Jon Jones explains why he saw Topuria as a GOAT threat

Jones still believes in Topuria despite his shocking loss to Gaethje.

Jon Jones is considered by many to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He sees it that way too, but in an interview he admits there’s one person he was recently afraid might take that status away from him. That person is Ilia Topuria, who, before his fight at the White House, was already a champion in two weight classes, undefeated, and had already defeated several big names. The only one who had been able to do anything about that so far was Justin Gaethje, who ended the fight in the fourth round and claimed the UFC lightweight title. In an interview with Prince Street Pizza, Jon Jones explained why he thought so highly of Ilia Topuria and why this defeat changed his assessment slightly.

“Ilia Topuria [excites me]. Before that White House card, I looked at him as [invincible]. As bad as I want other fighters to come and beat my records and become the next greatest, there’s another side of me that wants to hold onto that for my kid’s sake and my family’s honor. Honestly, I thought Ilia would be the first threat to be considered the greatest of all time and then we saw what happened to him. But when it comes to entertainment, his boxing and his power and his confidence and everything about him, I like the way he carries himself outside the ring. He comes from a successful family and he’s a guy who doesn’t have to fight, he doesn’t need the money but he does it out of love and those are the reasons that made me a big Ilia fan. He’s doing all the right things. His recovery, all of it, he’s a guy who deserves to win”

he said.

Despite the surprising loss, Jon Jones believes in a strong comeback. Since they both had the same manager, he apparently knows that Ilia Topuria is working very hard to regain his former strength. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the end, and whether all that effort will ultimately pay off.

I find it a little surprising that Jon Jones can think this way, since these days you often hear nothing but self-praise. But I think it’s good that he can see things differently, and I actually see it very much the same way he does. What do you think?