UFC
‘I love the way he carries himself as a Muslim’ – Jon Jones showers praise on Khabib Nurmagomedov despite their history
Jon Jones will fight for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 5.
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will mark his return to the UFC octagon on March 5 against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285. The former champion was expected to clash against Francis Ngannou, but it couldn’t happen as the 36-year-old left UFC in January after failing to come to an agreement following the expiry of his last deal in December.
Meanwhile, Jones was recently asked to rank the Top five MMA fighters of all time and surprisingly he included the undefeated retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov as earlier Jones raised questions on Khabib’s legacy when the former lightweight champion got retired after beating Justin Geathje in 2020 as he didn’t want to fight as his father, who was also his coach, passed away.
I love what Khabib represents,” Jones told RMC Sport. “We’ve had our differences in the past, I’ve made some quotes about him. But there’s never really been a real beef. I love the way he carries himself as a Muslim, I love the way he represents his country. I love the businessman that he is. He just seems like a stand-up guy, gives back to others. He’s a stand-up guy, an admirable man. I appreciate his existence.”
Could you imagine me against the No. 10 ranked guy?: Jon Jones
Jones who will be making his comeback after 3 years, is considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever fight in the UFC octagon as he is also unbeaten in the sport. He will make his debut against Gane in the heavyweight championship match. However, these were Jones’ words in the past for Khabib.
“I’m talking to all you Khabib fans out there,” Jones said after Nurmagomedov’s last UFC fight. “Fifteen world titles to your guy’s four. And you guys really talking about who’s the best fighter ever? You guys are joking, right? Fifteen to four, are you guys kidding me? All you guys that are going with this, ‘He’s more dominant’ argument, the guy just recently started fighting elite-level competition. Could you imagine me against the No. 10 ranked guy?”
Dana White also talked about Jones and said, “When you talk about his legacy, if Jon Jones can come in and beat Ciryl Gane, I said this when I talked to you guys last time, nobody can deny that Jon Jones is the greatest of all-time,” White said.
