Dana White insists that Jon Jones is PfP G.O.A.T in MMA.... but does he really think that?

Jon Jones is a phenom... Let's just get that straight right out the door. He is one of the greatest things to ever enter the octagon of all time, this is undebatable. However, it shouldn't be said that he is without question the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. This is a very subjective debate because people at higher weight categories compete in a significantly different way than smaller people do. That is just a fact of combat-sports. I think that most people find something below heavyweight to be more entertaining because there is more diversity in action, but just because someone is entertaining doesn't necessarily mean that they are technically the best ever.

src

One thing I am strongly suspicious of about all of this is that Dana keeps Jones close to him, they are buddies almost despite the fact that Jones has actually called Dana out for being "greedy." I think that given the ongoing pay (or lack of it) debate in UFC that happens on the regular that we can all agree that Dana is definitely that. This is one of the main reasons why I think that Dana got so upset when the fans chose their own GOAT list and Jones ended up being number 3 on the list. If there is one thing that Dana is definitely well-versed in, it is making money and Jon Jones always makes UFC and therefore Dana White, a ton of money. Dana went on to say that the people who voted in the recent ranking "know absolutely fucking nothing about fighting."

Jones is a great fighter, this much is certain, but I too can see why some people out there would be hesitant to say that he is hands down the greatest ever. For one thing, Jones is notorious for eye pokes. Almost everyone that has ever faced him complains about how he leads in with his fingers and pokes almost everyone that he has ever fought against in the eyes repeatedly. This was especially true when he was at light heavyweight.

src

Some fighters have said that if you are in any way getting a leg up on Jones, he is going to poke you in the eyes, guaranteed. Others have gone as far as to say that he is the dirtiest fighter in the game. It's tough to lose against someone that is on a relatively even keel with you once they can no longer see with one of their eyes.

src

He consistently leads with his fingers extended and then tries to claim that the other guy ran his hand into his extended fingers. He has broken the rules many times but rarely suffers any consequences for it. Here is a fun article that showcases every single time that Jones broke the unified MMA rules throughout his career. It's a very long list.

Jones has a lanky physique and has a reach of an astounding 84 inches, which one would think would be enough but time and time again he leads in with fingers extended as he reaches for his opponents' faces. Even though I find Jones to be quite the fighter and is no doubt tough as nails, this is a dirty tactic. He has been warned many times by officials throughout his career but I think that his status and the fact that he brings in tons of money to the UFC is the only reason why he isn't reprimanded for this like other fighters would be.

There are also examples of him violating the "knee to a downed opponent" rule that does and has resulted in disqualification for other fighters. So why not Jones? I think the UFC plays favorites with their golden boy who brings in viewers by the tens of millions.

Jones doesn't even deny these tactics and said about eye pokes "it's very illegal but I do it." This article by Sportskeeda goes into great detail about the fact that Jones doesn't even try to deny that eye-poking is a major part of his arsenal.

This is a big part of why I don't think Jones should be the de facto GOAT on lists and it would seem as though the general public agrees with me at least to the endpoint. However, the list included Alex Pereira ranked above Jones and to me this is just silly. The guy hasn't been around long enough for us to really know what he is made of and he has lost one of these fights as well. Is he impressive? Absolutely! Does he need just a few more fights under his belt before we can include him in the "greatest ever" picture? I think so.

If we all get our wish Dana will maybe have to eat some humble pie as far as his recent statements basically calling the fans "idiots" is concerned because there is a big push to get Jones vs Pereira going in the next year. We need to keep in mind that Jones hasn't fought anyone in nearly a year and a half so will that be a factor?

I've said it many times before that all the sports we watch are not about the love of the sport, they are about money.... Aside from Conor McGregor, nobody has made more money for Dana than probably Jon Jones. So for me, this is the main reason why White became so upset upon seeing the fans' rankings.