MMA Knockout

Jon Jones Gives Surprising Reaction to No. 2 Pound-for-Pound UFC Ranking

"Bones" moved up one spot following his title defense at UFC 309.
Drew Beaupre|
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jon Jones has shared a somewhat unexpected reaction to his updated pound-for-pound ranking after UFC 309.

Jones Celebrates New P4P Ranking

Fight fans saw the former light heavyweight king finally make his long-awaited heavyweight debut last year at UFC 285 when he submitted Ciryl Gane to claim the division’s vacant belt, but a pec injury derailed a planned title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 and resulted in another lengthy wait before the 37-year-old’s sophomore outing at heavyweight.

Ian Machado Garry Lights Up Colby Covington after UFC Tampa Booking

Both Jones and UFC CEO Dana White staunchly ignored calls for a title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall in favor of rebooking the Miocic matchup, and at UFC 309 last weekend “Bones” defended his heavyweight title by stopping the two-time champion with strikes late in the third round.

Jon Jones Gives Surprising Reaction to No. 2 Pound-for-Pound UFC Ranking
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) fights Stipe Miocoic (blue gloves) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

White regularly made headlines during the months leading up to UFC 309 for criticizing the fact that Jones was not ranked as the promotion’s pound-for-pound best fighter, and while the UFC CEO reasserted those feelings this week it looks like the heavyweight champion is perfectly happy with his new place at number two.

Jones’ win over Miocic allowed him to swap spots with current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Alex Pereira and take second place on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, while UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev stills occupies the top spot after defending his belt for a third time against Dustin Poirier in June.

Free Agent Lorenz Larkin Weighs His Options: A UFC Comeback in Sight?

The fact that Jones took Pereira’s spot in the rankings is notable given that the 37-year-old openly discussed the idea of fighting "Poatan" ahead of UFC 309, and after promising he wouldn’t be retiring in his post-fight interview fans are left waiting to see who “Bones” will share the cage with next.

Read More MMA & UFC News

Stick with MMA Knockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, & Boxing.

Follow MMA Knockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

Home/News