Fans are going after Josh Thomson for saying Jon Jones is not the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
The MMA GOAT conversation will be never-ending because every fan, fighter, and analyst has different criteria. With that said, Jones made it nearly impossible for people to argue against him being the GOAT after defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to become the UFC heavyweight champion.
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME IS NOW THE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP 🏆 JON JONES SUBMITS CIRYL GANE!! #UFC285 https://t.co/JOiAnweVJ5
Despite a long list of accomplishments and impressive wins, Thomson doesn’t think Jones is the GOAT. During an episode of Weighing In, the former UFC fighter questioned the legacy of ‘Bones’ by saying:
“Everyone is like Jon Jones fought Shogun Rua. I said, yeah, he fought good guys, but I wouldn’t say they were towards the end [of their careers], but they definitely weren’t in their prime… I look at the level of competition, those guys at 185, they are not as well-rounded as the ones at 170, 155, 145, 135…”
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but most fans are disagreeing with Thomson’s hot take on Jones not being the GOAT. The comment section was filled with fans questioning the validity of his argument, including some saying:
“I really think this is a bad take from JT. To maintain this record of dominance and championship wins over a decade has to be appreciated and recognize the elite competition he has faced. Regardless of just the legends of Pride but also UFC legends.”
“Josh just doesn’t want to admit that Jon is the greatest. Period. Undefeated. Found a way to win in the tough fights. Went through murderers row and dominated his opponents at their game. Came back after 3 years, moves up to heavyweight and finishes the number one guy in 2 minutes. I could keep going”
“Josh is the “Skip Bayless” of this podcast. No matter what Floyd Mayweather did Skip gave no credit. Same with Josh shooting on Jon.”
“Josh’s take on the GOAT is pure madness.”
“Josh I swear is always swinging and missing with his takes.”
Watch Josh Thomson discuss Jon Jones not being the GOAT below:
What’s next for Jon Jones?
After three years of inactivity, Jon Jones silenced the doubters by defeating Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission. Before being matched up against Gane, Jones had two preferred opponents in mind. ‘Bones’ wanted to fight Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic.
Now that Jones passed his first heavyweight test, the question is, what’s next? Ngannou has left the UFC and doesn’t seem to be returning anytime soon. Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich need another win before earning a title shot.
As a result, the clear option would be Miocic, who Dana White declared was the next opponent for ‘Bones.’ It would be surprising if Jones doesn’t fight the former UFC heavyweight champion next, especially after his post-fight interview at UFC 285.
Watch Jon Jones call out Stipe Miocic during his post-fight interview below:
“Y’all want to see me beat up Stipe?”Jon Jones called out Miocic after becoming heavyweight champion 👀 #UFC285 https://t.co/rbocduGATD