Dana White Calls Out 'F*** Stupid' UFC Media in Defense of Jon Jones

UFC CEO Dana White had a field day with media members debating whether Jon Jones is currently the best fighter pound-for-pound.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As of Wednesday morning, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones sits at No. 3 behind current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the UFC's official pound-for-pound rankings.

Why Jon Jones Demolishes Tom Aspinall in the UFC

UFC CEO Dana White has spent most of the summer defending his champion – someone who has fought once in the last four years and never fought the then-champion and current lineal heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, to win the belt.

Instead, Jones faced Cyril Gane in March of last year, whom White described Tuesday night after Dana White's Contender Series as the division's best fighter at the time.

White and media members got into a fiery debate over Jones' status as the pound-for-pound best, reiterating that Jones and former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will finally fight, given that Miocic is close to retirement. The pair were scheduled to fight at UFC 295 last November at Madison Square Garden, but Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle leading up to the star-studded affair.

This was the reason White described Jones as an "active" fighter: withdrawing from an injury shouldn't make him ineligible for recognition in the pound-for-pound discussion.

Dana White Breaks Down Why Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Needs To Happen

"Are you guys that f****** stupid?" White told reporters. "You can't be that f****** stupid to think that Jon Jones is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and the GOAT.

“... I have two legends of the sport who wanted to fight each other. Those guys were lined up, and one guy gets hurt, and this is the fight that they both want. What do you do? You don’t show the guys the respect? I guarantee you this: If Stipe wins, Stipe is going to retire. This will be Stipe’s last fight. So are you, the media, telling me I should just tell Stipe to 'F*ck off? Good luck to you, Stipe. Go ride off into the sunset. Go fight some fires and that’s a wrap for you, buddy', because Jon got hurt. Or do I show this guy the respect I should show him and give them both the fight they want? That’s the position I’m in."

Interim Champ Tom Aspinall Slams Jon Jones Fight Delay: 'It’s Pissing Me Off'

Showing respect is different from merit, however. White's interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, earned the right to become the division's top contender by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes. If it were in any other division, the interim champion would be set to unify to determine who the undisputed belt-holder is.

White is also dead set on Aspinall fighting Jones if Jones were to beat Miocic and do so impressively, despite the flip-side being that Jones, 37, has defeated White's so-called "murderer's row" and has nothing left to prove to be remembered as the greatest fighter in MMA history.

Whatever the case may be, the Jones GOAT and pound-for-pound debate rages on, as White continues to target Jones vs. Miocic on Nov. 16, although the UFC has not officially announced the full card.

MMA Today: Tom Aspinall Calls Out UFC Brass, Jon Jones, Event Schedule

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