Michael Bisping weighed in on the MMA GOAT debate, which has been an ongoing debate among fans for years. It is subjective, but there seems to be a group of fighters that are always in the discussion.
Bisping uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he gave his thoughts on both the pound-for-pound king debate as well as the GOAT debate. He mentioned that based on career and quality of opponents, he believes that it is Jon Jones.
He said:
"Until that happens [heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane], when you look at the body of work, the people that he's beaten, legend after legend, champion after champion, the number one guy pound-for-pound has gotta be Johnny 'Bones' Jones." [5:27 - 5:39]
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The UFC Hall of Famer also brought up that 'Bones' is a talented fighter who has been dominant at light heavyweight for many years. He mentioned that a lot of fans will be disappointed with his answer:
"The greatest of all time. And I know, once again, Islam [Makhachev] fans, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fans are gonna come after me, Georges St-Pierre fans are, Anderson Silva's fans are, but I'm sorry...Jon Jones. The resume, the people that he's beaten -- can't deny it." [5:50 - 6:16]
'Bones' will have an opportunity to make a stronger case for himself next Saturday, when he fights Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285.
Check out the full video:
Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones is still the pound-for-pound king
Michael Bisping praised Jon Jones as the former light heavyweight king prepares to make his heavyweight debut and attempt to become a two-division UFC champion.
In the aforementioned video, 'The Count' discussed both the current pound-for-pound debate as well as the GOAT debate. He mentioned that despite the three-year layoff, he still believes Jones is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, saying:
"That title [pound-for-pound No.1 fighter] belongs to a man that returns next week to the octagon. And yes, of course, I'm talking about Johnny 'Bones' Jones. Okay, he's been out of action for a while. Three years away from the octagon, we know this okay, but that's the guy." [3:22 - 3:36]
Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski currently holds the No.1 spot in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings. But that could change should Jones defeat Ciryl Gane to become the new heavyweight champion.