Arman Tsarukyan thinks Jon Jones belongs at the top of the UFC P4P rankings.
As it stands, ‘Bones’ is sitting in the No. 2 spot on the promotion’s pound-for-pound list, one spot behind reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Of course, not everyone agrees with that, including UFC CEO Dana White who has gone on record multiple times arguing in favor of Jones being listed as the undisputed GOAT of MMA.
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Tsarukyan revealed that he subscribes to the same belief as White, suggesting that ‘Bones’ should be the top-ranked fighter on the coveted list with Makhachev dropping down one spot.
“In my opinion, he’s number two,” Tsarukyan said. Number one is Jon Jones, for me personally. But for sure, in the 155-pound division, he’s the pound-for-pound best.”
Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the promotion will return to pay-per-view on Saturday, January 18 for UFC 311, headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Makhachev and Tsarukyan.
It will be Tsarukyan’s first time competing for UFC gold after amassing an impressive 9-2 record inside the Octagon, including noteworthy wins over Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira.
Arman Tsarukyan not concerned with potential p4P ranking
While a win over Makhachev will secure Tsarukyan his first UFC title, he doesn’t expect to become the promotion’s new No. 1 P4P fighter.
Nor does he care.
“No, I don’t care about that,” Tsarukyan said when asked about potentially occupying the top P4P ranking. “I just care about the title. Not the money, the hype, or the followers — just the title. That’s my goal. I wake up thinking about the title, and I go to sleep thinking about the title.”
