Jon Jones is more than happy to give credit where credit is due when it comes to fellow all-time great Demetrious Johnson.
Any discussion of the best MMA fighters of all-time inevitably includes Jones and Johnson near the very top, with Jones essentially going undefeated (outside of a disqualification loss) in his 16-year pro career while winning UFC titles in two divisions, and Johnson owning the record for the most successful championship defenses (11) ever in the promotion during his unforgettable flyweight reign.
While the two are at opposite ends of the weight spectrum, pound-for-pound Johnson is considered arguably the most skilled fighter ever, and Jones agrees that if the two fought today, the smaller man would still be a handful.
“‘Mighty Mouse?’” Jones said in a stream clip included in a Johnson YouTube vlog. “Honestly, I don’t want no smoke with that guy. He’s unbelievable. Believe it or not, I would have to give my all to beat him right now. I really would, despite our size difference.
“That kid’s always in the gym, he’s in shape, he’s one of the greatest mixed martial artists on the planet, and he’s used to being the smaller guy. Fighting small guys can be very difficult. They’re very fast, and and he’s very intelligent. I think Mighty Mouse would beat 99 percent of the people at this event right now.”
The event in question was a celebrity flag football game in San Francisco ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl extravaganza. Jones and Johnson actually had time to catch up before the game, and once again, Jones declined to make a case for himself above Johnson on the GOAT list.
“I feel like people respect us both tremendously as great fighters for completely different reasons,” Jones said. “I always say there’s plenty of room up there for many stars.”
“The truth is who’s the best is always going to be an opinion,” he added. “So it’s great to be mentioned in the conversation, that’s what it’s about. We made it.”
Jones, 38, retired from competition in June 2025 only to end that retirement shortly after with the hopes of competing at the UFC White House event now expected to take place on June 14. However, UFC CEO Dana White has frequently shot down the possibility of Jones fighting at the historic show and Jones recently stated, “I think I could be done” with fighting for good.
Trash talk. Justin Gaethje: Paddy Pimblett ‘kicked like a b*tch so I walked through that.’
Puerto Rico. Jake Paul clarifies controversial remarks about Bad Bunny, makes joke of situation.
Stylebent. Israel Adesanya reveals he was going to fight Reinier de Ridder but injury prevented it.
Illness. ‘I’m not going to fight again?’: Movsar Evloev reveals how mystery virus had him scared for his future.
205. Jailton Almeida announces light heavyweight return after UFC Vegas 113 loss.
Rankings. Where does lightweight division stand with Ilia Topuria return looming?
Damon Martin chats with UFC London headliner Movsar Evloev.
Tom Aspinall kicking a normie.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
The best finishes of the week.
Jiri living his best life.
Better get those requests in, folks.
My hot take: MMA needs a halftime show.
Give me a 20-minute musical interlude between the prelims and the main card instead of the same intro package and desk analysts. Get Stemm out there every Saturday to play Face The Pain live.
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.
Subscribe to my channel
