Jon Jones is a terrifying force of nature, we all know that, and we don’t need to keep getting into the details of it. And at this point, we take it for granted that the UFC two-weight champion will win all his fights because he’s done exactly that. Jones was in the sport long before the likes of Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, and is still active, long after both the aforementioned stars last competed in the Octagon. And what’s funny? When one thinks of MMA, they first think of either McGregor or Khabib. Whereas in boxing, people drop Mike Tyson’s name. So why this disparity between the MMA star and the boxing legend?

On April 15, 2025, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen sat down together to weigh in on the aftermath of UFC 314. But as their conversation continued, the duo stumbled upon the heavyweight champion’s stardom. The former heavyweight champion and current UFC color commentator pointed out, “Isn’t it crazy? We don’t talk about Jon Jones when we talk about the biggest stars…”

That was when ‘The American Gangster’ broke down the problem with Jones. He compared the Rochester-born heavyweight champion with the legendary Roy Jones Jr. But if he had the intimidation factor like that of Tyson, why was he still miles away from the former WBC heavyweight champion? Sonnen explained, “Jon kinda ran into the same problem that Roy Jones did, which was Jon just got so good, it was hard to imagine that this was gonna be close. And that’s just something in sport… They say that there’s only two fighters – Mike Tyson and Oscar De la Hoya – that can draw on their own, regardless of who the opponent is.”

However, the difference in popularity between Jones and Tyson doesn’t matter to Dana White. The UFC head honcho has always stood in support of Jon Jones (except at UFC 311 when he was forced to admit that Islam Makhachev was the true pound-for-pound number one). But if he had to fight either Jones or Tyson, who would he choose? 

Dana White chooses between Jon Jones and Mike Tyson

During a conversation with Piers Morgan earlier in February 2025, the UFC CEO was put in a dilemma. Morgan asked White to choose between Jones and Mike Tyson for a hypothetical fight. Yes, the interviewer wanted White to go up against these heavyweights in an imaginary bout. But White seemingly misunderstood the assignment. He said, “Jon Jones is still the best ever. (I’d chose peak) Jon Jones all day and I’m the biggest Mike Tyson fan of all time.”

Nevertheless, he realized the task and went on, “Oh, who would I least (want to get in the ring with), I don’t want to get in the ring with any of them, I’m 55 years old. The answer is neither, I’m not getting in the ring with neither. In my prime when I was young, you don’t want to mess with either one of them. Jon Jones and Mike Tyson are two of the nastiest human beings ever.”

The baddest men on the planet (of their respective sports) d0 have a reputation that they carry. Even the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and one of Jones’ former opponents believed that Jones was on the same level as ‘Iron Mike’ when it came to scaring people away. And the reason lies in the UFC heavyweight champion’s record. But for now, his legacy is on the line, with his next bout slated against Tom Aspinall. 

What are your thoughts on Jon Jones’ legacy? Do you think he can reach the same level as Mike Tyson in terms of reeling in viewership? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.