Jon Jones to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at Garden to further prove he is GOAT
Jon Jones celebrates winning the UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena on March 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. Credit: Getty Images/Chris Graythen
Jon Jones considers himself an “old head” in the UFC, a fairly accurate assessment for the 37-year-old mixed martial artist preparing for his 30th fight in a career that touches three decades.
Jones’ athletic lifespan has seen plenty of changes in the sport. It also has endured long enough to experience a grammatical shift. Once upon a time, no athlete wanted to be called the “goat.” It was short for scapegoat, the person who got blamed for things that went wrong, which in the case of sports, meant being the primary reason for a loss. Ask an old head, they’ll tell you.
Now, “goat” means “G.O.A.T.” — the greatest of all-time.
And in today’s world which favors the dismissal of historical perspective and gravitates toward instant gratification and trending hashtags, anyone can be a GOAT for just about anything. At least for a few minutes.
Only in rare instances is the term properly applied anymore. In MMA, Jon Jones is that rare instance.
“I'm aware of what the fans say, as far as being one of the best ever, and I'm honored by it, I'm flattered by it,” Jones told Newsday. “As far as being the greatest ever, I think that's always an opinion that the fans have to give. Muhammad Ali, he called himself the best, and I respect him for that, and I'm sure you can find quotes of me calling myself the best as well, but ultimately, and that's always going to be a fan decision, and I'm really grateful to be in the conversation.”
That conversation will return to the MMA forefront this week as Jones prepares to defend his heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Some consider Miocic (20-4) the best UFC heavyweight ever, citing his six total title-fight victories and his three consecutive title defenses, tops in the UFC record book in both categories, as evidence.
Jones is only 1-0 as a heavyweight, so Miocic has him beat there. But, Jones is an unbeaten one-loss fighter at light heavyweight. Huh?
He is 26-1 with one no contest as a light heavyweight, with that one loss coming by disqualification for an illegal strike. It was a 12-6 elbow, which now is legal, that landed on the head of Matt Hamill several strikes after the fight probably should have been stopped by the referee.
Jones’ last 19 fights all have headlined an event, including 17 straight championship fights. He’s 18-0 with one no contest in that span. He’s beaten nine current or former UFC champions.
That resume stands alone in the UFC, in MMA and just about any other acronym you choose to add on here.
One fan, and he’s an influential one, leading that GOAT conversation lately has been Dana White, Jones’ boss and president of the UFC. He has gone out of his way in media appearances to make sure anyone inquiring about the best pound-for-pound fighters hears the words “Jon” and “Jones” in succession.
You would expect the head of the company to speak glowingly of one of his top stars. Sure, but then you don’t know White. You can find plenty of quotes of his about Jones that land far from the positive side of sentiment indicators. From refusing a fight on short notice that led to the cancellation of UFC 151 to Jones’ numerous run-ins with the law, athletic commissions and illegal substances. In the rankings of 180-degree turnarounds in public commentary, White’s words on Jones are the pound-for-pound GOATs.
“At times, I'm like, when is Ashton Kutcher going to come out and tell me that I'm being 'Punk'd"?” Jones said. “It makes me push that much harder. I know when I go out there at Madison Square Garden, I can't have Dana White on one hand saying, this is the best and then give a lackluster performance. So, I'm excited to give everything I have and prove my boss right.”
In reality, Jones has little left to prove. To anyone. Still, he finds ways to keep going in a sport where he has done it all.
“Legacy motivates me,” Jones said. “Taking on massive names in the sport. Knowing that I felt the absolute best of the best, the proven guys. That really inspires me.”
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
