Stephen A. Smith waxes lyrical over Jon Jones being on an 'entirely different level' after stunning knockout win at UFC 309
11/19/2024 11:07 AM
At UFC 309 this past weekend, Jon Jones did what Jon Jones was expected to do, i.e., dominate Stipe Miocic right from the opening bell and secure a stunning finish to retain his heavyweight title.
Whilst the shutout performance from 'Bones' was by no means a surprise to MMA fans who had followed his illustrious UFC career over the past 16 years, that isn't to say that experts past and present aren't still hailing the GOAT's development.
Stephen A. Smith waxes lyrical over Jon 'Bones' Jones after UFC 309 KO
Following his third-round knockout over Stipe Miocic, the consensus greatest UFC fighter of all time has moved up to second on the Pound-For-Pound rankings; something that Dana White has already called on Mark Zuckerberg to help him fix with AI.
Whether you put Jon Jones above or below lightweight king Islam Makhachev, there's no question that he remains arguably the single best fighter to have ever competed in the octagon.
That was the core theme of Stephen A. Smith's breakdown of Jones' performance at UFC 309, with the legendary sports journalist hailing him as "the best on the planet" during First Take.
"I think that he's the greatest in MMA that I've ever seen, and I've always said that you got to show me to make me believe that somebody is going to beat Jon 'Bones' Jones – because I just don't see it happening.
"He's just too elite, too many weapons and too many ways that he'll beat you… I'm not surprised at the outcome; Miocic is a champion and mad respect to him… But Jon 'Bones' Jones is just on an entirely, entirely different level."
Co-host Shannon Shape was in firm agreement over Jones' GOAT status, explaining how there's just simply no weaknesses in either his gameplan or insane arsenal of weapons; an arsenal that now includes a brutal spinning back kick.
"He is elite offensively, supreme wrestling skills, he can submit you, he's got the elbows and the spinning back kick… He has no weakness [in his] offense."
Stephen A. Smith believes that Alex Pereira has 'no shot' at beating Jon Jones
Whilst Stephen A. Smith was extremely complimentary of Jones' skillset, there was one thing that he took issue with from UFC 309: his callout of light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
"Here's the only thing that I disagree with Jones about, he wants to fight Alex Pereira – let me say this, that brother is something special but he's undersized. I know he's got the power, but he can't mess with no Jon 'Bones' Jones.
"He's got no shot; I just don't see it… With Jon Jones in the heavyweight spot and you fighting that guy, he's got no chance – that's my only disagreement."
Pereira himself has dropped down below Jones to #3 in the Pound-For-Pound rankings following UFC 309, although 'Poatan' is happy with being in third place to the legendary ex-ruler of his division.
"Look, I understand that everyone wants to see [him versus Tom] Aspinall and I hope that he makes it happen," stated Sharpe in response to Smith's criticism: "But guess what, he'll beat him and then go and try to fight somebody else.
"At some point in time, you're going to have to come to the realization what Dana White and a lot of the greats in MMA have said – that he's the greatest, he's the GOAT, been champion since he was 23 and he's [now] 38!"
Interestingly, Dana White appeared to perform a surprise U-turn regarding the potential super-fight between Pereira and Jones, stating at the post-fight press conference that there's "no f***** way" he'd make that fight next.
