Rashad Evans: If you don't consider Jon Jones the GOAT, 'you're kind of a hater'
Rashad Evans will not let the Tom Aspinall saga define Jon Jones' legacy.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) was chastised by many, including ex-foe Daniel Cormier, for his decision to retire and not fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a title-unification bout.
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Evans' beef with former teammate Jones is well documented. The pair ended up fighting, with Jones scoring a definitive decision win to retain his light heavyweight title at UFC 145. Rivalry aside, Evans thinks former two-division UFC champion Jones has achieved too much in his career for people to ignore.
"This newer generation of fight fans, they didn't get a chance to really enjoy Jon in his prime and get to see how magnificent he was inside of the cage," Evans told "MMA on Sirius XM." "He did some amazing things in there. The freedom in which he fought, the creativity in which he fought, the execution in which he fought, and the ability to go in there and fight the way he has, when his life is a dumpster fire on the outside.
"So, they won't appreciate that, and unfortunately for Jon, it's a game of what have you done for me lately, and that's the most unfortunate part about it. But I think that, in time, once this moment passes and there's more perspective looked at on his career, I think he'll be held up to be as good, and his accomplishments will stand the test of time. Drug cheat, everything else – listen, he's the greatest. He's the greatest one to ever do it, and you have to be kind of hater to say he isn't."
Many put an asterisk on Jones' greatness due to multiple failed drug tests. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Evans explained why he doesn't.
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"There's a lot of people who probably used and all this other stuff," Evans said. "And there was a time when people got the exemptions to use testosterone replacement therapy, and there were some people who went over the level of that threshold that they were allowed to have, but it didn't make them what Jon Jones was. There's something different that Jon Jones brought to the table.
"He brought a mental ability to go out there and compete in a way that allowed him to be free enough to take the risk that he needed to take that his opponents weren't willing to take. He had a great frame, a great build for what we do, and he's a smart fighter. So, I can't hate on that, and as much as it may pain me because we had the rivalry, but when I shoot it straight, I just got to give him his props."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Former UFC rival: You're a hater if you say Jon Jones isn't GOAT
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