Jon Jones told he is not worthy of a spot on ‘MMA Mount Rushmore’ by legendary MMA personality after outside of the cage antics

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, but one important MMA personality believes he has tarnished his legacy.

John McCarthy, the legendary MMA referee who has been at the centre of many of Jones’ biggest victories, was discussing the sport’s all-time greats on a recent podcast appearance. And while he acknowledges Jones’ contributions in the cage, he fears his antics outside of it have cost him.

Jones’ legendary status is pretty much without debate, but he has hurt his standing with fans and experts due to his actions outside of the cage. He has been involved in multiple issues regarding Performance Enhancing Drugs, as well as a number of legal battles and arrests.

Who is Jon Jones? Inside the life and career of one of the greatest UFC fighters in historyJohn McCarthy explains why Jon Jones doesn’t make MMA Mount RushmoreLong-time referee and pioneer of MMA John McCarthy was recently discussing the topic of MMA’s Mount Rushmore with co-host Josh Thomson on an episode of their podcast Weighing In. Having been involved in the sport since its inception ‘Big John’ has a better vantage point than many in the debate.

The discussion of a ‘Mount Rushmore’ in any sport refers to a top four athletes or personalities. It references a massive sculpture depicting US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in South Dakota.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesWith regards Jones in particular, McCarthy has been referee for some of his greatest victories. He oversaw his victories over the likes of Lyoto Machida and Daniel Cormier, although the latter indicates part of the problem he has raised with the former light-heavyweight champion.

“I look at it different,” McCarthy said of his position in the debate. “If you want to say best fighters for Mount Rushmore, the best fighters there ever was, well Jon Jones is on it. If you’re going to say give me an MMA Mount Rushmore, the criteria for it is different than just best fighter.

“And there’s things that have been done in the past that I go ‘no, I can’t put you on that’. Let’s just be honest… I take a look at outside of the sport, Jon hasn’t been the greatest ambassador for the sport. He’s had more controversy than I can give him.”

Dana White believes Jones is MMA’s greatest ever fighterMcCarthy’s take is drastically different to that of UFC CEO Dana White. The promotional boss has become a meme within the sport for his recent insistence that the heavyweight champion is the greatest fighter of all time, and the current pound-for-pound number one.

Jokes have begun claiming that no matter where a conversation is going, White will turn it back around to Jones’ status as the greatest of all time. In a recent press conference he even made the argument that Jones, who hasn’t fought in almost two years, is still an active fighter and should be ranked higher.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images“Did I mention to you guys that Jon Jones is the greatest of all time?” White jokingly questioned at a press conference following an episode of Contender Series. “He’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world (currently) and he’s the GOAT, you all know this. Numbers don’t lie.”

When it was brought up that fans theorise Jones must have some sort of embarrassing materials of White, he replied: ““I saw that on the internet too,” before asking: “Are you guys that f***ing stupid?

“You can’t be that f***ing stupid to think that Jon Jones is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, but maybe you are.

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