Make no mistake about it. Jon Jones is the best to ever do it.
This is according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legends Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva, who recently took to social media to pay their respects to the recently-retired UFC heavyweight champion.
Jones, who has been on the fence about retiring for most of 2025, finally turned in his UFC papers this past weekend during a phone call with UFC CEO Dana White. Most thought Jones was leaning toward retiring given his inactivity since his last fight (and over the last half decade), but it was still a surreal moment given his status as one of the best fighters ever.
Of course, the drama didn’t stop there. Now that Jones has decided to not fight Aspinall to unify the UFC heavyweight titles, the claim of him ducking the fight has grown stronger. In turn, many are beginning to question Jones as the best to ever do it. Even Jones’ old rival, former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, bashed him for not fighting Aspinall and giving the English star the opportunity to beat the best.
Other UFC legends, like Nurmagomedov and Silva, have publicly come out to cement Jones’ stake as the greatest fighter of all time. Check out their comments below and let us know your thoughts!
“My congratulations, legend,” said Nurmagomedov via Instagram Stories. “Even we was not friends but you are the best who ever do it in UFC history and you inspire millions of people around the world. You have nothing more to prove in this sport.”
Anderson Silva Jon Jones
“Your dominance inside the cage is unmatched, and this marks the end of yet another legendary era.”
(via @SpiderAnderson) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/zEZDxQLa7m
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 23, 2025
“Your dominance inside the cage is unmatched, and this marks the end of yet another legendary era,” wrote Silva on Monday.