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Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones is slipping down the pound-for-pound rankings due to his inactivity.
Kamaru Usman is currently the reigning king of the men's P4P list, with Alexander Volkanovski close behind. Some fans thought Volkanovski's UFC 276 performance against Max Holloway was enough to earn him the No.1 spot. Bisping, however, believes 'The Great' would likely have to take the step up to lightweight to achieve No.1 P4P status.
'Bones', widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, was a mainstay at the top of the P4P list while active. His two years away from the sport have dropped the American down to No.11.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping admitted that fighters are only remembered for their most recent fights. Despite winning his last two bouts, they were far from Jon Jones' best:
"I think the body of work Jon Jones had, it's crazy that we're even discussing Volkanovski being the best. The way Jones beat everybody, was unbelievable. Sheer dominance like we've never ever seen. However, this sport is 'What have you done for me lately?' You're only as good as your last fight. Jones' last two fights at light heavyweight weren't that impressive."
The 34-year-old will likely make his heavyweight debut and face former champion Stipe Miocic later this year. The fight had originally been scheduled for the summer but Jones revealed Miocic wouldn't be ready until September.
Catch Michael Bisping's video here:
Michael Bisping explains why Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones aren't finishing as many fights
'The Count' believes the financial pressures of being a UFC champion have played a part in the recent performances of Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones.
Bisping, a former middleweight champion, admitted that the brand deals and financial situation you're in as a champ can be severely affected by losing a fight. So it's unsurprising that Adesanya and Jones haven't looked at their best in their last few appearances in the octagon.
Referring to 'The Last Stylebender's lackluster performance at UFC 276, Bisping said:
"I'm not saying [Israel] Adesanya should have been risky or go for the knockout like a madman. What I'm saying is if you're in that position which he is now, Adesanya's got a deal with Puma... One fight can take that all away. You do subconsciously start developing a different style."
The 43-year-old then wondered whether the same had happened to Jon Jones, who was so dominant earlier on in his career.
Israel Adesanya's unanimous decision victory over Jared Cannonier earlier this month meant the New Zealander has the second lowest finish rate of any current UFC champion. Only strawweight champion Carla Ezparza is behind him.
Watch Michael Bisping discuss the financial pressures on fighters here:
