Demetrious Johnson had some fresh views on the GOAT debate.
The debate over the greatest fighter of all time continues to be rampant ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement at UFC 254 in October.
Jon Jones has been a vocal critic of the Nurmagomedov GOAT shouts as he believes he has done more than enough to be considered the outright contender for the accolade.
Most recently, the former 205-pound king claimed becoming a two-weight champion with his planned move up to heavyweight would be one way to end the debate.
Jon Jones wants to leave no doubt 🐐
(via @marc_raimondi) pic.twitter.com/uFVxilFJAo
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 8, 2020
As far as Johnson is concerned, he would agree that Jones is the current GOAT as he believes “Bones” defeats everyone at light heavyweight or heavyweight.
The matter changes entirely if Johnson was his size, however.
“Yeah, I would,” Johnson told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani when asked if he would pick Jones as the GOAT. “If somebody asked me, ‘why would you vote for Jon?’ Because I believe he can beat everybody at light heavyweight and I truly believe he can beat everybody at heavyweight.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, if I was Jon Jones’ size, I’d probably fuck him up, because I know mentally, physically and skillfully, I would push him. I’ve pushed people before, and I know I would push him.”
The former UFC flyweight champion has long steered away from comparing himself to Jones or stating who would win in a fight so this was certainly out of left field from Johnson.
When asked by Helwani if him thinking he can beat Jones at the same size would mean he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, “Mighty Mouse” clarified his statement.
“I said I would go out and push him — doesn’t mean I’m going to win the fight,” Johnson explained. “I’m saying if I was the same size as him and I have all my attributes that I have now, my mental capacity, my discipline, my skillset — I know I would go in there and push him.
“Everybody else will say, ‘of course, DJ. I would do the same thing.’ Nah, I don’t know. I’ve proven in my fights when I’m down, I’m going to push. I’m going to try to get it done.”
Meanwhile, Johnson could be set to win a major title in two different promotions as his flyweight title fight with ONE champion Adriano Moraes has been scheduled for February 24.
