Daniel Cormier understandably takes great umbrage at Jon Jones being compared to Michael Jordan. Cormier and Jones’ rivalry, of course, is one of the greatest in MMA history. And in their two clashes, Cormier suffered the most heartbreaking losses of his career. And this is coming in even if their second, UFC 214 clash, where ‘Bones’ knocked out ‘DC’ with a devastating head kick was ruled a no-contest. Because, of course, Jones tested positive for a banned steroid.

So when Kamaru Usman, on his podcast, compared Jones to ‘MJ’, ‘DC’ (jokingly) threatened to walk out of the interview. Since Usman made this comparison, it has become one of the most talked about topics in the entire MMA world. It was, therefore, not surprising to see podcaster and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub fight Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson over whether or not Jon Jones is indeed the Michael Jordan of MMA.

“I saw DC on uh the podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo and there was this back and forth banter about how Jon Jones, they’re trying to compare Jon Jones to like the Michael Jordan of MMA,” Thomson said on his ‘Weighing In’ podcast.

At which point Schaub interjected with “That’s fair.” Thomson, however, was not sure. “Is it fair?… I think it’s also very difficult to put someone in that Jordan-era kind of thing,” he protested.

“Why? He’s the greatest of all time,” Schaub asked defiantly. ‘The Punk’ however, felt that Jones’ testing positive for banned PEDs may be grounds to disqualify him from the GOAT conversation entirely. To which Schaub essentially repeated Nate Diaz’s famous line “Everybody’s on steroids,” but in a more roundabout manner.

“Josh dude you’re not some casual, dude. Bro, you’ve been around the game as long as you have. How many guys do we know that were dabbling in the dark arts and doing sauce and most people don’t know?” Schaub asked Thomson with a sly, knowing smile while accusing a large contingent of UFC fighters of essentially being d–g cheats.

These are, of course, serious accusations, even if implied ones, since everyone on the UFC roster is regularly d–g tested. The less said about them the better, unless some hard evidence comes to light. In the meanwhile, let us discuss if indeed Jones’ PED usage knocks him out of GOAT contention.

Can Jon Jones indeed be the GOAT despite steroid use?

UFC CEO Dana White, it is safe to say, knows a few things about MMA. And he certainly thinks Jon Jones is the GOAT. Why? Well, because the two-division champion has never been beaten in over two decades in the sport, but also has the most successful title defenses in the UFC at thirteen. Not to mention he also holds the record for being the youngest champion in UFC history.

On the other hand, some such as former Khabib Nurmagomedov coach Javier Mendez and Josh Thomson think that ‘Bones’s history of PED usage rules him out of ever being considered the greatest ever. After all, taking steroids is essentially cheating, they argue, and how could a cheater ever be considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time?

And both sides do make very good points and neither could be said to be outright wrong. It seems whether or not one considers ‘Bones’ the GOAT comes down to one question- does it matter to you that Jones allegedly took PEDs? If yes, then clearly he cannot be your GOAT. But if not, it is very difficult to argue that Jones isn’t. Do you think Jon Jones is the GOAT of MMA? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.