According to a recent interview, Islam Makhachev disagrees with Jon Jones’ standing as the best fighter in the UFC when compared to other fighters of the same weight class.
In the main event of UFC 284, which took place a few months ago, Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski went to war with each other. Both Volkanovski’s position as the P4P No. 1 and Makhachev’s hold on the Dagestani lightweight belt were on the line in this fight. Makhachev was keen to unseat Volkanovski.
Even though Makhachev emerged victorious in a hard-fought battle against Volkanovski, ‘The Great’ continued to hold the top spot on the pound-for-pound standings after the event.
After a few weeks, Jon Jones returned to the octagon for the first time in three years to win the heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 285. Jones had been absent from the sport for the previous three years. Following his victory over Ciryl Gane in the opening minutes of the first round, ‘Bones’ was elevated to the top spot on the pound-for-pound rankings maintained by the UFC.
Islam Makhachev has now provided his perspective on the decision made by the promotion to position ‘Bones’ atop the P4P mountain. The current champion of the lightweight division, Daniel Cormier, made these comments in a recent interview:
“Brother, you are full of bulls**t. How is it possible that Jon Jones is number one? They put him at number one on the pound-for-pound rankings because he defeated some person who is not the champion and some man who does not hold the title… The UFC recently ranked him as the top fighter on a pound-for-pound basis; however, other MMA practitioners who are knowledgeable about the sport agree that they already know who the finest fighter in the world is.
Watch the interview starting at 0 minutes and 40 seconds below:
The outcome of the fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski was met with some opposition, as many individuals were under the impression that “The Great” had prevailed. The Dagestani does not yet have a scheduled matchup for the following round, but Makhachev should have an opponent lined up in the near future.
This coming weekend will see Beneil Dariush square off against Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. Dariush has indicated that he has been guaranteed a shot at the title if he is victorious over ‘Do Bronx,’ and the fight will take place at UFC 289.
An epic rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje is scheduled to be the main event of UFC 291. The victor of Oliveira vs. Dariush will likely determine whether or not the winner of the main event at UFC 291 will get the opportunity to challenge Islam Makhachev for the vacant title.
Islam Makhachev’s coach shares who he thinks will face the lightweight champion next
The head instructor of the American Kickboxing Academy is none other than Javier Mendez, who also happens to be Islam Makhachev’s trainer.
Mendez, in a recent article, posed the question of who would challenge Makhachev in the future.
According to Mendez, Charles Oliveira will require more than a single victory over Beneil Dariush to be allowed a title chance, and that Dariush is likely to obtain the title shot with a win at UFC 289. Mendez also stated that Oliveira will need to beat Dariush more than once in order to be awarded a title shot. This is what he said:
If Beneil doesn’t come out on top, I think Gaethje or Dustin will get the opportunity to take the shot. Beneil prevails, and he will take the shot. Beneil is the only one I’m interested in, and the only reason I want him is because he’s a worthy opponent. But if Charles emerges victorious, then, hey, all the best to him as well. After that, Charles will most likely have to engage in combat once more.
