Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has chimed in on the GOAT debate.
There are few things more popular among sports fans than debating who the greatest is. Whether it be Basketball with LeBron James or Michael Jordan or Football with Tom Brady and Michael Jordan, fans love discussing greatness. Combat sports are no different.
For his part, ‘The Count’ gave his pick for the greatest fighter ever in a recent video published on his YouTube channel. There, Bisping praised several fighters, such as Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and more.
However, Michael Bisping stated that he believes Jon Jones is the greatest fighter ever. Holding a record of 26-1 (1) and holding wins over names such as Daniel Cormier, Vitor Belfort, and more, he’s slated to return against Ciryl Gane next month.
In the video, the former UFC middleweight champion stated that while some fans hold ‘Bones’ testing failures against him, his greatness is too much to be ignored. The Brit praised Jones’s resume, and his ability to beat fighters at their own games. For that reason, among several others, Bisping believes he’s the greatest to ever fight.
“So listen, we’re splitting hairs here,” Michael Bisping stated. “Whether you’re pound for pound number one, two, or three, it doesn’t matter. It’s not an insult, it’s a subjective thing, it’s an opinion, and we’re all entitled to them. However, Jon Jones, when you look at what he’s done, when you look at the people he’s beating, when you look at the way that he’s beaten them. He’s beaten them at their own game a lot of the time. You can’t deny the man.”
He continued, “A lot of people want to do that. We know he’s not popular, and we know he’s had the picograms, the performance-enhancing drugs, the failed tests. Whatever you want to call them, that’s a huge asterisk. But still, I’d say he’s the pound-for-pound number one… We’re also talking about probably the GOAT, the greatest of all time.”
“Once again, Islam [Makhachev] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fans are going to come after me. Georges St-Pierre fans are, Anderson Silva’s fans are, but I’m sorry. Anderson Silva is definitely up there. But still, Jon Jones, the resume, the people he’s beaten, you can’t deny it.”
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