‘Only one Conor McGregor’: Jon Jones sings praises of The Notorious ahead of UFC 285

Former UFC 205-pound world champion Jon Jones has lavished praises on ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor ahead of the Jones vs Gane, UFC 285 PPV. While McGregor returned to UFC as a coach for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, Jones steps up to the heavyweight division to face Ciryl Gane at the T-Mobila Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. On being asked about leaving out McGregor off his list of favorite MMA fighters of all time, Jones spoke highly about the Notorious.

As per a report by Give Me Sport, speaking to the reporters, Jones said, “There's only one Conor McGregor. "I love what he represents, man. He's big. He's big. He's a gigantic brand. Some say he's just as big as our sport. It's going to be great. It's going to be great when he comes back. He's going to bring a whole new energy, even more fans”.

McGregor will be seen clashing against lightweight superstar Michael Chandler in the coming summer. Chandler was also named as a coach for the ongoing 31st season of TUF. Meanwhile, Jon Jones’ comment about McGregor comes days after the 35-year-old made headlines for snubbing the latter from his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.

“I love what Khabib represents”

Speaking to RCM Sport, Jones named himself among the five best MMA fighters in history among legends like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva. “If I’m allowed I would say myself, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Jose Aldo. Those are my favourites at least,” Jones said. 

“I love what Khabib represents. We’ve had our differences in the past, I’ve made some quotes about him. But there’s never really been a real beef. I love the way he carries himself as a Muslim, I love the way he represents his country. I love the businessman that he is. He just seems like a stand-up guy, gives back to others. He’s a stand-up guy, an admirable man. I appreciate his existence,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jones also faced criticism for leaving former UFC flyweight superstar Demetrious Johnson out of his list. “Getting a lot of feedback about my top 5 pound-for-pound list! A lot of you guys believe DJ should’ve been on that list, where would you have stuck him?,” Jones tweeted. Johnson made a record 11 title defenses of his 125-pound belt and dominated the division for years.