Dana White proclaims Jon Jones ‘the best ever’

Fight fans love to debate about the greatest fighter of all time. But in the eyes of UFC President Dana White, there’s really no sense in debating it anymore. He believes reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has irrefutable claim to that title — which is especially impressive considering the troubles he’s had outside the cage.

“This isn’t about a dominant, dominant champion. This is about the greatest of all time,” Dana White said in an interview with ESPN (transcript via MMA News). “We’re at a point now where, to keep saying, ‘Oh, he could possibly….’ He is. He’s it. Jon Jones is it. Nightmare outside of the Octagon, nightmare for opponents inside the Octagon. And when you look at what this guy has been able to do, the fact that we can sit here…I call him the greatest, you don’t disagree, and most other people wouldn’t, either, and the lifestyle that he’s lived outside the Octagon is pretty amazing. I mean, this guy is a freak of nature. He’s phenomenal. He’s the best ever.”

While Jon Jones has had plenty of issues outside the Octagon, Dana White believes the champ is finally in a good head space — which is likely bad news for his opponents.

“The beautiful thing with Jon Jones right now is that I think that mentally he’s in a good place, he understands the mistakes he made, he sees the window closing,” White said. “Age gets us all. Father time is undefeated. So he’s taking this very serious. He wants to get his name back. He wants to get the respect back from the fans and the people in the business back. And he’s staying busy. I love how happy he’s being, and I’m happy for him.

“This guy’s legacy is cemented no matter what he does,” White concluded. “He stays at light heavyweight until he decides to stop or get beat or if he moves up to heavyweight, it’s all good for him.”

Jon Jones returns to the Octagon at UFC 239 on July 6 in Las Vegas, where he’ll look to defend his title against Thiago Santos.

Do you think Jon Jones is the greatest fighter of all time?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/27/2019.