Rival defends Jon Jones’ drug record after Khabib coach rules him out of GOAT Race

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, recently put Jones’ place as the sport’s greatest back in the headlines.

The American Kickboxing Academy coach sided with his own man over ‘Bones’, using the two failed drug tests against him.

Sonnen was one of those two victims, and he’s never passed up an opportunity to take a swipe at Jones when it presents itself. But this time he was surprisingly on his side, brushing off the allegations and throwing his support behind Jones’ claim as GOAT.

“I don’t know that Jon ever took anything that the rest of them didn’t take,” Sonnen said on YouTube. “But he got caught for it.”

“Jon Jones failing a PED test makes him not the cleanest fighter of all time, (but) it does not disqualify him from being the greatest fighter of all time,” he added.

Jon Jones looking to end career with one last fight to settle GOAT debate

Even with everything he’s accomplished, Jon Jones might still have more to add to his career.

After stepping away from the heavyweight title and retiring last summer, it didn’t take long for the 38-year-old to announce plans for a return.

Jones has been pushing for a fight against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, even asking Dana White to reconsider his stance on the matchup.

So far, White hasn’t budged, but figures like Conor McGregor and Joe Rogan have urged him to set up the bout for Washington D.C. on June 14.