Jon Jones has fought some incredibly tough opposition during his legendary career.

While ‘Bones’ has beaten the likes of Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson, there is a world where he could’ve shared the Octagon with another fighter who is firmly in the conversation to be the greatest of all time.

To this day, though Islam Makhachev could match him if he wins his next fight, Anderson Silva holds the UFC record for the longest win streak in the history of the promotion at 16.

The former middleweight champion is second on the list of most consecutive title defenses with ‘The Spider’ reigning for a staggering 2457 days.

Though Silva did venture up to light heavyweight from time to time, where he fought the likes of Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar and Cormier, his path didn’t cross with Jones aside from one secret training session.

Chael Sonnen reveals part of what Anderson Silva told him about secret training session with Jon Jones

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Chael Sonnen spoke about the differences between Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.

‘The Bad Guy’ fought both men during his career having challenged Silva for the middleweight title on two occasions before moving up to light heavyweight to fight Jones at UFC 159.

“There was a day, and you might know this story, that those two went at it and it was just a workout,” Sonnen recalled. “They were both in town. They’re both in Vegas at the same time, and the UFC had a private gym down below. That’s where Dana [White] would exercise, or Lorenzo [Fertitta] would go get his exercise. So they opened up the private gym, they put Anderson in and Jon in the ring together.”

Sonnen went on to say that what exactly happened in that room has never been spoken about in detail by the only four men who were there to witness it.

“If there’s a video, it’s never surfaced and the only people that were there, Dana and Lorenzo, Anderson and Jon. Nobody’s ever spoke about that. But I asked Anderson privately. I said, ‘Man, you gotta tell me what happened that day?’ He told me a little and he did swear me to secrecy, but, but he does say that someday he will reveal what actually happened.”

While Silva chooses to tell the story on his own terms, Sonnen was able to reveal what the former middleweight champion made of the experience, amid rumors that he came out better than Jones did.

“He did tell me that Jon Jones was next level. He gave him that compliment, and a lot of people that had seen it, the word kind of came out that Anderson got the better of him, and maybe that Jon allowed him to do that. Maybe Jon respected him because of the age. So we don’t quite have details on it, but Anderson did tell me when he felt Jon, he could tell that was another higher level of fighter and I think that’s pretty big praise from ‘The Spider’.”

Chael Sonnen reveals that another former opponent of both Jon Jones and Anderson Silva believed that ‘The Spider’ was better

Chael Sonnen is one of the few fighters who has been in the cage with more than one athlete who could be considered to be the greatest of all time.

After parting ways with the UFC, ‘The Bad Guy’ even added another legendary name to his resume when he faced Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 208 in 2018.

Sonnen told Bloody Elbow that while he finds it difficult to separate Jones and Silva, another man that fought both champions didn’t have that same issue.

“I found them to be very different. The late Stephan Bonnar fought Jones, and he fought Anderson and Bonner and I had dinner and Stephan was sharing for me how much better he thought Anderson was, that he just thought Anderson was a different feel and just an overall better fighter. But, they are very different.”

UFC 316 star Kevin Holland stormed out of Media Day this afternoon after being asked about his bitter rivalry with Rampage Jackson.

The pair are at loggerheads after a disastrous appearance from Holland on the former light-heavyweight champion’s Jaxxon podcast earlier this year. After an intense back-and-forth, the welterweight contender insisted that he would be keen to fight his elder despite their significant size disparity.

At the time, Holland was in camp for a fight with Reinier De Ridder at UFC 311, which he ended up losing by submission. However, he quickly returned at UFC London when he defeated Gunnar Nelson in a comeback fight back down at 170lb.

Kevin Holland walks out of UFC 316 Media Day amid Rampage Jackson feud

During his media rounds this afternoon, Kevin Holland was asked about his appearances on Rampage Jackson’s Jaxxon podcast. He first claimed that he is still waiting on payment for his appearance, before eventually lashing out at a reporter who asked about the status of their relationship.

Holland is a beloved trash talker in the UFC welterweight division, but has quit giving interviews after the controversial appearance. “Ever since the Jaxxon Podcast interview I really don’t do none of that s— any more, they killed it for everybody.

“Speaking of that, they still owe me a couple grand and they always do a bad job of paying me on the first of the month. They usually pay around the tenth, I don’t know if they’ve got a money problem but they’ve got to do better with that.”

