When did Jon Jones start to become a GOAT candidate?

[Dionysian]

Shogun, Bader. Rampage, Machida, all in one year. Remarkable. I wasn't on MMA forums then, did people call him GOAT by then? It was probably the start of it

Nah. Shogun still had the heavier resume at the time. To answer your OP, I think conversation really picked up 2015. It helped that Anderson and Fedor were skidding while GSP was retired.

2017 GSP came back to beat Bisping which gave him a huge boost in those talks, then Jon vaulted himself to the top of the conversation by KOing DC. But immediately after that the steroids/pulsing/turinabol became front and center once that biggest win of his career was overturned.

So yeah, Jon and steroids are key to how his legacy's been viewed. Of side note is Jon single-handedly destroyed the perception of USADA being legit/impartial to instead be viewed as nothing more than a corrupt, dishonest PR tool of WME.

 

[jx820]

Shogun, Bader. Rampage, Machida, all in one year. Remarkable. I wasn't on MMA forums then, did people call him GOAT by then? It was probably the start of it

It started to creep in then. That was in the Fedor/GSP/Anderson era so it was more like GOAT potential.

For comparison in 2011 when Jon was that run,

• Anderson had just pulled off the greatest comeback in MMA history against Chael, and then landed the fist ever front kick KO in the UFC (and I think any major MMA fight) against Vitor. His stock was way up, even if Chael had created some question marks.
• GSP was about 7 defenses in to his title run and had avenged both of his losses brutally.
• Fedor had just dropped 3 in a row and everyone was basically looking at his run as a retrospective.

I think it was a few years later when they just ran out of people for him to beat up '14-'15 after Glover and DC were both supposed to be this new breed of killer and Jon basically mauled both of them. Then it was like this kid is such a monster that there are barely fights to make.

 

[Bubba Kid]

No. Tito has 5.

Shamrock too iirc


Edit, I was incredibly wrong.

 

[Black Blood]

2011

 

[mjfan23]

Hell Pride ENCOURAGED Steroids!!!

Fuck a pulse they were gorging and bathing in ROIDS

View attachment 970844

They were experts when Jones was still in elementary school!

Cool story bro. But they didn’t pioneer or invent pulsing exemptions to get an advantage over all their opponents.

 

[Dreyga Hates You Sherbums]

That's not Tito. Tito defended against: Kondo, Tanner, Sinosic, Matyushenko, and Shamrock.

Fuckin hell.

oh thought we talking about Chuck

My bad sorry

 

[Fioretti]

oh thought we talking about Chuck

My bad sorry

Lol.

My first reply (to you saying Chuck had the previous record of 4) was "No. Tito has 5."

 

[Fioretti]

Shamrock too iirc


Edit, I was incredibly wrong.

Frank has 4.

 

[Here's Johnny!]

Jones is frequently mentioned during GOAT talks, along with other legends such as GSP, Silva, Fedor, Aldo, etc.

This thread is not a debate of who is the GOAT, but rather, when did Jones become agreed upon as a GOAT candidate, or potentially the GOAT?

After beating Shogun, a lot of us definitely saw serious potential, but he was obviously not GOAT status that time. Which point of his career/victory sealed him as one of the best?

After DC 1 ... oddly enough it's when the controversy started as well.

 

[Here's Johnny!]

ufc goat don't mean shit

this sport is such a joke that double digit title defenses automatically make you the best of all time

Lmao double digit championships would make you the GOAT in every sport in the world lmao.... lol the Celtics have always sucked they aren't the GOAT because they won the championship 20 times... smh...

 

[Here's Johnny!]

if you fight 1 time a year for 10 years and handpick your opponents you are not automatically goat. to become the goat is much much harder in any other major sports

Name one? Tom Brady is considered the GOAT NFL because he won the superbowl like 6 or 7 times.... Michael Jordan is considered the basketball GOAT he won the championship 6 times... Karelin is considered the wrestling GOAT he won world's or the Olympics 12 times... thats pretty much 12 championship fights imo...

 

[Dreyga Hates You Sherbums]

Lol.

My first reply (to you saying Chuck had the previous record of 4) was "No. Tito has 5."

I stand corrected

 

[Taric]

Whenever he got his 6th title defense he became the most accomplished LHW ever. At that point he had surpassed all those who came before him at his division.

 

[Kenny Powerth]

*NEVER

 

[Taric]

this sport is such a joke that double digit title defenses automatically make you the best of all time

... Most sports teams don't have 10 total championships over the course of 100+ years. What are you talking about lol

 

[SpedDaddyV]

after he beat DC it was clear he was the GOAT of GOATs

after he dropped Machida and left him for dead you could argue he was the GOAT

 

[TempleoftheDog]

I nailed down the exact date..

June 6, two thousand and NEVER. The second he popped the first time it was all over.

When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.

Anderson Silva

Jones has NEVER been clean. His record should be 0-1-27.

 

[Number 8]

December 29, 2018. After the Gus destruction.

 

[sandokan83]

For me Luke Rockhold is the GOAT. He is so cute. I wish I was a women....a hot one.

 

[WolverReem]

He's the only one who calls himself GOAT