Luke Rockhold picks between Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev for MMA GOAT

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An ongoing power struggle between Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev has the MMA world talking.

Unprovoked, Makhachev opened fire on Jones, disregarding his 20-fight win streak following his victory that was later overturned to a no contest against Daniel Cormier. Makhachev later claimed the former two-division UFC champion should be excluded from GOAT talks. Jones fired back, and the pair have been entangled in a social media feud since. Fans have taken sides. Some are siding with the retired veteran, while others are backing the reigning UFC welterweight champion.

Neither side is willing to back down, with Islam Makhachev having the final say. He insisted that Jon Jones’ persistent problems and PED failures cannot be ignored. One man who agrees with Makhachev’s sentiment is his former teammate at American Kickboxing Academy, Luke Rockhold.

Also singling out Jones’ alleged history with performance-enhancing drugs, Rockhold opted for Makhachev as the greatest of all time. Favoring an athlete who has competed cleanly and fairly over the course of his career, Rockhold had this to say:

“I mean, it’s hard to go against somebody who’s done it cleanly and fairly his whole career. Jon, you know you’ve cheated the game. You know you’re a f***ing specimen, but you cheated the game. You cheat the game, you cheat the game; you can’t call GOAT status when you cheat the game. I don’t know.”

Despite excluding Jon Jones from the greatest of all time discussion, Luke Rockhold remains aware of just how good the New Mexico native was during his best years in the octagon.

Showing little sign of admiration for Jones, Rockhold signed off his short speech with a respectful message.

“You’re a legend,” Rockhold added.

Watch as Rockhold shares his thoughts on the burning feud between Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev in the video below.