UFC’s Jon Jones confidently stated that he is in fact the greatest fighter of all time in a video he recently released. He addressed the fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who just retired after he recorded a win against Justin Gaethje last Saturday, according to a report from TMZ . After the fight, numerous fans were stating that he was the best competitor to play the sport.
Nurmagomedov finished his career with a perfect 29-0 record, and claimed that he made a promise to his mother that he would never compete again without his father by his side, who passed away three months ago, according to CBS Sports . His retirement came as a complete shock to most people involved in the MMA community, including his own coach, per Bloody Elbow . Head coach Javier Mendez said he was completely caught off guard when he first heard the news as the fighter made a speech after the competition.
The Russian native recorded four victories in title fights against notable competitors such as Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Gaethje.
Jones claimed that he, not the recently retired 32-year-old, is in fact the best athlete to play the sport because of his number of title wins.
“15 world titles to your guy’s 4? And, you guys are really talking about who’s the best fighter ever? You guys are joking, right?” he remarked in a video.
Jones has an overall record of 26-1, with the only loss coming from a matchup against Matt Hamill, which he was disqualified from for throwing an illegal elbow shot. Most UFC fans do not count the loss against him because he dominated in the majority of the battle.
“The only person that could possibly come back and challenge my record and what I’ve done in the UFC is possibly Georges St-Pierre. He would have to come back and win 2 championship fights to tie me, and I’m not even retired yet! I’m 33 years old. I’ve got a whole ‘nother chapter to go through,” he added toward the end of the short film.
Jones has also fought against several highly respected athletes throughout the years, some of which include Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Daniel Cormier, Rampage Jackson, and numerous others.
The New York native also stated that he has fought higher level athletes compared to Nurmagomedov for a much longer period of time.
“And, all you guys who are going with this, ‘He’s more dominant.’ [Nurmagomedov] just recently started fighting elite-level competition,” he said.
