If you talk to an avid UFC fan and ask him/her who the UFC GOAT is, there is a high possibility that they name the current UFC heavyweight champ, Jon Jones. Jones made his UFC debut back in 2008 against André Gusmão. He won that fight and then went on to win every single fight that he was a part of bar one (the DQ loss to Matt Hamill). However, he dominated his opponent in that fight as well. But is Jones the same fighter now?

Back in the day, Jones beat some of the most distinguished and decorated fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. He was untouchable during his prime in the light heavyweight division. He then walked away from the sport for a long time as he found himself in trouble outside the Octagon, a couple of times. Jones has always been a controversial figure in MMA and that is exactly what former UFC fighter Dan Henderson and UFC commentator Joe Rogan were discussing in one of the latest episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Joe Rogan explains Jon Jones’ unbelievable talent to Dan Henderson

Jon Jones is not only undefeated in the UFC, but now he is the heavyweight champion as well. He returned after years and won back the most prestigious title in the UFC with no effort. It is hard to refute the fact that Jon Jones is in fact the GOAT of the UFC. However, Jones has had his share of troubles outside the Octagon – things that people have pointed out multiple times. UFC fighter Dan Henderson couldn’t help but point out the difference that he noticed between the old Jon Jones (light heavyweight) and the new one (heavyweight champ).

“Yeah, I don’t – I don’t think Jon Jones is the same as he was… before he tested positive, like for the third time – on things. You know, maybe he’s really not doing anything nowadays and he’s just – I don’t feel like he – his body is the same – well, he’s a heavyweight now but before he went to heavyweight he just looked softer… He just didn’t fight the same as he did back when, you know, he was kind of possibly – when he was tested positive if I should say,” remarked Henderson.

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Rogan responded to Henderson with the perfect reply. “Hmm… Interesting. I always feel like Jon just wasn’t challenged. And then when Jon was… when he defended the title a bunch of times – first of all, he’s partying a lot. Right? He wasn’t necessarily training that hard. You know, like he basically said that for the Gustafsson, which was one of his toughest fights – he didn’t even train. He barely showed up. He just kind of like, just thought there’s no way this guy’s gonna beat me. I’m gonna go f**k him up and Gustafsson came in real prepared and Jon had to dig deep. And the most impressive thing about that is he pulled that fight out in the later rounds when he wasn’t really training,” he said.

However, becoming a champion is the easy part. Defending the title is what makes a champion. Now that Jones is the heavyweight champion, he will have to defend his title against some of the best in the division – nothing he hasn’t done before. But it seems that there might be a slight hiccup there.

Jon Jones pulls out of the Stipe Miocic fight – what next?

UFC fans were all ready to witness two of the greatest battles back to back. The UFC 294 main event was a fan favorite as Islam Makhachev proved yet again, that he is the current lightweight top dog, by putting Alexander Volkanovski to sleep with a stunning head kick. UFC 295 had all the makings to top that fight in terms of popularity. However, it seems that Joe Rogan and Dan Henderson might not get to witness the greatness of Jon Jones so soon.

Jon Jones was all set to defend his heavyweight title against the heavyweight GAOT, Stipe Miocic. However, Jones suffered an injury while sparring and had to pull out of the fight. He even apologized to Miocic and his team for doing the same.

Ready to Step In at UFC 295, Francis Ngannou Reveals Desire for Jon Jones Fight, Is Dana White Game?

Now, the UFC has decided to replace the main event with an alternate heavyweight bout – a fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich. What is next for Jon Jones? Will he get the Miocic fight? Or will Aspinall get the title shot he has been asking for? Is Francis Ngannou coming back to the UFC? If so, then will Jones fight him?

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