Ilia Topuria picked as GOAT over Jon Jones by former UFC rival

Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has picked Ilia Topuria as the greatest fighter ever over Jon Jones.

Topuria has become one of the biggest stars in all of mixed martial arts today following his knockout victory against Charles Oliveira in June to capture the lightweight belt.

Topuria, who is undefeated and has a professional record of 17-0, moved up from featherweight after a dominant run that included wins over top contenders like Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell.

‘El Matador’ has become one of the most confident fighters of the promotion after becoming the lightweight champion. Backing himself to challenge anyone without fear, he has even started a feud with boxing champion Terence Crawford, who has recently made history by beating Canelo Alvarez by a unanimous decision in Las Vegas earlier this month to become the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world.

And there was a moment in his career when it seemed inevitable that the Spaniard would set up a showdown against former bantamweight champion O’Malley when he was champion at the 135lb division and was considering a move to featherweight.

Despite losing his title to Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley vowed to move up and target a super fight against Topuria.

However, despite their longtime feud, ‘Suga’ on his YouTube channel lauded Ilia Topuria as the greatest UFC pound-for-pound fighter, even over Jon Jones.

“Ilia is pound-for-pound the greatest fighter to ever walk this earth. The greatest fighter pound-for-pound, ever,” O’Malley said.

“Yeah, even over Jon Jones I think. Dude, his last three fights, KO’s Volkanovski, KO’s Max Holloway, KO’s Charles Oliveira. He’s not beating guys by decision, he’s not taking them down and holding them down and these guys can’t get up, he’s knocking them out.”