Better than Conor McGregor, Khabib and GSP

The debate as to who is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time tends to regularly include four prominent names; Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Silva and St-Pierre were perhaps the pioneers of modern MMA as their domination in the middleweight and welterweight divisions respectively put them firmly on the path to greatness.

But Jones’ record-breaking rise to the top of a legend-filled light-heavyweight division saw him dominate and destroy the likes of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort en route to the title.

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Jones’ ability has never been in doubt, but his temperament and indiscretions merit scrutiny

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov has established himself as perhaps the most dominant grappler in the history of the sport, the undefeated lightweight is still seeking big names to add to his impressive 28-0 CV.

But for Jones, the names are there for all to see and that, according to the 32-year-old, is why he deserves to go down in history as the greatest.

Jones said on ESPN First Take: “If you were to ask some MMA experts about myself and Khabib, I think most people would be able to tell our resumes are completely different.

“I’ve fought so many world champions that I’ve defeated. Khabib, a lot of his victories are against a lot of people that are relatively unknown.

“I’ve been fighting legends since I was a young man.”

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Khabib beat McGregor via submission in October 2018

Jones is an admirer of Khabib, however, adding: “I think Khabib’s an amazing fighte.

“He’s done a great job representing UFC. He’s a great ambassador for our sport.”

‘Bones’ has teased fans for years about a potential move to heavyweight, with the possibility of claiming a second world title in the land of the giants.

Of course, the first men to ever hold two belts simultaneously is none other than the irrepressible and irresistible Conor McGregor.

Although the Irishman is certainly the most lucrative draw in the history of the game, question marks about his inability to defend a belt linger.

Conor McGregor gives emotional post-fight interview after victorious return at UFC 246

And while acknowledging McGregor’s undeniable star quality, Jones does not want to be remembered for the fame and fortune so much as the glory.

He continued: “At the end of the day – no disrespect to Conor because I love what he’s doing for our sport – I don’t think he’s going to be in the conversation when people are sitting around in the barber shop talking about the greatest martial artists in the world.

“So I’m very aware of that. The box office stuff can come eventually.

“I’m only 32. But for the most part, those records are very hard to get and that’s what really gets me going in the morning.”

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