Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals why Jon Jones deserves the number one pound-for-pound ranking

Jon Jones is the No.1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC while Khabib Nurmagomedov is now No.2 in the list. Undefeated at 28-0, Khabib Nurmagomedov puts the Lightweight title on the line in a unification bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

In the eyes of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov's unparalleled dominance should put him on top of the pound-for-pound list. However, he's still just two defenses into his title reign and has a lot more to achieve.

With that said, his name power and overall ability put him up there. When asked about Jon Jones ranking above him in the pound-for-pound list, Khabib Nurmagomedov explained why Jon Jones deserves to be on top (Translation by MMARusContext on Twitter):

Q: "Lots of people think you should be the number 1 in the P4P rankings.Right now Jon Jones is the No 1, whats your thoughts on it?"Khabib: "To be honest, i would rank him at 1 too,the man has 9 title defences and he's basically undefeated."(1/3) pic.twitter.com/xOx2iJv77o

— 🇷🇺 ➡️ 🇬🇧 (@MMARusContext) September 7, 2020

Khabib: "Well, in terms of domination, he hasn't been the best for the past few years.Many people think he lost 2-3 fights,he lost many rounds, he was involved in doping scandal.But still in terms of skill, i think he deserves to be the P4P number 1."(3/3)

— 🇷🇺 ➡️ 🇬🇧 (@MMARusContext) September 7, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov makes sense in his argument. Jon Jones has been dominant, though his last couple of fights saw people question whether he was the same Jones before his suspensions. With that said, one can't deny that Jon Jones took a relatively safe and clever approach to make sure that he coasted to decisions in his last three fights.

The only fight that was highly controversial was the Dominick Reyes fight at UFC 247, where most fans felt that Reyes had done enough to defeat Jon Jones. However, Jon Jones is still the greatest Light Heavyweight in history.

What will a successful Heavyweight run do for Jon Jones?

For Jon Jones, a successful run at Heavyweight will mean that he is truly the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Jon Jones is certainly among the most skilled and naturally gifted fighters to ever step in the Octagon, but the Heavyweight division will be a different monster for him.

Unlike other Champions, Jon Jones doesn't seem interested in becoming a double Champion. Instead, he vacated the Light Heavyweight title to move up to Heavyweight - where he will most likely get an instant title shot.