Cory Sandhagen recently made a surprising pick for the greatest fighter to ever come out of America.
Jon Jones has long been at the heart of the UFC GOAT debate, and not without reason. His record inside the Octagon speaks for itself, and he is often one of the first names mentioned when people discuss the sport’s top fighters.
Jones’ career is hard to match. He is a regular on just about every list that ranks the sport’s elite, especially in terms of skill and championship pedigree.
But despite all that, not everyone is convinced. Some point to his history with failed drug tests as a reason to look elsewhere. Sandhagen takes it even further, he does not even rate Jones as America’s best ever.
Cory Sandhagen goes with Chuck Liddell over Jon Jones in greatest American fighter debate
Cory Sandhagen is set to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320 this Saturday, hoping to add his name to the list of Americans who have captured gold in the promotion.
During fight week, ‘The Sandman’ sat down with TNT Sports for a game of ‘The Best’, where he gave his picks across a range of categories, from the top current UFC fighter to the best trash talker.
When asked about the greatest American fighter ever, Sandhagen chose Chuck Liddell over Jones. A UFC Hall of Famer since 2009, the former light heavyweight champion is widely considered a pioneer in MMA.
With that choice, it was clear Jones did not factor into any of his selections. Sandhagen named middleweight great Anderson Silva as his pick for greatest fighter of all time.
Dana White predicted to ‘cave in’ to Jon Jones’ White House request
Jon Jones may have stepped away from fighting only recently, but there is already talk about him being involved in a major national celebration planned for 2026.
The UFC is set to mark 250 years of American independence with an event on the White House lawn, but there is still plenty of discussion around who should headline such a historic occasion.
Dana White has already given Conor McGregor approval to compete, but has publicly dismissed Jones’ request to join the card, pointing to his history of unreliability as the main reason. But Henry Cejudo does not believe that stance will hold for long.
Speaking on Pound 4 Pound podcast, he said: “USA vs England…and I do believe that Jon Jones takes out Tom Aspinall within the first championship round.
“This should be the main event. Of course (over McGregor). Conor McGregor’s a felon, bro. I’d be surprised he’s even gonna be walking inside the damn White House.
“It should be that way (Jones headlining) just based on merit. President Dana White is gonna cave in, bro…and he’s gonna give Jon Jones that opportunity.”