Terence Crawford Ironically Declares Jon Jones His UFC Favorite Despite ‘Impaired’ Stance

“I literally would, one week before every fight, go out and get blacked-out wasted,” Jon Jones revealed on the Joe Rogan Experience, explaining how he’d party before stepping into the Octagon. The reason? ‘Bones’ admitted he wanted to have an excuse for his vices if he ever lost in the Octagon. And that’s one of the key reasons some fans still question his status as the greatest of all time.

Yet even with the controversies, Jones’s in-cage dominance remains unmatched. His rise from youngest-ever UFC champion at 23 to undisputed two–division king cements his legacy—so much so that boxing great Terence Crawford named him his favorite UFC fighter, despite his own disciplined lifestyle.

Terrence Crawford names Jon Jones his favorite UFC fighter    

In the FullSend podcast, Kyle Forgeard asked, “Who are some fighters that you f– with in the UFC?” Crawford answered, “Jon Jones is my boy, man! We’re cool, we inbox and talk here and there, but I’ve been a fan of him. I like Khabib, Mirsad (Bektic), he used to be in the UFC. There’s a lot of fighters, Aljo, a lot of them.” 

The world-famous boxer has an impressive list of UFC fighters he admires. But his choice of Jon Jones as the best UFC fighter feels a bit ironic, given Crawford’s lifestyle. The boxer avoids drinking and partying, believing the body is a temple that should be respected. That view didn’t exactly match up with ‘Bones,’ who once tested positive for benzoylecgonine ahead of his UFC 182 showdown with Daniel Cormier.

Crawford added, “I’m real chill, you know. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t really party. I’m just chill and laid back. Your body is a temple, and looking at family members who had addictions to drinking and smoking, I always told myself—What makes people wanna be impaired? Not knowing what’s going on? Falling all over the place, busting their teeth out, busting their eyes open because they drank too much and fell down stairs and stuff like that. I never understood why people want to be so messed up that they don’t even know what’s going on around them.”   

Crawford picking Jon Jones despite his strong stance against partying isn’t exactly surprising. Many have chosen to put the former two-division UFC champion’s skills above his past controversies. Even Chael Sonnen has said Jones would’ve been a world champion regardless of PED use or wild nights before a fight. But there’s one thing ‘The Bad Guy’ doesn’t agree with when it comes to Jones’ next move.  

Chael Sonnen thinks ‘Bones’ doesn’t deserve to headline UFC White House card  

The UFC White House card has completely stolen the spotlight in terms of hype. Fans are buzzing about what the promotion will deliver in the South Lawn spectacle, with over 20,000 expected to cheer for their favorite fighters. With Conor McGregor already going through two rounds of drug testing and grabbing headlines, the big question now is! Will Jon Jones represent as the star American fighter?

Well, Dana White has already made it clear he’s not trusting Jones with a massive event like the White House card. That alone sparked waves of speculation that things aren’t all good between the UFC boss and ‘Bones’. And now, Chael Sonnen has added fuel to the fire with his own take! Saying ‘Bones’ shouldn’t headline the coveted event.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘The Bad Guy’ said, “No one is going to take those glorious spots. Except for the people who earned them by showing their loyalty back to the industry, to the company. Jon does not deserve to have a main event spot on the White House card.”

Contextually, the White House card is massive—a July 4, 2026 event on the South Lawn celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Dana White has said Jones is a “billion-to-one” long shot to fight on it, citing trust issues stemming from his retirement, legal troubles, and public reliability concerns. Meanwhile, Jones has responded defiantly—continuing training, re-entering testing pools, and calling the opportunity to fight at the White House a ‘greater purpose’.

It seems Sonnen is still fired up about Jones passing on the Tom Aspinall fight, retiring, and then suddenly wanting to swoop back in for the White House spectacle. So the real question is! Does Jon Jones actually deserve that spot, or is he about to make a controversial entry anyway? Let us know in the comments below.