Mixed martial arts (MMA) is unique among major sports in the sense that it is so new to the competitive landscape. Major League Baseball (MLB) was founded in 1876. The National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917, and the National Football League (NFL) came aboard in 1920. Even the National Basketball Association (NBA) can say that its lineage predates 1950. Founded in 1993, and not reaching its stride as a lucrative business until nearly a decade later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)–MMA’s premier organization–is still firmly in its juvenile stage. The recency of not just the UFC, but the sport of MMA puts anybody with GOAT status in peril strictly from a statistical probability perspective. Pick a sport, and it is almost certainly true that the GOAT 30 years after that sport became a professionally organized endeavor is most certainly not the GOAT today. Considering Jon Jones’s near-flawless record, it’s doubtful that he’s shaking in his bare feet, but he might not want to get too comfortable with his status as the universally accepted GOAT. After three decades of growing pains, the UFC is more talented than ever and, as a result, the GOAT race is seemingly on the cusp of becoming very interesting with candidates emerging in several weight classes. In the intermediate, however, it’s Jon Jones who sits comfortably on the throne, waiting for his first legitimate contender. Why is Jones so far-and-away the greatest mixed-martial artist more than a quarter-of-a-century into the sport, and what makes him vulnerable to the next generation of octagon assassins? Let’s check it out… 

Jon Jones is a bad man. He’s so bad, in fact, that his only loss as an MMA professional stems from pounding his opponent (Matt Hamill) too savagely, resulting in a disqualification. Otherwise, he has been perfect. His 28-1 record is buoyed by victories over a record nine former UFC champions. His 12 title defenses in the UFC are the most all-time and come in MMA’s two most dangerous divisions–light heavyweight and heavyweight. His 16 wins in title bouts are, far and away, the most in UFC history. During his decade reign of terror over the light heavyweight division, Jones fought a literal Hall-of-Fame list of challengers, including Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier (x2). Jones’s two wins over Cormier are particularly notable, since it might be Cormier who is considered the GOAT if not for Jones. Cormier only lost twice in his career in the light heavyweight division, and both were to Jones. Jones battered the light heavyweight division so badly that he ran out of viable threats and motivation, prompting a move to heavyweight. Jones’s move to heavyweight wasn’t a toe-dip into the pool, either; it was a high-dive into the deep end against a #1 contender–Ciryl Gane–and arguably the greatest heavyweight in MMA history–Stipe Miocic. Jones was dominant in finishing both Gane and Miocic, adding even more scalps to what is often regarded as the most difficult schedule any fighter has faced in MMA history. 

The challengers to Jones’s claim as the GOAT have flaws that Jones does not. Anderson Silva dominated a division (middleweight) that was not particularly deep. Georges St. Pierre (GSP) faced a similar reality (welterweight), while also suffering arguably the biggest upset in MMA history (Matt Serra). Khabib Nurmagomedov–the only retired undefeated fighter in UFC history–was far too inactive and faced too few high-caliber fighters to pose a genuine threat. Demetrious Johnson–a fighter who often gets thrown into the GOAT conversation–faced an even weaker slate than Khabib, didn’t fight the most accomplished fighters of his era, and holds an equally shocking upset loss as St. Pierre (Adriano Moraes). Alexander Volkanovski–the longstanding king of the featherweight division–was mounting a serious challenge before failing in two attempts to become a two-division champ, and then discovering Ilia Topuria’s brilliance. 

While the challengers to Jones simply don’t exist at the moment, there are at least four factors that make Jones vulnerable as MMA’s GOAT:

1) Like Barry Bonds, Jones has allegedly failed multiple drug tests for banned substances. Much like baseball, however, performance enhancing drug use (PEDs) was rampant in MMA during Jones’s peak. The list of athletes in the UFC during Jones’s career who tested positive for PEDs is virtually a who’s who of MMA greats. This makes it highly liked that some of Jones’s opponents were potentially using PEDs as well. Still, future GOAT candidates who do not have any connections to PEDs may have an advantage in a resume comparison with Jones. (Note: I do not discount accomplishments because of PED use. However, it could be used as a mitigating factor in the event a comparison that is too-close-to-call requires a tiebreaker.)

2) While Jones has managed to remain (unofficially) undefeated, he has had several razor close fights against what could be considered inferior competition. Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 was very close. Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Gustafsson. Jones vs. Thiago Santos was also incredibly close. Again, Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Santos. Jones vs. Dominick Reyes is widely regarded as the wrong choice, with the majority of the MMA community–including UFC President Dana White–viewing Reyes as the winner of the fight. The judges scored it a split decision in favor of Jones, damaging Jones’s aura of invincibility in the process. There is nothing shameful about close fights. Jones doesn’t need to make apologies for winning, including the Reyes split decision. However, this is an area in a GOAT showdown where he can be vulnerable, especially if a challenger can remain undefeated while avoiding controversial decisions. 

3) Jones began his career as a finishing merchant. He won nine of his first 13 UFC fights by finish, and it would be 10 if not for his disqualification loss for pummeling Matt Hamill too savagely. He then saw seven of his last eight victories at light heavyweight come by decision. This sort of evolution from a ferocious finisher to a more cautious approach is not uncommon among longtime champions. GSP saw nine of his first 13 UFC victories come by finish, only for his last seven victories at welterweight to come by decision. Again, Jones (and GSP) don’t have to apologize for winning fights. A win is a win. However, in a close resume standoff, a fighter who wins more emphatically more often will have a advantage. 

4) Jones deserves a lot of credit for dispatching with such a long list of legends and Hall-of-Famers. However, his activity level fell off precipitously after his 14th UFC fight. In the eight years from 2014-2022, Jones fought just eight times. His career activity level is far superior to someone like Nurmagomedov, so it’s not something that is a significant weakness. However, if a GOAT challenger emerges who consistently accumulates 2-3 fights per year over the course of 10-15 years, then that would be an area where Jones’s resume could be vulnerable. (Note: The growing trend of fighters fighting less–not more–may make this a moot point.)

This is not to say that Jones doesn’t have a stranglehold on the current MMA GOAT conversation. He has not suffered a legitimate loss in 24 UFC fights. He has faced all comers in MMA’s two most vicious divisions, and his most dominant performances have come against his most difficult opponents. It will take a flawless resume to unseat Jones from the throne. With organized MMA being so young, it’s not yet clear how often we should expect to see such a resume. A threat could come in the next 5-10 years, or never come at all. In the meantime, it’s Jones who has the crown.