Jon Jones should not be in the MMA G.O.A.T. conversation

Jon “Bones” Jones is one of Mixed Martial Arts’ most accomplished fighters. Known for his unique striking abilities and wrestling skills, he has been a dominant force in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since joining them in 2008. Boasting a 27-1 record, with his only loss mired in rule disputes, he is the current heavyweight champion of the UFC. 

Having ruled over the promotion’s Light Heavyweight division for years, Jones also holds the record of being the youngest champion in UFC history. These accomplishments have earned him a spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame, as well as acclaim from MMA fans and pundits alike. This November, he is set to return to take on former heavyweight king Stipe Miocic. Jones is nearly a five-to-one favorite to win. 

Ahead of Jones’ return to the octagon, UFC president Dana White has been heavily promoting Jones as the greatest of all time, going as far as claiming that he is “the greatest combat fighter of all time.”

However, there are several arguments as to why Jones should not be included in the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) discussion.

Performance-enhancing drug violations

Throughout his illustrious career, Jones has tested positive for banned substances three times, twice for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). 

In 2016, before an anticipated rematch with rival Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, Jones was discovered to have estrogen blockers in his system — a banned substance often used to counter the negative side effects of anabolic steroids. He was pulled from the event and suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a year.  

Jones later tested positive again following his win over Cormier in their second fight at UFC 214, this time for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid known to boost bone mass and muscle growth, according to steroid expert Ernst Peibst. Jones’ victory was then overturned to a no-contest. He was stripped of his light-heavyweight championship and was suspended by USADA again.

Entering the fight while having PEDs in his system not only destroyed his competition integrity, but also posed an unfair risk of serious injury to Cormier.

The positive tests caused Jones’ numerous accolades to be brought into question, as they can now be attributed to the aid of PEDs, rather than solely to his fighting skills and dedication to the sport.

Dirty in-fight tactics

Jones has often been criticized for his use of questionable and sometimes illegal tactics while in the octagon. 

If there’s one thing you know you’ll see during a Jon Jones fight, it’s eye pokes. While standing, he’ll stretch his arms out with an open palm towards his opponents’ face with his fingers outstretched, resulting in eye pokes if they attempt to move forward and engage. Jones has poked nearly all of his opponents in his UFC career, but has never received a point deduction for it.

Under the unified rules of MMA, eye pokes are prohibited. But Jones doesn’t seem to care, even going as far as to admit that he knowingly and purposely pokes his opponents eyes in an excerpt from the documentary “The Hurt Business.”

The use of this technique has always given Jones an unfair advantage by limiting the vision of his opponents, causing his in-ring dominance to be put into question.

Another questionable technique that Jones has been known to use is the oblique kick. That move  targets opponents’ knees with a low side kick and can hyperextend their leg, causing serious injury. Although it is not outlawed in MMA, it has caused uproar among fighters due to its potential to cause permanent injury.

A former opponent of Jones, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, claims that his knee has “never been the same” after his bout with Jones as a result of the technique. He has even gone as far to say that Jones is “bad for the sport.”

Controversial decision wins

Although he has a near-perfect record, there are a few wins on Jones’ tally that many argue shouldn’t be there. 

Most notably, in his title fight against Dominick Reyes, Jones was awarded a controversial unanimous decision win from the ringside judges, even after seemingly being controlled throughout the entire fight. One look at any online MMA forum discussing the matchup will feature large groups of fans who believe that Reyes was wrongly deemed the loser of their bout. In fact, 14 out of 21 MMA media outlets had scored the fight in Reyes’ favor on the night of the event, including Sherdog, MMAJunkie and more. 

Similar discussions also arose after Jones’ bout against Thiago Santos, with one user on the r/ufc subreddit claiming that Santos was “robbed” in his split-decision defeat.

This list only scratches the surface of the several controversies surrounding the current heavyweight champion. Jones’ life outside of MMA features a lengthy criminal record as well, with charges ranging from hit-and-runs, domestic violence, battery and more. These incidents cast further doubts on his professionalism and integrity, a bad look for someone who is being touted as the greatest. 

With all this in mind, one thing becomes clear: Jon Jones doesn’t belong in the G.O.A.T. conversation.

Rodrigo Feijão is the senior sports editor and can be reached at rodrigo.feijao@ubspectrum.com