Most people have a favorite fighter, including the greatest of all time. Former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones listed his favorite boxers of all time and his favorite current mixed martial artists in a recent interview with Helen Yee Sports.
“My favorite fighter to watch has always been Anderson Silva,” Jones said. “He’s just unbelievable.”
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Silva held the undisputed UFC middleweight championship for 2,457 days, the longest title reign in UFC history. He defended his middleweight belt a record ten times in a row. He was inducted into the UFC Vanguard Hall of Fame in 2023 and the Fighting Team in 2024. Silva’s name is always mentioned in the greatest of all time debates and continues to compete in boxing at the age of 50. He last fought in December, knocking out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on the undercard of Jake Paul’s fight against Anthony Joshua.
While Silva is Jones’ favorite fighter of all time to watch, “Bones” also revealed his favorite current fighter.
“Right now, I would say Ilya [Topuria]. He really gets me excited,” Jones said. “He’s just dynamite. “
Topriya, like Jones, is a two-division UFC title holder. In February 2024, he defeated Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to capture the 145-pound title. He defended his title once against former champion Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024.
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“El Mator” relinquished his 145-pound title and moved up to lightweight in search of a second UFC division belt. He became part of a two-division championship club when he defeated former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 last June.
In November, Topria announced that he would be taking a long break from marriage to deal with his divorce. It’s unclear how long the champion will be out, but he has indicated he won’t play in the first quarter of 2026. In his absence, the promotion chose the interim title holder.
Former interim champion Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett fight for the interim title in the main event of UFC 325 on January 24. Gaethje defeated “The Bad Guy” to become a two-time interim champion and win the title unification match against Topuria. The two are expected to fight later this year.
