Dana White’s campaign to get Jon Jones on the top of the P4P ranking shows no signs of slowing down! The UFC boss was in the news recently as at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, he had stated that “For anyone to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f*cking fighting is nuts”. Despite Makhachev’s stunning performance with a successful third defense of his lightweight crown and an eye-popping 14-fight win streak in the UFC, White was reluctant to hand him the P4P no.1 honor.

This continued in his recent appearance on the ‘Flagrant’ podcast with comedian Andrew Schulz where he once again re-iterated why he believes ‘Bones’ is the true embodiment of a P4P no.1 fighter by highlighting the unparalleled accomplishments of Jones in the Octagon. Here’s what he had to say to make his case!

Dana White refuses to acknowledge Islam Makhachev’s P4P ranking above Jon Jones

In his conversation with Andrew Schulz, Dana White made a passionate defense of Jon Jones’s P4P status while inadvertently throwing ‘shade’ at Islam Makhachev! He stated, “And when you talk about, truly, right now, and Islam, I love you Islam, the fact that Jon Jones is no.2 on the P4P list is f*king, it just goes to show how f**king stupid… the media votes on that. Just goes to show you that they have no f**king idea, they know nothing about this f*king sport.”

White also brought up the fact that “Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever”, which is true as Jones has only one blemish on his record resulting from a ‘DQ’ against Matt Hamill back in 2009. The UFC head honcho then compared Makhachev and Jones’s fights against Alexander Volkanovski and Ciryl Gane, respectively, as evidence to illustrate why he considers Jones to be better.

White stated, “Volkanovski moved up and it was a very f**king close fight, first time. Jon Jones moved up and absolutely f**king decimated the greatest heavyweight that was out there right now…Jon Jones walked through him like it was f*king nothing.”

According to White, Jones’s versatility in different weight classes and his ability to consistently defeat top-caliber adversaries solidify his status as the premier pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Beyond Jones’s athletic prowess, White also acknowledged the complexity of his persona, mentioning the presence of a “dark side” within the fighter. However, he stated that “Jon Jones is one of those guys that isn’t really gonna be appreciated till he’s gone.”

Looking forward, White also speculated about potential matchups for Jones, including bouts against Stipe Miocic and Tom Aspinall, which could further enhance Jones’s legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

As discussions surrounding P4P rankings persist, Dana White’s vocal support for Jones adds further fuel to the debate. However, Islam Makhachev’s coach has also made a compelling argument as to why the Dagestani deserves his No. 1 spot atop the P4P mountain!

Javier Mendez reveals why Makhachev has cemented his P4P no.1 rank

While Dana White may disagree with Islam Makhachev’s status as the P4P no.1 fighter in the UFC, his coach, Javier Mendez believes that the Dagestani champion proved it without a doubt with his performance at UFC 302. 

Speaking to ‘Red Corner MMA’, the AKA head coach stated, “And he proved, he proved that he’s the real champion, and in my opinion, he is pound-for-pound, because he went through adversity, he conquered adversity. Not one time did he falter. Not one time did he think that he wasn’t in the game. He was always pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing,”

With a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, Makhachev has also made his intentions to claim another belt in a higher weight class clear. And if he manages to do that as well, it would be hard for even Dana White to deny his greatness. Do you agree with the UFC boss that Jon Jones is a better P4P fighter than Islam Makhachev? Share your thoughts in the comments below!