Jon Jones praises fellow UFC legend Conor McGregor with "10-year" claim

01 September 2023 , 14:19

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Jon Jones praises fellow UFC legend Conor McGregor with "10-year" claim

Jon Jones has credited Conor McGregor with pushing forward the popularity of MMA and in particular their top promotion the UFC by ten years during his heyday.

The Irishman was a sensation from his debut in Sweden through to his two world title wins within just over three years, becoming one of fighting's biggest stars ever in the process. He packed out arenas across the world, and ended up making hundreds of millions between MMA and boxing.

Meanwhile, Jones is also one of the sport's biggest stars, albeit starting out in an era before the Irishman. The pair are both double champions; McGregor winning featherweight and lightweight gold while Jones won at light-heavyweight and heavyweight, and are divisive figures in the sport due to their controversial actions away from the octagon.

"I would love to see McGregor come back," Jones told the OverDogs podcast this week. "He will always get my pay-per-view buy, I love what he did for the sport, I love the businessman that he is and the mindset. His marketability? He fast forwarded this whole game up around ten years, I feel. He's always going to have my support and he'll always get my pay-per-view buy."

He also likened McGregor to new bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley, who has similarly captured the imagination of fans across America and worldwide. The Montana native attracted Irish fans due to his roots in the country, and drew a record-breaking crowd to Boston's TD Garden for his world title win last month.

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Jon Jones and Conor McGregor are fans of one another (AFP via Getty Images)

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“I'm with the majority of the community. I'm most excited about Sean O’Malley," Jones added. "I’m excited about him. I think he has the looks. He reminds me a lot of McGregor. He’s really raw, authentic; he has that kind of rags-to-riches story that everyone appreciates, especially in this country. I like him. I like him a lot and I really want to see how far he can take it,”

Both McGregor and Jones are massive earners for the promotion, with the heavyweight claiming that he is now "in the eight figures" as he heads into his first title defence at 265lb. He will face the legendary former champion Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in November before deciding his next steps as he eyes a potential retirement.

Meanwhile, the Irishman is still working towards an octagon return of his own, hoping to land a December 16 date at the T-Mobile Arena or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. His opponent would be Michael Chandler, against whom he coached on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, but it appears that the promotion are not keen on setting a date.

Donagh Corby