LAS VEGAS – Dana White can’t praise Jon Jones enough.
The UFC president was impressed by Jones’ title win in his long-awaited return in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena. Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) submitted Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the first round of their contest for the vacant heavyweight title.
White expected it to be a competitive fight, but it was far from it.
“There were a couple of interviews leading up to this fight where he said, ‘I’m going to make this look easy,’ and I thought that was a silly thing to say,” White told reporters at the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. “The guy is unbelievable. He really is.”
Jones hadn’t competed in more than three years, which makes his title win even more impressive. White thinks Jones is the greatest of all time, and he’s glad “Bones” committed to a return to the octagon.
“There’s no doubt that Jon is special,” White said. “He’s the greatest of all time. He’s undefeated. He’s never lost a fight in the UFC ever. He’s fought all the best competition out there, but dealing with him is like dealing with an artist. That’s the best way to explain it. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out. I’m just happy we got to see what we saw tonight.
“Many of us that have been in the game for a long time. Some of you might agree, some disagree. I’m a big believer in ring rust, and we didn’t even get to see any ring rust. Who knows if there’s any ring rust. He just literally went in there and made it look like nothing, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. He’s a total freak of nature. He’s the best ever.”
As far as what’s next, Jones expressed his interest in fighting former champion Stipe Miocic in July, and Miocic also shared the same sentiment. White is unsure if summer will host that heavyweight matchup, but he say that’s certainly happening next.
“I don’t know when, but he’s definitely fighting Stipe.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285
