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Dana White Puts an End to Khabib vs. Jon Jones UFC GOAT Debate With Final Nail on P4P Clash

Published 02/21/2024, 8:36 AM EST

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The GOAT debate is present in every sport. Like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in soccer, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady in the NFL, we have Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC. Both fighters have their own set of fans who prefer the GOAT to be one over the other. Meanwhile, Dana White has given his take on who he thinks is the best and revealed the reason behind his choice.

Despite expressing his dislike for podcasts, Dana White made yet another appearance in a different setting. He was the guest on the ‘Games With Names‘ podcast hosted by former Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman. The former Patriots star brought up Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name, wondering if White believed the Dagestan native was the best. However, the UFC CEO ended up taking the name of the fighter he’s always held in high regard, Jon Jones.

Dana White claims Jon Jones is the “greatest of all time”

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The 54-year-old promoter has seen many fighters and many fights over the years. After all, it was he who brought so many talented fighters to his promotions after he took over the reins of the UFC back in 2001. He stood firm in his stance on Jon Jones’s status as the pound-for-pound best fighter that has ever graced the sport. Moreover, the reason for snubbing Khabib Nurmagomedov was that he retired a little too early, and White believed that he had more to offer.

Greatest of all time is Jon Jones… Jon Jones is undefeated. Khabib was undefeated too, but I would have liked to have seen Khabib do more,” said Dana White. Except for a DQ loss against Matt Hamill, Jon Jones has made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division.

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He beat every big name, won the championship two times, and then made waves on his heavyweight debut. “Jon Jones has been around forever. He’s fought everybody in the light heavyweight division. Now, he’s in the heavyweight division beating guys,” said the UFC CEO.

Not only that, White believes Jon Jones embarrassed his Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

‘Bones’ made Ciryl Gane look like an amateur, says the UFC CEO

The no denying that Jon Jones lived up to the hype of his return after a three-year hiatus. He submitted Ciryl Gane in just two minutes of the first round to become a two-division champion. Dana White claimed that even Muhammad Ali could not do that when he went away for three years himself.

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White believes that Jones not only comprehensively defeated Gane, but he also made him look like the Frenchman stepped inside the cage to fight for the first time. He further added, “Jon Jones is the greatest ever, and he’s never been beat… He doesn’t know what losing feels like. Never lost, think of that.”

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Dana White has always spoken highly of Jon Jones. Despite his troubles in the past, he still believes that the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the world has made a case to be called the GOAT in not only the UFC but in the sport of MMA. What do you make of the UFC CEO’s choice? Drop your comments below.

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Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

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Himanga Mahanta is a senior UFC writer at EssentiallySports. An all-rounder in his coverage of the sport, Himanga is a reliable voice with a knack for providing analytical coverage of breaking stories from the world of MMA. His 1700+ articles include perspective pieces on trending UFC stories, and both live and post-event coverage of weekly events.
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Gokul Pillai