Demetrious Johnson questions Jon Jones' GOAT status in comparison to himself, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Georges St-Pierre: "We've never been stripped"

Demetrious Johnson has a pointed reason why he isn’t ready to crown Jon Jones as a GOAT (greatest of all time) in the UFC. Johnson believes that legacy is built on more than just wins and title belts.

Jones’ name has long been in the GOAT conversation. But with multiple failed drug tests, stripped titles and legal troubles shadowing his run, Johnson says the comparison falls apart when stacked against fighters like himself, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre.

All three fighters held long reigns, walked away clean and never faced sanctions that altered their careers. In Johnson’s eyes, those are important factors in determining a GOAT. Speaking in a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Johnson said:

"I've never failed a drug test. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] has never failed a drug test. 'GSP' has never failed a drug test. Why haven't we failed drug tests? You look at the long reigns we've done, we've never been stripped [of the title]. And you look at somebody who has been stripped ... Americans and people who watch this sport have a very short-term memory. They truly f***ing do."

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He added:

"But if you go back and peel back the onion, and you look at the whole entire career, I'm not saying Jon Jones didn't do great things. He was an amazing athlete, right? But when you start talking about the greatest of all time, you look at Muhammad Ali. I don't think he's ever failed a drug test. If you look at Floyd Mayweather, he's never failed a drug test. [Oleksander] Usyk, he's never failed a drug test. Usain Bolt!"

Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments below (12:20):

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Tom Aspinall backs Demetrious Johnson’s take on why Jon Jones isn’t the GOAT

Tom Aspinall's thoughts aligned with Demetrious Johnson in the ongoing MMA GOAT debate. The freshly crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion believes performance-enhancing drug use disqualifies any fighter from an all-time great status.

Aspinall's stance is backed by Jones’ troubled history, which includes multiple failed drug tests and suspensions between 2016 and 2018. The UK MMA Star pointed out that cheating in a sport where athletes cause physical harm crosses a serious ethical line.

Speaking in an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Aspinall said:

"If your job is to hurt another person physically, which could potentially redirect the rest of their life post-fighting, you're an absolute piece of sh*t, and you should never be able to fight again if you have any PED stuff. It's like taking a gun to a knife fight. It's like taking a knife to a bare-knuckle fight. How can you look yourself in the mirror when you know that you're cheating and you could potentially damage the other person for life?"

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (14:40):

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar