On hip hop artists Future and Metro Boomin’s 2024 song “Like That,” Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar made an appearance referencing what many believe is the present day’s Hip Hop Big 3 of rappers: himself, Drake and J. Cole, before shaking up the industry and proclaiming himself as the best rapper in the world.
The sanitized version of Lamar’s line that set off the high-profile rap battle between Drake and himself is “Forget the Big 3, it’s just big me.”
Another Big 3 debate is currently taking place in the world of mixed martial arts. This iteration involves the heavyweights with current UFC champion Jon Jones, interim UFC champion Tom Aspinall and former UFC champion and current PFL Super Fights champion Francis Ngannou.
Unfortunately, they have yet to be locked in a cage to determine who the best heavyweight in the world is. And who knows if it will ever happen. Aspinall has been chasing a fight with Jones, who is threatening retirement after he faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. As for Ngannou, he also desires a fight with Jones but is currently competing in another MMA promotion. And considering his war of words with UFC CEO Dana White, the chances of Ngannou returning to the UFC are at most, slim.
Since the debate cannot be settled with a sanctioned MMA bout, ESPN asked fighters, analysts and coaches to rank the three heavyweights to determine who the current “Big Me” of this version of the Big 3 is. Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim then broke down the results and make the case for each fighter’s candidacy for the current king of the heavyweight mountain.
Editor’s note: ESPN reached out to Dominick Cruz, Gilbert Melendez, Din Thomas, Dustin Poirier, Chael Sonnen, Alan Jouban, Rashad Evans, Angela Hill and Derrick Lewis for their votes and insights on the three heavyweights in question. Each first-place vote is worth three points, a second-place vote is worth two points, and a third-place vote is worth one point.
Wagenheim: Making a case for Jones being the best in MMA — at anything — is never a stretch. He is the consensus GOAT of the sport and has the most legitimate claim to the esteemed label of the baddest man on the planet. “Bones” is not the only one who can make that claim, of course, but as the reigning heavyweight champion in the UFC, he can fortify his candidacy by competing against the finest roster of big dudes in the sport and by being associated with a fight company with the promotional muscle to amplify Jones’ case loud and clear.
But this is no empty hype job. Jones is the greatest fighter who ever stepped into a cage. Period. End of story. And even though he’s stepped in as a heavyweight only once, he did so against a legit big guy — Ciryl Gane, who had competed for the UFC title barely a year earlier — and made him look like an overwhelmed regional scene dude who was in over his head.
That heavyweight debut was all former Strikeforce and WEC lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez needed to see of the enlarged version of Jones to proclaim his supremacy. “He beat Ciryl Gane and has a more complete toolset than the other two,” Melendez said. “With a toolset like Jones’, you can take the path of least resistance and show how world-class you are.”
While the “other two” — Aspinall and Ngannou — have their supporters who claim they’re the top heavyweight, but Dustin Poirier, for one, isn’t buying their candidacies.
Why is Jones No. 1? “He’s never lost. He’s the best in MMA history,” said Poirier, a three-time UFC lightweight title challenger.
Why not Aspinall or Ngannou? “I think Jones beats both of them, simple as that,” said Poirier.
Heavyweight Derrick Lewis, who owns a victory over Ngannou, agrees.
“He’s never lost and has been doing this at a high level with all kinds of things going on outside the cage,” said Lewis. “He’s the best until somebody beats him.”
Not only has Jones not lost — aside from a dubious disqualification 15 years ago — said Chael Sonnen, “he’s shown no weakness.” Sonnen, who challenged for titles in the UFC, WEC and Bellator, doesn’t even rank Aspinall or Ngannou as the next-best heavyweight, instead favoring UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. But he recognizes that the undersized striking specialist would have big problems with Jones. “Jones is the most decorated wrestler in the division,” Sonnen said, “and he’d likely get his hands on him.”
Broadening the discussion to include Pereira, who until last year was campaigning at middleweight, spotlights the challenge of determining the greatest among heavyweights without seeing all of them competing against each other. But we all have imaginations, so let’s just ponder this: When you conjure up a fight between Jones and anyone on the planet, do you envision Jones losing? No, you do not. It’s as simple as that. Jones is the greatest until someone steps inside a cage and proves otherwise.
Okamoto: A vote for Aspinall is an understanding of the question. Who is the best heavyweight in the world right now? Obviously, Jones is the most accomplished fighter of all time in any weight class, and Ngannou has been the best heavyweight of the last five years — but if you just simply separate names from this analysis and go by resume and eye test, Aspinall is the clear No. 1.