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Islam Makhachev’s Manager On P4P Debate: Jon Jones ‘Can’t Beat Gane, Stipe & Be In The Top 5’

The manager of UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has a firm take on Jon Jones’ pound-for-pound worthiness. Debates over the P4P rankings don’t appear to have been left in 2024, with the discussion over who deserves top spot continuing to rage on into the new year. The conversation picked up when Dana White rejected the […]

The manager of UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has a firm take on Jon Jones’ pound-for-pound worthiness.

Debates over the P4P rankings don’t appear to have been left in 2024, with the discussion over who deserves top spot continuing to rage on into the new year.

The conversation picked up when Dana White rejected the official order, which has Makhachev on the throne. For the UFC CEO, the obvious pick is Jones, who returned from a lengthy layoff to achieve two-division glory up at heavyweight in 2023.

That stance has received plenty of pushback, largely down to the Rochester native’s inactivity and avoidance of interim champ Tom Aspinall in order to face Stipe Miocic last November.

Among those unsurprisingly backing the Dagestani’s claim is his manager. And more than just putting Jones below Makhachev, Ali Abdelaziz doesn’t even see a case for the heavyweight king holding a spot inside the top five.

“Listen, Dana all the time says Jon Jones is the pound-for-pound best. I think Dana’s wrong,” Abdelaziz told Kevin Iole. “Islam finished nine of his last 11 opponents. He beat the No. 1 P4P, the No. 3 P4P guy; he beat everyone who is really good in their prime.

“In (Jones’) time, he was the P4P (best). If you say all-time, he might be the greatest (of) all-time,” Abdelaziz continued. “But right now, I don’t think (Jones) is top five. You can’t beat Ciryl Gane and beat Stipe and be in the top five. … Islam right now is the best.”

Makhachev will soon have the time to further cement his grip on the title of P4P king, with the Dagestani set to defend his lightweight belt against a previous opponent in Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of next weekend’s UFC 311 pay-per-view.

Jones, meanwhile, has uncertainty surrounding his career. While White ‘guaranteed’ that any return to action would come against Aspinall in 2025, it remains to be seen whether “Bones” and the promotion will agree on terms for the unification clash to come to fruition.

Renato Moicano Explains Why Size Won’t Affect Ilia Topuria Finding Success At Lightweight

UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano has little doubt that featherweight champion Ilia Topuria would thrive up at 155 pounds. While Topuria has competed as a lightweight in his career, he’s gained major prominence down at 145 pounds, where he occupies the throne on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. 2024 marked his best year to date, […]

UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano has little doubt that featherweight champion Ilia Topuria would thrive up at 155 pounds.

While Topuria has competed as a lightweight in his career, he’s gained major prominence down at 145 pounds, where he occupies the throne on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

2024 marked his best year to date, as the Spaniard captured the belt with a violent knockout of Alexander Volkanovski before repeating the feat at the expense of Max Holloway in his October defense — achievements that saw Topuria crowned MMA News’ Fighter of the Year.

But there’s talk of “El Matador’s” triumph over “Blessed” marking his last dance at 145 pounds after the champ implied that a permanent lightweight move could be in his immediate future during a radio appearance in Spain.

Should that come to fruition in 2025, one rising name at 155 pounds in Renato Moicano dismissed suggestions that a smaller frame could hamper Topuria’s pursuit of two-division glory during an interview with MMA Fighting.

“I think Ilia Topuria is very good…and he is smaller, like I say, but if he can defend the takedowns — and I know he has a good ground game — so if he can defend the takedowns, I think he could knock a lot of people out (at) 155 (pounds).

“He fought at (lightweight), he fought Jai Herbert. I fought Jai Herbert, I know Jai Herbert is very good and very tall, taller than me,” Moicano continued. “Even though Jai Herbert kicked him in the head, almost knocked him out, he (Topuria) survived. He took that kick and then he (destroyed) Jai Herbert. … So I don’t think size and frame would be a problem.”

While Topuria ponders his divisional future, Moicano is gearing up for his opportunity to further stake his claim for a first shot at lightweight gold in the UFC.

Fresh off an impressive 3-0 run in 2024, the Brazilian will kick off his campaign for the new year next weekend inside Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome, where a clash with perennial contender Beneil Dariush awaits.

Reinier de Ridder Vows To ‘Wreck’ Kevin Holland At UFC 311 After Not Going ‘Full Throttle’ In Debut

UFC newcomer Reinier de Ridder may not have majorly impressed in his debut, but he’s confident of leaving a mark when he makes his sophomore walk to the Octagon this month. De Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, arrived on MMA’s biggest stage in 2024 following a shock departure from the Asia-based organization. After […]

UFC newcomer Reinier de Ridder may not have majorly impressed in his debut, but he’s confident of leaving a mark when he makes his sophomore walk to the Octagon this month.

De Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, arrived on MMA’s biggest stage in 2024 following a shock departure from the Asia-based organization. After confirming that he’d be competing at 185 pounds, the Dutchman got his first taste of UFC action against veteran Gerald Meerschaert last November.

Their Apex clash was a competitive one, with “GM3” finding plenty of success before ultimately falling to an arm-triangle choke submission in round three. But despite having his hand raised, de Ridder’s performance seemingly left much to be desired.

