Jon Jones reacts to the recent pound-for-pound ranking update after backing from Dana White and Alex Pereira

This past weekend at UFC 309, Jon Jones made his long-awaited return to the Octagon, defeating Stipe Miocic in the third round of their controversial undisputed heavyweight title fight.

Ahead of his controversial comeback, Jon Jones caused a stir among the UFC fanbase when he claimed he would not fight interim champion Tom Aspinall if he won at UFC 309.

Instead, the 37-year-old began hinting at a possible fight against current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, but the idea was later shut down by UFC CEO, Dana White.

Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Jon Jones responds to the recent pound-for-pound rankings update

For what appears to be most of 2024, White has been beating the drum that Jones should be number one in the pound-for-pound rankings, and he has criticized the 'clowns' who make the rankings.

The UFC boss has been trying to find ways to overhaul the current rankings system, and he recently enlisted the help of Mark Zuckerberg to help him out.

After his impressive victory over Miocic last Saturday, Jones and White were hoping the greatest consensus of all time would take top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings last Monday.

Despite this, 'Bones' only managed to move up one spot to second, overtaking the aforementioned Pereira but still finding himself behind lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

His potential future rival, 'Poatan', weighed in on the rankings update, suggesting Jones and Makhachev are switching places.

While White and Pereira are seemingly frustrated that 'Bones' hasn't taken the top spot, the 37-year-old champion has shared his reaction to the recent rankings update.

“Being number 2 per pound at 37, I'm happy with that,” Jones responded in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter).

Being number 2 per pound at age 37, I'm happy with that. ☀️

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) November 19, 2024

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Jon Jones makes UFC history again

Jones holds several records in the UFC, with the most notable being that at the age of 23, he remains the youngest fighter ever to win a UFC title.

Last Saturday, the 37-year-old made UFC history again when he became the first fighter in the promotion's history to successfully defend his title across three different title reigns.

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Jones' career has been plagued in part by failed drug tests and problems outside the cage, otherwise the argument surrounding the greatest of all time would probably be unanimous.

The heavyweight champion has yet to confirm whether he will officially retire from the sport and vacate the title, or whether he will give the fans the fight they want by unifying the title against Aspinall.

The Brit is seemingly confident the fight will happen after a successful interview with the UFC brass following the UFC 309 main event.

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