Jon Jones became one of the reasons many started watching the UFC fights. He has achieved everything that one as a fighter could wish for. However, the only thing he couldn’t achieve is a perfect record, as he had lost once. Meanwhile, on his Instagram, Jon Jones claimed to have a perfect 29-0 record, just like Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Recently, Jones shared an Instagram story showcasing the current UFC champions’ fighter records from Islam Makhachev to Leon Edwards. As Jones was a heavyweight champion before getting injured, he was also featured in the story. Interestingly, Jones, who holds a career record of 27-1-0, proclaimed his record as a perfect 29-0. He overruled the two matches where he failed to secure the win.
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For those who don’t know, in 29 of his fights, he emerged victorious 27 times. But one match featuring him ended in disqualification and another in no contest. His first loss came in 2009 against Matt Hamill after Jones hit 12-6 elbows on his downed opponent. Unfortunately, this loss occurred despite his dominance and near victory.
Additionally, he couldn’t secure a win at UFC 214 in his second encounter against Daniel Cormier, even though he stopped DC with a brutal head kick. The decision was overturned after testing positive for a banned substance. And talking about his loss against DC as updated thresholds in 2019 for detecting Oral Turinabol levels, Jones’ earlier test wouldn’t have raised concerns and he would have won the fight.
Jones’ loss to Matt Hamill remains one of the most controversial defeats, disappointing even Dana White. Many believe that without this incident, he might never have suffered a defeat. Considering everything, Jones now refers to himself as 29-0, mirroring what Khabib Nurmagomedov achieved.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is on the “GOAT” List of Jon Jones
While differences existed in the past, possibly due to DC being a training partner of Nurmagomedov at AKA, ‘Bones’ didn’t initially label ‘The Eagle’ as the greatest. However, leading up to his fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 286, when pressed about his top 5 fighters list, he included Nurmagomedov in his top 5. He stated;
“If I’m allowed, I would say myself, Anderson Silva, Geroge St. Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jose Aldo.”
Both Nurmagomedov and Jones have provided fans with numerous iconic memories, and when it comes to fighting inside the octagon. So they will always be at the top tier, regardless of whether they have a perfect record or not. Throughout their careers, they were dominant, earning a place in the list of the greatest for millions of fans, despite any controversies.