Sorry Izzy, But Johnson Has ‘Bones’ As Best Ever

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UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes former flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson is the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but “Mighty Mouse” just handed his crown off to ex-light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who may or may not be retired depending on who you ask, is currently ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion, ahead of former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones and reigning middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya.

But who is the greatest MMA fighter of all time?

“Jon Jones has gotta be No. 1 for me,” former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson told MMA Junkie. “His title reign, I’ve seen him train before, how he’s beaten so many great light heavyweights before. And then after that it starts to get cloudy, I’m not gonna lie. I think there are athletes that are on their way, like if Khabib would keep on fighting and do five or six or seven or eight more fights, then I’ll definitely throw him in.”

Johnson, 34, is 16-1 over the last eight years (30-3-1 overall) and is usually in most conversations about the greatest of all time (GOAT) after spending a portion of his career atop the pound-for-pound chart. But “Mighty Mouse” has a certain set of criteria when breaking down the best ever, which in his mind, is not a popularity contest.

Sorry, Ronda.

“For me, I like to see longevity,” Johnson continued. “I like to see dominance. Longevity is a big thing. When you look at Jon Jones, I think he’s 15 world title fights? That’s a lot of work of staying motivated, staying on top to keep on winning. I think (Israel Adesanya) is on his way. If he goes up to light heavyweight and beats the champion there, and he goes up to fight Jon Jones, he’s definitely on his way.”

I guess this guy is the only one voting for Georges St. Pierre.