Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre has hailed Islam Makhachev as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Makhachev is coming off his third defense of his lightweight title as he scored a fifth-round submission over Dustin Poirier. After the win, there was a debate if he or Jon Jones was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But, according to St-Pierre, he believes Makhachev is a top the list.
“He’s amazing,” St-Pierre said (via MMAFighting). “I think right now he’s the best pound-for-pound right now because of his last few performances. Just amazing. An amazing showcase of heart too, because he had a bad cut on his forehead, and Poirier gave him a tough time. Pushed the pace to the edge and I think that that fight is going to make Makhachev even better because these are the fights that make you grow.”
St-Pierre also thinks it will be a long time before Makhachev loses, if he ever does, as he calls the lightweight champ the best in the sport.
“I think in terms of skill, Makhachev right now is the best fighter, but that doesn’t mean if you’re the best that you always win,” St-Pierre said. “There’s a lot of other factors outside of our control that can influence the result. But I think Makhachev is the best, but even the best can lose sometimes.”
Georges St-Pierre says Islam Makhachev on track to being an all-time great
Islam Makhachev is currently 26-1 as a pro and coming off the win over Poirier. Although he has only defended his lightweight title three times, Georges St-Pierre says the Dagestani native is already on track to be one of the best ever.
“I think he’s already starting to get to that status because beating Volkanovski and now his last two performances are amazing,” St-Pierre said.
If Makhachev can continue to defend his belt, or win the welterweight title and become a champ-champ, it would only help cement his case.