilty by a jury of his peers just because he was tried multiple times for the same crime. In many cases, this wouldn’t even be permitted as evidence up for discussion during the deliberation. But regardless of where you believe Jon Jones sits on the innocence/guilty spectrum, it should be no mystery to anyone how or why he continues to proclaim his innocence.

    Because at the end of the day, if you were in Jon Jones’ position where every time you were sanctioned, the presiding authority ultimately declared that you did not cheat, then you too would become quite accustomed to uttering the phrase, “I was proven innocent,” especially when people of all walks of life seem determined to pretend that no such proof exists.

  • Jon Jones Laughs At Hager Missing Out On “Opportunity Of A Lifetime”

    Jon Jones got a good kick out of Jake Hager’s recent comments about slow-rolling the negotiations to compete against one another in a grappling matchup.

    Last month, Jon Jones dropped some “breaking news” on his Twitter page. In a since-deleted tweet, Jones announced he would be competing against Jake Hager in a professional grappling match hosted by FURY Pro Grappling on December 9. Hager, however, accused Jones of jumping the gun.

    “First of all it’s @AEWonTNT and undefeated @BellatorMMA heavyweight Jake Hager, secondly no terms have been discussed or contract signed. We can talk if terms are right.”

    Jones seemed to then pull the plug on any conversation by turning his attention to someone and quite literally anyone else, by issuing an open challenge to another ‘big boy’ to grapple with him.

    Then, in a recent appearance on the Throwing Down podcast, Hager spilled the details on why he publicly pumped the brakes on Jones’ announcement, and he also left the door wide open for their grappling match to still take place (h/t MiddleEasy).

    “I was at dinner one night and got the phone call from my head coach, Josh Crabtree, and he said, ‘What’s up, man, I got a great situation for ya. You should say yes before I even tell you what it is.’ Alright, I love Josh, he’s the man, I’m like ‘Yes!’ He tells me and I’m still like yes, let’s make it happen.

    Bellator 214 results, highlights: Jake Hager earns first-round submission win in MMA debut - CBSSports.com
    Copyright: Los Angeles Daily News

    “So, as far as I know, we were waiting (on) the negotiations and (finalizing) everything. He jumped the gun a little bit, made that Twitter announcement, we hadn’t had anything signed. I know my response was harsh, but you gotta get my name right and my company name right.”

    Jon Jones Scoffs At Jake Hager’s Comments

    Weeks after these comments were made by Hager, Jon Jones offered this amused retort.

    “you can’t gloat about turning down a grappling match with the goat. You had the opportunity of a lifetime, now you’re doing interviews about what you would’ve done,” Jones posted on Twitter on Tuesday night.

    Jon Jones last fought in May 2020 in an extremely close victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Meanwhile, Jake Hager competes in Bellator’s heavyweight division and also wrestles for All Elite Wrestling as a member of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction.

    MMA News will keep you posted on any additional updates on this potential grappling match between Jon Jones and Jake Hager.