Javier Mendez, the legendary coach of each Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, has an issue with Dana White’s insistence that Jon Jones is the GOAT of blended martial arts.
On a couple of event, the UFC CEO has engaged in a fiery back-and-forth with the MMA media over his perception that ‘Bones’ is the best fighter of all time and thus, must be sitting atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Nonetheless, revered journalists like Kevin Iole and John Morgan counsel that Jones’ lack of exercise ought to exempt him from the P4P checklist.
Throughout a latest episode of his personal podcast, Mendez seemingly sided with Iole and Morgan, however for a decidedly totally different purpose.
“Dana remains to be insisting that Jon Jones is pound-for-pound #1,” Mendez stated. “He has his legitimate factors, however my legitimate level is I simply need to say one factor: Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong received the Tour de France what number of occasions, and principally, he bought all these titles taken away from him due to one factor—doping. And despite the fact that it was a few years later that they caught him, he misplaced all of the Tour de France titles.
“Nicely, it’s been a truth, it’s been confirmed, Jon Jones has been caught doping. So, I’m sorry, I feel that disqualifies him simply primarily based on that alone” (h/t MMA Information).
Jon Jones was flagged to be used of an anabolic steroid in 2017
Following his third-round TKO victory over Cormier at UFC 214, it was revealed that Jones had examined optimistic for turinabol, an anabolic steroid sometimes utilized by athletes and bodybuilders to extend muscle mass and improve their athletic efficiency.
Consequently, the win for Jones was overturned to a no-contest and he was slapped with a 15-month suspension by the California State Athletic Fee.
Jones returned 17 months later to reclaim the sunshine heavyweight title. He would go on to defend it three extra occasions towards Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes earlier than vacating the belt and asserting his transfer to heavyweight.
Quick ahead one other three years, ‘Bones’ lastly made his heavyweight debut, defeating Ciryl Gane to say the vacated title with a fast two-minute submission of ‘Bon Gamin’ at UFC 285.
Jones is but to defend the title however is slated to sq. off with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic this November when the UFC returns to Madison Sq. Backyard.