He was then asked about his relationship with Jackson, which caused a major stir. “My current relationship with Rampage Jackson?” He replied, seemingly baffled by the question. “Bro, Rampage Jackson’s not currently in the UFC is he? Then get off his d—, thank you. I’m out of here guys, have a good day.”

Holland did ultimately stay to pose for photographs, but appeared discontent with the question from a member of the press pack.

Kevin Holland and Rampage Jackson had heated podcast showdown

Holland made an appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast back in January, just days before his fight in California against Reinier De Ridder. Things turned heated, with a fight almost breaking out between Rampage Jackson and the UFC star.

The trash-talker discussed the idea of an unrealistic contest with the former UFC world champion, to which Rampage insisted: “That’s the last thing he wants to do is fight me.” Holland replied: “I still want to. I don’t give a f— about the fight on Saturday.”

The 46-year-old then said in a sterner tone: “I’m being real with you young buck, you don’t want to fight me.” Holland fired back: “That sounds good,” before Rampage concluded: “Sometimes, people don’t know what they want. You don’t want to fight me.”

UFC 316 debutant Patchy Mix is supremely confident entering his first Octagon experience.

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix became the latest top free agent to sign with the UFC earlier this year. Just days away from his Octagon debut, Mix is ramping up the pre-fight theatrics against his upcoming rival.

Mix and Mario Bautista will clash in a highly-anticipated UFC 316 main card bout this Saturday in Newark. Mix’s addition to the stacked UFC bantamweight division is another intriguing element to the 135 lb title picture.

While the odds between Mix and Bautista are relatively thin entering UFC 316, Mix is taking this upcoming challenge like a tune-up fight.

Patchy Mix threatens to submit Mario Bautista’s whole team in scathing pre-fight comments

Before signing with the UFC, Mix was praised by many as arguably the greatest bantamweight in MMA, despite UFC 316 headliner Merab Dvalishvili having a greater level of competition. After Mix amassed early success with his elite grappling base, he’s turned into a well-rounded mixed martial artist, which is a nightmare for his rivals in the cage.

While Bautista enters UFC 316 on an impressive winning streak, his at-times sluggish style has irked UFC fans during his current run. Mix plans to exploit it when they meet in the Octagon this weekend.

In a recent episode of the UFC 316: Embedded series, Mix gave a scathing assessment of Bautista’s skillset while watching tape ahead of their fight.

“I will f— him up,” Mix declared.

“I’m a three-time world champion. This guy’s a journeyman fighter. I’ll submit him.

“And whoever’s teaching him Jiu-Jitsu, I’ll submit the whole crew.”

Bautista enters UFC 316 on a seven-fight win streak, including recent wins over UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo and Ricky Simon. His last submission win came against Guido Cannetti in March 2023.

Mix earned a slew of finishes during his Bellator/PFL tenure, including submissions of Magomed Magomedov and former Conor McGregor pupil James Gallagher. He hasn’t tasted defeat since a unanimous decision loss to Juan Archuleta at Bellator 246.

Patchy Mix’s debut is one of the biggest storylines of UFC 316

Mix is the latest in a slew of former Bellator/PFL standouts to make the move to the UFC Octagon. Earlier this year, former Bellator featherweight champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire made his UFC debut at UFC 314, albeit falling short on the judges’ scorecards against Yair Rodriguez.

But Mix’s debut is getting way more hype than Freire’s, and it’s comparable to when Kayla Harrison made her UFC debut at UFC 300 last year. Just two fights into her UFC tenure, Harrison will challenge for the women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 316 co-main event.

Dvalishvili has Mix on his radar with a win this Saturday at UFC 316. The two briefly trained together earlier this year, and are on the same page about a future showdown in the Octagon.

Former Bellator champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ will reportedly face a surging featherweight star who recently called him out.

Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire will get the second chance at making a great first impression on UFC fans when he returns to the Octagon later this summer.

Pitbull’s UFC 314 promotional debut fell short against former title challenger Yair Rodríguez by unanimous decision. The loss snapped a four-fight featherweight unbeaten streak, stemming from his Bellator rematch victory over AJ McKee at Bellator 277.

After a tumultuous contract dispute with the PFL, Pitbull requested and was granted his release, leading to the all-time great signing with the UFC. While his UFC 314 debut was a formidable test, Pitbull’s second UFC shot isn’t a significant drop in competition.

Patricio ‘Pitbull’ set to potentially avenge UFC debut loss with second Octagon appearance

As reported on Tuesday, Pitbull will reportedly face UFC featherweight contender Dan Ige at UFC 318 in Chicago.

