‘There’s no way anybody watched this video without a smile on their face’: Conor Mcgregor vs Jon Jones – The true light heavyweight champ

Jon Jones snubs Conor McGregor in list of five best MMA fighters as he prepares for Ciryl Gane at UFC 285

Jon Jones doesn’t believe Conor McGregor is one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.

‘Bones’ hasn’t fought since picking up a controversial decision win over Dominick Reyes in February 2020, but is still regarded by many as one of the finest MMA fighters in history.

Jones is a former two-time UFC champion and arguably the greatest MMA fighter everCredit: Getty

The 35-year-old will return to the Octagon when he takes on Ciryl Gane for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 285 in the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on Saturday night.

Ahead of his eagerly anticipated comeback fight, Jones named himself among the five best MMA fighters in history but left out McGregor.

He told RMC Sport: “If I’m allowed I would say myself, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Jose Aldo. Those are my favourites at least,” Jones said.

McGregor is the biggest MMA star ever who picked up a famous 13-second knockout win over Aldo before he was dominated by ‘Nurmagomedov’ in their 2018 lightweight title fight.

He retired in 2020 with a perfect 29-0 record and some people called him MMA’s GOAT but Jones passionately defended his status as the best ever.

Despite that, the American fighter insists he’s got nothing but respect for his former colleague who has impressed him as a man and an athlete over the years.

The biggest UFC star of all time will make his comeback later this yearCredit: Zuffa LLC via Getty

McGregor’s biggest rival made Jones’ listCredit: Getty

Jones added: “I love what Khabib represents. We’ve had our differences in the past, I’ve made some quotes about him. But there’s never really been a real beef.

“I love the way he carries himself as a Muslim, I love the way he represents his country. I love the businessman that he is.

“He just seems like a stand-up guy, gives back to others. He’s a stand-up guy, an admirable man. I appreciate his existence.”

While McGregor is certainly the biggest name to be left off Jones’ list of greats, another former UFC champion can also count himself unlucky to be excluded.

‘Mighty Mouse’ made a record 11 defences of his flyweight title

Many consider him the greatest of all time

At the peak of his powers, Demetrious Johnson dominated the UFC flyweight division and made a record 11 defences of his 125lb belt before suffering a split decision defeat to Henry Cejudo in 2018.

Jones clearly got a lot of flak for leaving ‘DJ’ out as he took to social media to address Johnson’s omission and ask fans where he ranks among the best UFC fighters.

He tweeted: “Getting a lot of feedback about my top 5 pound for pound list! A lot of you guys believe DJ should’ve been on that list, where would you have stuck him?”

McGregor is yet to respond to Jones’ snub but he is unlikely to be too happy.

Jones can somewhat settle the greatest of all time debate by becoming a two-weight world champion this weekend, having increased his size to compete in the land of the giants.

The former two-time light-heavyweight king has been talking about testing himself against the biggest and baddest fighters on the planet for years and he’ll finally do it on Saturday night.