When it comes to greatest of all time debates, UFC president Dana White doesn’t believe there is one.
UFC 239 will be headlined by Jon Jones defending his light heavyweight championship against Thiago Santos, with Jones entering the fight as a hefty favorite, currently at -600 against Santos. Often when there is a dominant champion, especially one who has yet to be defeated, you wind up with lopsided lines like this, even against a fighter as talented as Santos. But this is more than just a case of a dominant fighter being put on a pedestal according to Dana White. This is about someone who he believes has proven to be a rank above every other fighter past and present:
“This isn’t about a dominant, dominant champion. This is about the greatest of all time,” Dana White said of Jones in an ESPN interview. “We’re at a point now where, to keep saying, ‘Oh, he could possibly….’ He is. He’s it. Jon Jones is it. Nightmare outside of the Octagon, nightmare for opponents inside the Octagon. And when you look at what this guy has been able to do, the fact that we can sit here…I call him the greatest, you don’t disagree, and most other people wouldn’t, either, and the lifestyle that he’s lived outside the Octagon is pretty amazing. I mean, this guy is a freak of nature. He’s phenomenal. He’s the best ever.”
One thing that has prevented Jones from boosting his résumé even further are those aforementioned nightmares. But Dana White is now beginning to speak with more faith and confidence that Jones has finally grown and is ready to represent himself and the promotion well:
“The beautiful thing with Jon Jones right now is that I think that mentally he’s in a good place, he understands the mistakes he made, he sees the window closing,” White said. “Age gets us all. Father time is undefeated. So he’s taking this very serious. He wants to get his name back. He wants to get the respect back from the fans and the people in the business back. And he’s staying busy. I love how happy he’s being, and I’m happy for him.”
Some people believe that for Jones to really cement himself as the GOAT, especially in today’s age of double champions, he would need to move up to heavyweight. Dana White disagrees:
“This guy’s legacy is cemented no matter what he does,” White said. “He stays at light heavyweight until he decides to stop or get beat or if he moves up to heavyweight, it’s all good for him.”
Do you agree with Dana White? Is Jon Jones clearly the greatest of all time?