Brazilian MMA journalist Léo Guimaraes was the first to report the news of the Pitbull vs. Ige booking.

Ige returns to the Octagon after defeating Sean Woodson by controversial TKO at UFC 314. The win snapped a recent skid of losses in three of his previous four fights, including his hours’ notice defeat to Diego Lopes at UFC 303.

Ige is looking to get back into the featherweight title mix after recent victories against the likes of Nate Landwehr, Damon Jackson, and Andre Fili. The featherweight mainstay has developed into a UFC fan favorite since his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

After his controversial win at UFC 314, Ige called out Pitbull for his next fight, praising the former Bellator two-division champion as a ‘legend’ in MMA. At the time of his Bellator departure, Pitbull was widely regarded as the greatest fighter in the promotion’s history.

Alexander Volkanovski rumored to face familiar foe for next featherweight title defense

If the Pitbull vs. Ige fight comes to fruition, the featherweight matchup will take place at a time of uncertainty atop the division. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was originally expected to face Movsar Evloev after UFC 314, but the UFC reportedly has other plans for the undefeated Evloev’s next fight.

Rumors are spreading that Volkanovski will face Rodriguez for the first title defense of his second featherweight title reign later this year. Volkanovski finished Rodriguez in a featherweight title unification bout at UFC 290.

A matchup between Jean Silva and Lopes is also rumored for later this year, although nothing has been reported as of this writing. Silva called for a title shot after his finish against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314.

Pitbull has the chance to catapult back into the featherweight title mix with an impressive performance against Ige.

Netflix has had a slew of successes translating the world of sports into compelling series with emotional storylines. Check out the very best titles across a wide range of professional leagues and competitions below.

This 40-minute documentary is a high-stakes snackable dose of sports drama that picks up in the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s shocking departure from the Mercedes F1 team after twelve years and six world champions, and follows 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s promotion to the most prestigious racing league in the world.

It’s a great supplement to Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series which exploded the league’s popularity, and proved that the elite racing community could deliver as much drama as the Real Housewives. An excuse to see Mercedes Team Principal and F1 zaddy Toto Wolff in his crisp white button down is reason enough to queue this title up.

The riveting story of one woman’s journey to overcome gender stereotypes in rural Nepal and follow her dreams of becoming a professional mountaineer, achieving historic success summiting Mount Everest ten times, the current record for female climbers.

Spanning Sherpa’s life from childhood to motherhood, an abusive marriage, and her immigration to the United States, we see her perseverance and determination impact her life on and off the mountain. Thoughtful attention is paid to her Nepalese roots and the Sherpa culture, and her effort to impart both to two daughters as they grow up in Connecticut.

Following the massive success of Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Netflix took a stab at humanizing the world of professional golf. By following major names like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler and others on and off the course, the series was able to generate compelling suspenseful storylines around a sport without the fights, fouls, or impact of the NHL, NBA, or NFL.

The series explores player friendships and rivalries, the expanding diversity of the league, and the growing tension between the PGA-Tour and Saudi-funded LIV Golf league to provide a modern, nuanced, and evocative view on one of the world’s oldest modern sports.

A household name that simultaneous represents an international soccer career, a high-profile marriage, fashion icons, and pop culture sensations, this documentary literally has something for everyone familiar with the family whether you’re a sports fan or not.

The journey through Beckham’s career from childhood to present day was especially riveting for an American viewer like me who grew up in during his rise to fame and didn’t have previous knowledge of highs and lows, wins and losses. The game clips and interviews with Victoria Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson felt like experiencing 30 years of sports and pop culture suspense at once.

The Drive To Survive team strikes once again with another behind the scenes series, this time focused on the world of international tennis. Featuring participation from ATP and WTA pros like Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, and Coco Gauff, the series not only exhibited balanced coverage of men’s and women’s sports, but the physical and mental tolls of training.

Like it’s sister F1 and PGA series, Break Point focuses on the interpersonal relationships between pros, career highs and lows, as well as the immense pressure fame and media attention bring to competing at such an elite level.

The epic 10-part series covering the Chicago Bull’s 1997-98 NBA season as they pursued their sixth championship during Michael Jordan’s final season with the team, brought together over 500 hours of unseen footage, along with in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and other commentators.

The film also covers Jordan’s journey to super-stardom, along with his first retirement after his father’s murder, and pivot to pursue a career in baseball. As with the Beckham documentary, it provided an incredible opportunity for younger sports fans to relive the magic of not just an epic career, but an entire era of basketball.