Not everyone sees UFC star Jon Jones as a contender for GOAT status in mixed martial arts.
Currently, Jones’ avoidance of Tom Aspinall and the heavyweight title unification fight is causing a stir in the community. The Rochester native is being accused of holding the belt ‘hostage’.
Over 150,000 fans have even taken matters into their own hands by signing a petition calling for the UFC to strip Jones of the gold, which he’s defended just twice since winning it over two years ago.
‘Bones’ is no stranger to causing a stir with his actions, plenty of which have come in the form of legal controversies away from the cage.
That hasn’t stopped Dana White branding Jones the GOAT, but not everyone is happy to do so.
Ali Abdelaziz references Jon Jones failed drug tests in reaction to MMA Mount Rushmore selection
Alongside the debate over the greatest of all time is the MMA Mount Rushmore discussion, as fighters, fans, and analysts choose their four top stars and pioneers from the sport.
A mainstay in selections has been Jones, who has broken record after record en route to two-division glory and largely unrivaled greatness inside the Octagon.
That trend recently continued with an MMA page on X, which placed Jones alongside Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Fedor Emelianenko.
Whether due to Jones’ inclusion or his client’s omission, the manager of Khabib Nurmagomedov voiced his displeasure.
Ali Abdelaziz insisted Khabib Nurmagomedov is the GOAT over ‘cheater’ Jon Jones
Abdelaziz is likely referencing the heavyweight champion’s history with performance-enhancing drugs.
Before Jones’ planned UFC 200 rematch with Daniel Cormier, he was suspended for one year after testing positive for hydroxy-clomiphene. And Jones’ second win over ‘DC’ at UFC 214 was later overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid turinabol.
For that reason, Abdelaziz has long pushed back on White’s claim that ‘Bones’ is the greatest of all time, instead placing that crown on Nurmagomedov.
“I agree with Dana White on everything. This one, I don’t agree with him on,” Abdelaziz told TMZ in 2024.
“Khabib never cheated. … [He] lost one round in his whole career, over 100 rounds he fought, never been dropped, never have a bloody eye, never have a bloody nose. He’s the man that has never been touched.”
With such subjectivity, it’s evident that the debate will forever roll on and split opinion within the MMA community.
For some, though, it seems that a potential retirement before unifying the heavyweight title against Aspinall could affect Jones’ legacy.
You are niii…
Hard to argue that, I don’t know why Fedor looks so much like Kabib though 
Khabib Emelianenko
Leon Jones
Anderson Cordeiro
Georges St-Pierre