Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

UFC President Dana White thinks highly of his promotion's lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis.

During a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White laid down his famous superlative for whatever champion happens to be fighting that Saturday, calling Pettis the "pound-for-pound best fighter in the world."

This distinction only holds true, of course, if Pettis can stay healthy (transcription via MMAJunkie.com's Mike Bohn).

"Honestly, I think Pettis is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, if the kid can stay healthy,” White told Rome. “This kid is able to do things to people that other people can’t do. The famous run-off-the-cage kick, he bounces off the cage and hits people with knees."

In particular, White commended Pettis' lethal kicks, saying they're different and more powerful than anything his counterparts can whip at their opponents.

“The thing is with him, he’s so powerful with his kicks, that once he kicks you he hurts you immediately," White said. "Human beings can’t take the kicks to the body that this kid throws.”

If this praise sounds familiar, it should. If you're a champion with a fight on the horizon, there's a good chance White is going to call you the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world (unless you're flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. More on that later.). It sells tickets. It generates interest. It sounds nice. And it gets us talking.

But it's ridiculous.

After Anderson "The Spider" Silva lost his UFC middleweight title to Chris Weidman at UFC 162, a clear-cut choice for the pound-for-pound throne emerged: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

At that time, Jones was 18-1 (the only loss coming via disqualification) and he had defended his light heavyweight strap five times, finishing his opponent in four of those bouts.

Clearly, he was the pound-for-pound king, and White made that fact known at the UFC 162 post-fight media scrum.

But just months later, at the UFC Fight Night 35 post-fight press conference, White said if then-bantamweight champion Renan Barao successfully defended his title against Urijah Faber at UFC 169 in February of 2014, he'd be the pound-for-pound king.

That fight was slated to go down in less than a month from the time of White's proclamation.

Jones had won once more in a classic five-round battle against Alexander Gustafsson in the meantime, but that didn't matter, apparently. Barao was up to bat, and he was the best now.

The Brazilian retained his title on Feb. 1 in Newark, New Jersey, defeating Faber via first-round TKO and cementing himself as the pound-for-pound best in White's eyes.

...Or not.

Just days after saying Barao would claim the pound-for-pound title with a victory (and before Barao's actual victory), White reversed course and hopped on board with Weidman. With one more big win, White said, the New York native would earn that title.

At that time, Weidman was slated to face Vitor Belfort at UFC 173, but Lyoto Machida would later replace him and the bout would be moved to UFC 175 on July 5. Despite all the shake-ups, Weidman stayed focused and turned in arguably his most complete performance to date, winning a unanimous decision over Machida.

During the same time period Weidman was shuffling dates and opponents, Barao lost at UFC 173 to Team Alpha Male's T.J. Dillashaw, reopening the door for Jones.

White told the Albuquerque Journal after Barao's loss Jones was definitely the pound-for-pound best (again).

Noticeably absent from this conversation is Johnson, the UFC's flyweight champ. Here's what Mighty Mouse has done since White first called Jones the pound-for-pound greatest after Silva got knocked out at UFC 162:

<b>Demetrious Johnson post-UFC 162</b> <b>Opponent</b> <b>Event, Date</b> <b>Result</b> John Moraga UFC on Fox 8, July 27, 2013 Johnson wins via submission (armbar), Round 5 Joseph Benavidez UFC on Fox 9, December 14, 2013 Johnson wins via KO, Round 1 Ali Bagautinov UFC 174, June 14, 2014 Johnson wins via unanimous decision Chris Cariaso UFC 178, September 27, 2014 Johnson wins via submission (kimura), Round 2 Sherdog.com

Not bad, huh? Johnson stayed active and put down contender after contender, barely facing any adversity in the process. He's an animal in all aspects of the game, and only he and featherweight champ Jose Aldo belong anywhere near Jones in the pound-for-pound conversation.

Still, White claims that title should be Pettis'. Here's what Pettis has done in the same post-UFC 162 time frame:

<b>Anthony Pettis post-UFC 162</b> <b>Opponent</b> <b>Event, Date</b> <b>Result</b> Benson Henderson UFC 164, August 31, 2013 Pettis wins via submission (armbar), Round 1 Sherdog.com

It doesn't make sense, friends, and White's waffling attitude toward this particular distinction highlights its absurdity. Is there even a place for "pound-for-pound best" in a sport as volatile as mixed martial arts? The more we dive into the conversation, the murkier it gets. The more you dig around for a clear-cut winner, the more mud you stir up and the more you lose your focus and any of the logic that goes with it.

Maybe we need to just forget about "pound-for-pound" as a thing at all, accept weight classes exist and rank fighters as they compare to their divisional peers.

White, obviously, doesn't agree. He'll continue to pump up the hottest kid in town before a fight.

“I believe that kid (Pettis) is the pound-for-pound best,” White told Rome. “He’s an incredible athlete and has this style that’s very hard to defend against. That’s why I’m so excited."

I'm sure you are, Mr. White. And I'm sure you believe that, too.

I'm sure you do.