Islam Makhachev is getting the support of his peers in the pound-for-pound debate.
UFC CEO, Dana White, caused somewhat of a confusing stir at UFC 302. After Makhachev’s successful third title defense, White firmly proclaimed undisputed UFC Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, as the rightful best fighter on the planet rather than praising his 155-pound titlist after arguably saving the slog of an event.
The comments were appreciated by Jones, of course. However, the rest of the community has had plenty of counterpoints with activity levels and competition being the largest. Jones’ fellow all-time great, former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, has nothing bad to say about “Bones.” It’s just a matter of timing.
“I think right now he’s the best pound-for-pound right now,” St-Pierre said on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel (h/t MMA Junkie). “Because of his last few performances. Just amazing. An amazing showcase of heart, too, because he had a bad cut on his forehead and [Dustin] Poirier gave him a tough time. Pushed the pace to the edge, and I think that fight is going to make Makhachev even better. These are the fights that make you grow.
“He’s already starting to get to that status right now [as an all-time great],” he concluded. “Beating [Alexander] Volkanovski and now his last few performances are amazing.”
Makhachev, 32, went back and forth with Poirier in UFC 302’s main event before finishing “The Diamond” via fifth round d’arce choke (watch highlights). The win was the champion’s seventh of his last eight that didn’t require scorecards from the judges (five submissions, two knockouts). Comparing the recent timelines of Makhachev and Jones’ careers, Makhachev’s recent eight-fight stretch dates back to March 2021. Jones, on the other hand, has only fought once from then to now, which was when he captured the then-vacant Heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane via first round guillotine choke (watch highlights) at UFC 285 last year (March 2023).