UFC CEO Dana White explained why the top spot in the rankings of the best fighters regardless of weight class should be occupied by heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and not lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev.
"I don't want to defend Jones. He's a pain in the ass, he's not exactly a role model. But he's the best fighter in history. That's why he should be number one in the top rankings.
He was training for the fight, but he got injured. Does that mean he's no longer the best? That doesn't make sense. If he was resting for no good reason or sitting in jail, I might agree that he's been out of action for too long. But when Jones steps into the octagon, he's the best in the world. I don't even know what else to say. I don't know how we come out of this discussion over and over again," White said at the press conference after the UFC 303 tournament.
Recall that Jones has not appeared in the octagon since last March, when he defeated Cyril Gagne by first-round submission.
