LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO Dana White has vehemently defended two subjects maybe greater than any others over the previous 12 months. The primary, is who the pound-for-pound greatest fighter is true now. The second is that his reply to that query, Jon Jones, who he thinks ought to rightfully combat Stipe Miocic subsequent.
Following Dana White’s Contender Collection 69 on Tuesday on the UFC Apex, White engaged with reporters in a prolonged, back-and-forth dialogue.
The talk was respectful however passionate, as White verbally traded with media members, primarily veteran reporters Kevin Iole and John Morgan.
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 09: TUF Coach, Jon Jones (L) and Dana White, UFC President/UFC Gentle Heavyweight Champion, of the tv present “The Final Fighter” communicate in the course of the FX Networks portion of the 2013 Winter Tv Critics Affiliation Press Tour on the Langham Lodge and Spa on January 9, 2013 in Pasadena, California. (Photograph by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Pictures)
Jones as pound-for-pound No. 1
The 12-plus-minute alternate started as White was about to wrap his post-event information convention. He was jokingly requested about Jones’ standing because the “pound-for-pound GOAT.”
The argument is one which White has repeated his stance on more and more in current weeks. The frequency and enthusiasm has amused on-line commenters and meme-creators.
Iole requested, “Does he have photos of you?” to which laughs got here.
“Are you guys that f*cking silly?” White laughed again. “You’ll be able to’t be that f*cking silly to assume that Jon Jones isn’t the pound-for-pound greatest fighter on the earth and the GOAT… however possibly you’re?”
White stood as much as go away however then sat again down to interact. Eleven extra minutes of dialogue came about thereafter.
“Query me,” White mentioned. “Who’s higher than Jon Jones? Who’s pound-for pound higher than Jon Jones?”
Morgan jumped in and answered, “At what level does inactivity come into play, proper? All of us agree there may be no one higher than Jon Jones. He’s the best of all time. There’s no query about it. However sooner or later, while you’re rankings, they do should signify what’s taking place within the group at that second, proper at the moment, and previously three years, he’s had one combat.”
White’s reply to that query revolved across the inactivity not being a selection, however reasonably an harm, which Jones (27-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) suffered weeks earlier than an preliminary reserving with Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) scheduled for November 2023. Jones was out of motion for 3 years when he returned to win heavyweight gold vs. Ciryl Gane in March 2023, and he hasn’t fought since. In the meantime, Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has turn into interim heavyweight champion, even scoring a uncommon protection of that interim belt towards Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July.
“You discuss inactivity and that he’s solely fought one time. Jon Jones was presupposed to combat,” White mentioned. “If Jon Jones was sitting on the sofa saying, ‘I don’t know once I’m going to combat once more,’ then he’s positively not within the pound-for-pound dialogue proper now. He was scheduled to combat and he received injured. He’s an energetic fighter.”
White then introduced up Islam Makhachev, the fighter many media members and followers assume deserves the pound-for-pound designation. Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has defended the UFC light-weight title 3 times, although two of these had been towards then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, and one was a highly-debated choice. He’s at present ranked No. 1 within the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings.
“Islam, many individuals consider, misplaced to the man (Volkanovski) who’s a weight class under him,” White mentioned. “Is that how pound-for-pound works?”
Jones vs. Stipe
White and Iole then went back-and-forth concerning the definition of “energetic” earlier than the dialog pivoted to the reserving between Jones and Miocic.
“Everybody on this room thinks Aspinall is extra highly-rated than Stipe, at this level,” Iole mentioned. “Stipe’s status is improbable however he has not received a combat since he beat (Daniel Cormier) – in 4 years. That additionally performs into it as partially an element when you’ve a man like Aspinall knocking out Serghei Pavlovich in lower than a minute, Curtis Blaydes in lower than a minute, and so on., and so on.”
White mentioned he didn’t disagree, however provided up a special stance and laid out an argument that’s crux was not desirous to disrespect Miocic, who missed out on the Jones combat in late 2023 not due to his personal doing.
“Right here’s the flip aspect to that,” White mentioned. “What do I do? The man who’s checked out as the best heavyweight within the UFC, proper? This combat’s arrange. Jon Jones will get harm. It’s not his fault. He has to attend and return into coaching camp once more. He was coaching. So do I simply yank it away from Stipe and say, ‘Hey, go f*ck your self and sit on the sidelines for 2 extra years’? If I did that you simply guys can be like, ‘Oh, you f*cking disrespected the best heavyweight ever,’ so would the f*cking followers. So I ought to simply sh*t on Stipe as a result of Jon received harm, and never make the combat that he was already presupposed to combat?’”
Iole rebutted that Miocic ought to’ve fought Aspinall in Jones’ absence, reasonably than sit and await the champion.
“That is the combat (Jones and Miocic) each need,” White mentioned. “What do you do? You don’t present the blokes their respect. I assure you this, if Stipe wins, Stipe goes to retire. This shall be Stipe’s final combat. Are you the media telling me I ought to simply inform Stipe to f*ck off and (say), ‘Good luck to you Stipe. Go experience off into the sundown and combat some fires and that’s a wrap for you, buddy,” as a result of Jon received harm? Or do I present this man the respect that I ought to present him and provides them each the combat that they need? That’s the place I’m in.”
Unsurprisingly, no settlement was reached. White, with a smile, declared Jones’ standing because the pound-for-pound greatest fighter as soon as final time earlier than he departed the desk and was changed by beaming UFC contract-earner Malcolm Wellmaker.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 04: Jon Jones appears to be like on in the course of the UFC heavyweight championship combat towards Ciryl Gane of France in the course of the UFC 285 occasion at T-Cell Area on March 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photograph by Chris Graythen/Getty Pictures)
What’s subsequent
Jones and Miocic are “focused” to combat at UFC 309, an occasion Nov. 16 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York, White confirmed Tuesday. White mentioned the dearth of formal announcement by the promotion is because of its calendar not being crammed out till that time.
Aspinall, the promotion’s interim titleholder, defended that championship at UFC 304 in July when he knocked out Curtis Blaydes. It’s unclear what his subsequent aggressive transfer is, although he’s upped his callouts of Jones in current weeks, even creating skit movies in an try and angle for the combat.
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