Jon Jones has strong opinions about who is the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
Spoiler alert: it’s not Islam Makhachev.
Last weekend (Sat., Aug. 15, 2026), Makhachev made a considerable addition to his own legacy at UFC 330. Though it was a hard-fought battle, Makhachev managed to defeat the young and talented Ian Machado Garry for his first Welterweight title defense. Defending both titles is a quality feather in Makhachev’s cap, but the Russian also snapped Anderson Silva’s record for longest win
streak in UFC history.
As a result of his important win, there’s been a lot of discussion about where Makhachev stands on the greatest of all time (GOAT) rankings and whether he’s on the Mount Rushmore of MMA. Unsurprisingly, this has raised the ire of Jones, who is historically quite sensitive to these discussions. Just one day after lambasting Daniel Cormier for his Khabib praise, Jones is now taking a stand against anyone who would dare to rank Makhachev above him.
“Hopped on social media and heard there was a new goat?” Jones posted alongside a graphic recapping UFC title wins. “I’m so confused make it make sense.”
Unfortunately for “Bones,” greatest of all time is an intensely subjective debate filled with variable criteria. Jones points out an excellent bit of information to consider in total title wins, but is that more valuable than a record-setting win streak? How do we factor in level of competition or judging incompetence? How important is a drug test suspension or the quality of one’s character?
It’s all up for debate.
