Jon Jones Doesn’t Think McGregor Is In The ‘Greatest Martial Artists In The World’ Conversation
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in mixed martial arts history — but he won’t be remembered as one of the greatest martial artists according to Jon Jones.
Jones will look to further his claim of being the greatest mixed martial artist of all time when he defends his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 this weekend.
But despite his dominance in the Octagon, Jones hasn’t reached the level of stardom as a McGregor or a Khabib Nurmagomedov when it comes to being a box office draw. That doesn’t concern “Bones” for now, as he is chasing greatness rather than fame.
That is why he believes McGregor won’t be talked about in the future when it comes to a legacy standpoint.
“I look at Khabib and Conor and I see how internationally known they are and it inspires me for sure to work on my brand a little bit more outside of fighting,” Jones said on ESPN First Take. “At the end of the day, for me, it’s not about making the most money, it’s not about being the most famous — it’s about being the guy people are going to talk about 50, 100 years from now. That’s what really gets me out of bed in the morning.
“At the end of the day — no disrespect to Conor because I love what he’s doing for our sport — I don’t think he’s going to be in the conversation when people are sitting around in the barber shop talking about the greatest martial artists in the world. So I’m very aware of that. The box office stuff can come eventually. I’m only 32. But for the most part, those records are very hard to get and that’s what really gets me going in the morning.”
Do you agree with Jones?
