FloCombat believes all matters can be settled through a healthy debate.

So when our fearless editor, Duane Finley, let it slip that he believes Jon Jones is the best fighter on earth, Hunter Homistek knew it was time to chuck off the (metaphorical) gloves and throw down (using big-boy words).

As part of our new series, "FloCombat Debates," we'll tackle various subjects within the sport of MMA and settle scores in a back-and-forth, one-on-one format.

Debating from the blue corner will be Homistek, riffing out of Pittsburgh. In the red corner is Finley, sounding off from beautiful Indianapolis.

Today's debate:

Who is the best mixed martial artist on earth? Is it Jon Jones, or UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson?

Hunter Homistek: I gotta come charging out of the gate like Cat Zingano on this one: Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson is the greatest fighter on earth today. I heard how you casually slid Jon Jones' name into that slot. There's no way you can put him over "Mighty Mouse" though, right?

Duane Finley: I can, and I will. I know you’re in love with the bearded flyweight king, but the once-stripped, now-interim light heavyweight champion also rocks a mean facial hair game. Also, Jones has been considered the pound-for-pound best for the past few years. Unlike a shiny gold belt that can be taken away for a few ill-timed infractions, the mantle of best fighter on the planet isn’t something that falls away due to a driving record. Jones is, was, and is still the man in MMA.

Hunter: Don't take this as a concession early in Round 1, but I should say: Jon Jones is phenomenal. Everything you're saying makes sense. As a naturally gifted talent, Jones is the best the sport's ever seen. But right now—right now—nobody is performing like Mighty Mouse inside the Octagon. Not even Jones.

Mighty Mouse has defended the title eight straight times, and it seems likely that he'll break Anderson Silva's record for consecutive title defenses. He finished his opponent in five out of those eight defenses, and he's only getting better each time out.

Duane: Nothing makes me more giddy than seeing a champion clean out his/her division, but Jones did that long before Johnson ever did. In fact, Jones is on his second go-around through the 205-pound fold. When you look at the caliber of competition he’s faced during his time as champion, it’s downright jaw-dropping. I’m talking Lyoto Machida, dead-eyed and lifeless on the canvas jaw-dropping.

There’s never been a more dominant champion in UFC history, and Jones has done it in a division where power is a serious factor. Johnson is plenty efficient in the scrap game, but no one has proven to be more versatile and dangerous than Jones.



Hunter: Jones' championship run was awesome, and he absolutely blitzed the sport and the division when he took over the scene. If this debate was happening in 2014, it'd be a first-round KO for Jones.

But it's not. Even putting Jones' legal struggles aside—which is doing you a favor in this debate—his fights have been consistently less engaging and amazing of late. He hasn't finished a fighter since April 27, 2013, when he blasted Chael Sonnen—a middleweight—in one round.

Mighty Mouse has finished four fighters since then. Mighty Mouse is showing real improvements. Jones knows he's a class above the division, and he's coasting.

Duane: I feel like you’re making a driving joke there and I’m not sure I appreciate you poking fun at the G.O.A.T. in that fashion. The true measure of a great champion is the competition he’s faced. Anderson Silva needed Chael Sonnen to put him over into the next level of legend, and Jones is no different in that regard.

His bout against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 showed there is moxie and grit beneath all that flash, and barely squeaking out a win in that dogfight proved Jones can dig deep when needed. That fight become even more impressive when Jones revealed to my dude Ariel Helwani that he overlooked Lusty Gus and barely trained for the fight.

That was certainly a poor call on Jones’ behalf but the end result added another piece to the greatest puzzle in MMA history. Where has Johnson ever showed that type of mettle?

Hunter: Johnson’s never shown that type of mettle, I’ll give you that. But here’s the thing: He’s never had to. He’s that much better. There hasn’t been a flyweight that can push him to that limit. John Dodson—who knocked out former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, mind you—couldn’t do it. Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo couldn’t even come close to doing it. You can say, “That shows how weak his division is,” but I say, “That shows how damn good Mighty Mouse is.”

Keepin’ it real, it’s a little of column A and a little of column B. Johnson’s division is, what, 15, 20 years younger than Jones’? Of course the competition isn’t going to be littered with ex-champions and legends. We can’t fault Mighty Mouse for that though. He’s consistently fought the best guys available, and he’s trashed them every time.

Duane: And I applaud him for his efforts, but that doesn’t make him more prominent on the overall landscape than Jones. Johnson has certainly had more compelling bouts as of late, but that’s because Jones was on the sidelines getting his act together in order to craft the most epic chapter of his career. Yes, you heard that correctly.

After everything Jones has done thus far, it’s hard to think he could enhance his legacy, but it’s certainly possible should things go the way they very well could. He’s currently slotted for his long-awaited rematch with Daniel Cormier, and should he pass that test again, there’s a high probability he’s going to step in against “Rumble” Johnson. If those tasks weren’t steep enough, just imagine what Jones would look like against a Stipe Miocic or Alistair Overeem? I tell you to imagine it because it will happen.



Hunter: I can imagine it. I can imagine it well, Jones oblique-kicking his way to another unanimous decision—how fun. The dude’s the second best wrestler I’ve ever seen in the sport (‘sup, GSP?) but he’s not taking down Miocic or ‘Reem. We’ve seen Jones struggle against guys who are physically his equal (or close), and that’s all he’ll find at heavyweight.

But, my sir, if we must go down this road, we can. Mighty Mouse already fought at bantamweight. He had no choice when the 125-pound class didn’t exist, and he earned a title shot there. He’s already proven he can reach the top of that division, too. Dominick Cruz—who, of course, is the 135-pound king once more—beat him via unanimous decision in that title fight, but I genuinely feel that scrap is much, much closer today. Mighty Mouse could even win it. If we’re talking about fighting up a division, I feel more confident in Mighty Mouse’s chances than I do in Jones’  because we’ve already seen him succeed there.

Duane: We’ve also seen Johnson fail there as well, and that, my friend, is what shall end this debate. The only person who ever defeated Jon Jones is Jon Jones and that’s not something “Mighty Mouse” can say. We’ve seen Johnson bested inside the cage, and while it’s been quite some time since that’s happened and he’s certainly a better fighter in his current form, we are looking at overall scope in this debate. Other than an asterisk and Matt Hamill’s face, Jones’ cage time has been damn near flawless.

He’s made it look easy on most accounts, and I believe we will see the Jones of old return to dominant, elbow-smashing form very soon. Furthermore, you’ve never seen Star Wars, so that automatically disqualifies you from having a respectable opinion. Real talk, as the kids say.

Hunter: I guess we’re living in the past here, talking about Star Wars and Mighty Mouse’s losses. Ain’t nobody got time for 1977, man.

To close out this debate, I’ll just say Johnson and Jones are both really, really good at fighting. I maintain that right now, Mighty Mouse is the more impressive scrapper, but Jones’ history is otherworldly.

What say you, reader? Who’s the real king: Jones or Johnson? Hit us up on Twitter @FloCombat to voice your opinion.