Jon Jones’ retirement from mixed martial arts has split opinion among fans and fighters.
After a lengthy period of uncertainty and frustration in the heavyweight division owing to the lack of clarity on then-champion Jones’ future, the weight class is finally moving forward.
Dana White announced that Jones had retired this past Saturday, elevating Tom Aspinall to the undisputed throne after a record 19-month reign as interim titleholder.
The time it took to come to that decision — and the fact that it culminated in Jones not fighting Aspinall — has seen the 37-year-old’s farewell met with criticism in the MMA community.
But plenty of prominent names have leapt to Jones’ defense, including a fellow great.
Jon Jones was surprised to receive praise from Khabib Nurmagomedov
In Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reaction to Jones’ retirement, the Dagestani clarified that he is far from “friends” with the Rochester native before branding him the GOAT.
“My congratulations legend, even though we were not friends but you are the best to ever do it in UFC history and you inspire millions of people around the world. You have nothing more to prove in this sport,” Nurmagomedov posted on his Instagram Stories.
Evidently sharing the same sentiment regarding their lack of friendship, Jones was shocked to see ‘The Eagle’ taking to social media to crown him as the greatest.
“I didn’t expect that from Khabib,” Jones wrote on X. “It was humbling.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov could have challenged Jon Jones for GOAT status
Had he stayed in the sport longer himself, Nurmagomedov could have been bestowing GOAT status on himself instead of Jones.
Many believe the Dagestani was on the fast track to unrivaled greatness when Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje to defend his title for the third time in October 2020.
But his decision to retire at 29-0 in the aftermath of that result has led many to eliminate the legendary lightweight from the equation and turn to the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson as Jones’ main rivals instead.
For Nurmagomedov, his legacy is secured. But after a retirement widely branded premature, perhaps he will go down as one of the best to have ever entered the cage instead of a contender for the greatest.