UFC legend Jon Jones tabbed Ilia Topuria as the biggest threat to his claim as the greatest fighter in Mixed Martial Arts history.
UFC legend Jon Jones is considered as the greatest fighter to ever compete in the Octagon by many fans, pundits, and fellow fighters. Jones retired from Mixed Martial Arts after a knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to successfully defend the heavyweight championship.
Several fighters in UFC history make strong cases as the UFC GOAT, including Jones. UFC Hall of Famers Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov are also two popular names brought up in the GOAT debate.
Before Ilia Topuria lost the UFC lightweight title in a shocking upset against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, Jones viewed Topuria as the biggest threat to his GOAT status.
Jon Jones looked at Ilia Topuria as ‘invincible’ before UFC White House loss
In a recent interview with Prince Street Pizza, Jones touted Topuria as the biggest threat to his GOAT claim.
“Before that White House card, I looked at him as [invincible]. As bad as I want other fighters to come and beat my records and become the next greatest, there’s another side of me that wants to hold onto that for my kids’ sake and my family’s honor,” Jones said of Topuria.
“Honestly, I thought Ilia would be the first threat to be considered the greatest of all time, and then we saw what happened to him.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Despite Topuria falling short of GOAT status, in Jones’ eyes, he expects the former two-division champ to bounce back in his return.
“But when it comes to entertainment, his boxing and his power and his confidence and everything about him,” Jones said of Topuria.
“I like the way he carries himself outside the ring. He comes from a successful family, and he’s a guy who doesn’t have to fight; he doesn’t need the money, but he does it out of love, and those are the reasons that made me a big Ilia fan.”
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