Jon Jones returns to motion on Saturday when he faces Ciryl Gane in the principle occasion of UFC 285. The struggle’s winner will go away T-Cellular Area with the (currently vacant) UFC heavyweight title. If Jones is the victor, he’ll turn into a two-division champion, which is a serious accomplishment, particularly since he hasn’t fought for over three years. Nonetheless, as laudable as that achievement could also be, it is not going to change his standing with regards to the dialogue as to the place Jones lands among the many best MMA fighters of all time.
Jones’ mild heavyweight resume is spectacular and his run at 205 kilos underneath the UFC banner places him squarely within the GOAT dialog. Some followers and pundits wouldn’t hesitate to place him on the prime of that dialogue. For many who think about Jones the perfect MMA fighter of all time, a win over Gane will seemingly solidify his standing as the perfect ever.
Nonetheless, for anybody who stays on the fence relating to the place Jones stands within the pantheon of all-time greats, or for individuals who consider Jones just isn’t the GOAT, a win over Gane is not going to transfer him to the highest of that checklist. In any case, there are higher heavyweight fighters in MMA than Gane. If Gane have been the perfect UFC heavyweight, he’d have already got the UFC heavyweight title round his waist. He doesn’t. And the belt just isn’t in his possession due to his loss to Francis Ngannou of their title unification bout in January 2022. The UFC, Jones and Gane can all act as if Ngannou doesn’t exist, however he does and he left the UFC because the champion. Certainly, he doesn’t technically maintain the promotional title anymore, however one could be hard-pressed to seek out somebody who might say, with a straight face, that Ngannou just isn’t the perfect heavyweight in MMA proper now.
Ngannou is one purpose Jones received’t elevate himself to GOAT standing with a win over Gane. The second purpose is Stipe Miocic.
Miocic is the person who surrendered the title to Ngannou in March 2021 after Ngannou scored a knockout win over him. Miocic can be the person who remains to be underneath contract with the UFC and the one fighter who efficiently defended the UFC heavyweight crown 3 times earlier than dropping the belt. That stretch features a win over Ngannou.
In brief, I received’t try to dissuade those that have already got Jones put in because the MMA GOAT. In any case, that argument could be made — and defended. However, then again, elevating Jones to best-ever standing within the aftermath of UFC 285 — if he wins — doesn’t make sense, not so long as Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic are lively fighters.
UFC 285 takes place at T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 4. The primary card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