During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, “The Dutch Knight” looked ahead to his next fight — a clash with the always entertaining Kevin Holland at next weekend’s UFC 311 pay-per-view.

De Ridder first sought to explain the reasons behind his lackluster debut display before asserting plans to put a demolition job on “Big Mouth” come fight night in Los Angeles on Jan. 18.

“At the end of the day, a fight is a fight, of course, and I’ve been in plenty of fights, so I know how to take care of that part of the deal,” de Ridder said. “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, of course. I like Gerald a lot; I respected Gerald a lot coming into this one, so I didn’t go as full throttle from the bat as I will this fight. I’m just coming in to wreck this guy this time.

“I’m very happy with the fight, of course,” de Ridder continued. “Kevin is a name, and it’s a quick turnaround, so I’m very happy about that. … He’s very wild on the feet. But I’m going to put a lot of pressure on him, hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out, hopefully.”

While de Ridder enters the contest off two straight wins, the first of which came under the UAE Warriors banner last July, Holland has lost three of his last four.

After returning to middleweight in 2024 with a crushing submission win over Micha? Oleksiejczuk, Holland’s push to regain a ranking was stalled by Roman Dolidze, who dominated “Trailblazer” at UFC 307 before an injury to the American brought the fight to a premature end.

Islam Makhachev Recalls Being ‘Upset’ At Michael Chandler’s UFC Title Shot: ‘One Fight, He Beat Dan Hooker’

UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev got his shot at gold in 2022, but he wasn’t pleased to have been usurped by a promotional newcomer the year before. Makhachev long complained of those highly ranked at 155 pounds avoiding him amid the win streak that ultimately catapulted him to the top. And his frustration was compounded […]

UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev got his shot at gold in 2022, but he wasn’t pleased to have been usurped by a promotional newcomer the year before.

Makhachev long complained of those highly ranked at 155 pounds avoiding him amid the win streak that ultimately catapulted him to the top. And his frustration was compounded by Chandler’s arrival.

The former three-time Bellator titleholder debuted in January 2021 by quickly stopping Dan Hooker. That sole result was enough to secure Chandler a title shot, which he lost in dramatic fashion against Charles Oliveira.

During a recent interview uploaded to Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel, Makhachev looked back on his feelings toward his journey up the ladder, reiterating his fury at seeing others rewarded before him despite doing less.

“We don’t have some easy way. Somebody can jump from like — like Michael Chandler, he jump from Bellator, one fight, he beat Dan Hooker, fight for the title,” Makhachev said. “For me, it’s not working. … Of course it makes me upset, you know, when somebody jump and fight for the belt before me.

“I had a long way. I fought like how many years but somebody come and beat one guy who is not like, top,” Makhachev added.

Things have ultimately worked out better for Makhachev, who defeated Oliveira to capture the title in 2022 and has since defended it successfully three times at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier.

Chandler, meanwhile, has won just a single fight since his debut triumph over Hooker. That came over Tony Ferguson, while his four UFC defeats came at the hands of “Do Bronx” twice, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.

KSI Says He’s ‘Very Down’ to Fight Conor McGregor After Logan Paul’s WWE Comments

Conor McGregor’s next move in the world of combat sports remains unclear, but another potential opponent threw his hat in the ring to face him. After it…

Daniel Cormier on Jon Jones’ $30 Million Ask: ‘Nowhere Near What We Were Paid’

Jon Jones is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Bones’ has reportedly asked for $30…

Jon Jones is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Bones’ has reportedly asked for $30 million to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. However, former UFC champion Daniel Cormier has experience in high-profile title fights and is skeptical of Jon Jones’ demands.

Daniel Cormier Talks UFC Pay

Olympian Daniel Cormier, a two-division champion, reflected on his own paydays in a podcast episode, stating that the $30 million Jones is asking for is “nowhere near” what he and other fighters in his era were earning.

“He wants $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall? I’ll tell you guys right now, as a person that has been involved in big fights, a person that has sold pay-per-views, a person that, at his time, was at the top of the pay scale in the UFC as the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion—$30 million was literally a world away from anything we were making,” Cormier said.

“I remember when I got paid in New York, I got like a big bump to take a fight on three weeks’ notice, which ultimately became my salary, and people were astounded with the number. But I will tell you, it was a fraction of what that number he’s asking for is. It was nowhere near that.”

Jon Jones

While Cormier acknowledges that Jones’ asking price may be inflated, he also notes that a significant payday in the range of $15 to $20 million would still be a major win for the heavyweight champion.

Jon Jones, who made a successful move to the heavyweight division in 2023, capturing the UFC Heavyweight Championship, has continued to dominate in the division. After defending his title against Stipe Miocic in November 2024, Jon Jones expressed interest in facing Tom Aspinall but indicated that a substantial financial incentive would be needed to secure the bout.

As negotiations continue, UFC CEO Dana White remains optimistic that the fight could happen. Jon Jones’ tactic of holding out for a large payday has garnered praise from some, including former fighter Michael Bisping, who believes it has increased the demand for the fight. However, whether or not Jones will secure the $30 million he is asking for remains uncertain.