Interim UFC champion Tom Aspinall has the speed, undisputed UFC champion Jon Jones has the technique and PFL champion Francis Ngannou has the power – but how do you rank these three heavyweights?
That question is on the minds of countless pundits, with MMA icon Dan Hardy now offering his thoughts on the heavyweight cross-promotion debate; and contrary to popular belief, he has Jon 'Bones' Jones at #3.
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Dan Hardy debates the top 3 active heavyweight champions in MMA
Dan Hardy is a former UFC title challenger and commentator who now heads Fighter Operations for PFL: Europe; with connections to Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, how does 'The Outlaw' rank these three champions?
“I think Jon Jones is pound-for-pound the best,” the British MMA legend told MMA Fighting earlier this week.
“I think he's the best representation of mixed martial arts in general that we've ever seen. I think he's still evolving, which is scary. But is he the best current heavyweight in the world? I don't think so.
“I think the winner of Aspinall versus Ngannou would be the answer,” said Hardy, who quickly reaffirmed that he “means no disrespect to Jon in any way.
“Current heavyweight champion, but not the current best heavyweight champion in the world – certainly not.”
Following the highly successful 2024 PFL World Championships last weekend, CEO Peter Murray is said to be calling on the UFC to 'step up' and make Jones vs Ngannou in 2025.
Just a few days later, Ngannou echoed this call, taking to social media to respond to Jones' post 'dodging' the interim champion: “Blessings make haters uncomfortable, but they can't change it.
“There is only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings. #NgannouVSJones.”
While it's unlikely that such a cross-promotional superfight will ever be accepted by Dana White, it's the only way we'll ever get a definitive answer – especially since each of the three heavyweight champions has their own distinct specialty.
Dan Hardy claims the best heavyweight comes down to Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall:
“No disrespect to Jon in any way [Jones]. Current heavyweight champion, but not the current best heavyweight in the world. Certainly not.”
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'Speed vs. Power vs. Technique' – The only way to solve this is in the cage
“The reality is that Tom Aspinall is the fastest of all three,” continued Hardy, who acknowledged that the Briton's lightning-fast movement remains an incredibly rare trait in the top weight class.
“That makes him very dangerous at heavyweight, because speed kills at heavyweight. That's the scary thing about Tom Aspinall. What was he on the scale? 254 [pounds]? He's at the very top of the heavyweight division, with no fat on him.
“You can say the same about Francis Ngannou. So [in terms of] physical copies, I'd say Jon Jones is at the bottom of the rung.
Bloody Elbow was fortunate enough to catch up with Aspinall last week to discuss what it felt like to see Jones KO Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
“The creativity of Jon Jones and the wisdom, the fighting IQ, that reigns supreme,” Hardy concluded. “I wonder if he has that ability with someone as fast as Tom Aspinall and someone as powerful as Francis Ngannou.”
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