Alexander Volkanovski Reacts to Losing Top Pound-for-Pound Spot to Jon Jones

The UFC 285 event saw the end of Alexander Volkanovski's reign as the official No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC rankings. This occurred after the featherweight titleholder attempted to become a two-weight champion at UFC 284 by fighting lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Despite being ranked No. 1, Volkanovski lost via a unanimous decision, but he still held his position atop the list.

However, Jon Jones' recent return to MMA as a heavyweight has led to his domination of the rankings, causing him to replace Volkanovski as the top pound-for-pound fighter. Jones easily defeated Ciryl Gane, the top-ranked contender and former interim titlist, at UFC 286 to claim a new UFC title, which he did by submitting Gane with a guillotine in just over two minutes.

Volkanovski recognizes the importance of being pound-for-pound No. 1 and acknowledges that it is a significant achievement.

“Everyone loves talking about it, It’s a big deal. I’ll be honest with you, [becoming] a champion was great, being pound-for-pound No. 1 [was greater], which Jon Jones took that from me (laughs). I don’t think with all of the [rankings], but the UFC, yes.”

He also agrees with Jones' statement that the rankings reflect what a fighter has done lately, rather than what they did in the past.

“He actually said it really well where it goes by what you’ve done lately as well, It’s gonna go with that you might have done a whole heap four years ago, but that’s got nothing to do with now. You are not pound-for-pound, we don’t know what you’re doing right now. So, that’s always gonna come into play, though."

With Jones re-entering the conversation, the debate on who deserves to be at the top of the list rages om with Volkanovski, Makhachev, and Jones all in the conversation.