The sporting community experienced a whirlwind of emotions—angst, thrill, joy, and disapproval—when ESPN released its list of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000. However, it was a disappointing revelation for the mixed martial arts world. While Jon Jones would undoubtedly top a list of the best fighters, his position was different when athletes from all sports were considered.

‘Bones’ was at number 66, and the only other mixed martial artist on the list was Georges St-Pierre, at the 76th spot. Alongside Jones and St-Pierre, Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins represented combat sports, ranking 71st and 78th, respectively. GSP, the quintessential MMA representative from 2006-2013, bolstered his credibility by winning 14 out of 15 fights. However, fans were unhappy with their positions.

Jones, on the other hand, is often considered to be the greatest fighter of all time. Needless to say, the UFC head honcho, Dana White, has repeatedly emphasized Jones’ superiority. Jones was indeed the youngest contender in the UFC to ever win a championship. He holds the most wins in the UFC light heavyweight category, the most wins in UFC title fights, the longest win streak in MMA promotion history, and is the current heavyweight champion. Despite Bones’ immense achievements, his life outside the Octagon has been troubled.

As soon as ESPN released its list, the fighting community took to social media to discuss Jones’ ranking. Let’s see what the fans had to say about it.

Fans suspect Jon Jones’ life outside UFC to be the reason of his poor ranking

As the ranking for Jones and GSP circulated on Instagram, fans began to wonder what might be the reason for ‘Bones’ to rank so low in the list. Jones failed his dr*g test back at UFC 200, resulting in a one-year suspension by USADA. After returning to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, he failed another test and was suspended for four more years. Reportedly, he was accused of assault and threatening a dr*g testing agent. Reflecting on Jones’ life outside the Octagon, one fan wrote, “#66 is crazy lol must be because of his history outside the ring.”

Netizens also went on X pondering why the heavyweight champ ranked so poorly. One fan suspected, “St****ds and controversy dropped his rank.” However, some fans felt it was a justified placement. “The amount of times he’s been done for dr**s he shouldn’t even be in top 100.” “Right placement due to controversial activities,” read another comment.

Considering the challenges Jones has overcome inside the Octagon, he could easily be the G.O.A.T. of all sports. However, fans believe he wasted his prime years with suspensions. A fan wrote, “Could’ve been number 1, top 10 at WORST. Definition of his own worst enemy. Wasted his entire prime.”

Needless to say, the fighting community believed that ‘Bones’ and GSP should have ranked much higher on the list. “They should be up in the top 30,” a comment read. A fan replied to the comment and justified, “Gsp is in better shape rn then most athletes today and Jon jones is obvious undefeated freak of nature whose the current champion.”

Some of the fans also pointed out that mixed martial artists needed a lot more respect in the sporting community. One fan wrote, “MMA athletes still don’t get the mainstream respect they deserve. Jon Jones Unalives almost any athlete in the history of sports. Ster**ds or no ster**ds.” Another fan noted, “for reference there are skiers higher on the list.”

Nevertheless, fight fans know the true standing of the heavyweight champ. ESPN has yet to release the top 25 athletes on the list. Do you think any other MMA athletes will make the cut? Let us know in the comments below.