Considering Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov was a Lightweight champion and Jon Jones was a light heavyweight. Most people would not be able to comprehend how a feud might exist between the two. But ‘Bones’ did start a rather pathetic rivalry involving legacy inside the Octagon which hopefully should go away soon.
During a recent interview, Jones had this to say about Khabib, “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.”
How did the feud between Kahbib and Jon Jones start?
‘The Eagle’ decided to retire after a dominating win against Justin Gaethje. His father had passed away recently and the Dagestani was overrun with emotions. In his post-match interview, he asked that his name be displayed on top of the ‘Pound-for-Pound’ top fighters list next week.
With his insane win streak, the AKA prospect would have likely received the position either way but Jon took serious issues. He went on a Twitter war against the Khabib fan base with him tweeting at one point,
“I’m talking to all you Khabib fans out there. Fifteen world titles to your guy’s four. And you guys really talking about who’s the best fighter ever? You guys are joking, right? Fifteen to four, are you guys kidding me? All you guys that are going with this, ‘He’s more dominant’ argument, the guy just recently started fighting elite-level competition. Could you imagine me against the No. 10 ranked guy?”
Jones has recently shown interest in mending ties with his former rival Daniel Cormier too. Whether this is just a promotional stunt or if the former champ is genuine, it’s too early to tell.
