Tag: Islam Makhachev

Georges St-Pierre: UFC champ Islam Makhachev is ‘the best pound-for-pound right now’

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre is the latest to back Islam Makhachev as the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA over Jon Jones.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] is the latest high-profile name to back [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] as the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA over Jon Jones.

After Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) registered his third consecutive lightweight title defense with a fifth-round submission of Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 this month, UFC CEO Dana White stirred up the pound-for-pound discussion when he definitively dubbed Jones as No. 1.

White’s comments sparked a flurry of debate across the MMA community, and now former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion St-Pierre has shared his opinion.

“I think right now he’s the best pound-for-pound right now,” St-Pierre said to coach Firas Zahabi on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel. 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 fight is going to make Makhachev even better. These are the fights that make you grow.”

Zahabi asked St-Pierre what he thinks Makhachev’s ceiling in the sport looks like given his recent success and what could be on the horizon. “Rush” is considered by most to be in the top-three fighters in all of MMA history, and arguably at the top of the list.

St-Pierre thinks Makhachev, 33, is well on his way to joining that even bigger discussion, so long as he stays the course.

“He’s already starting to get to that status right now (as an all-time great),” St-Pierre said. “Beating Volkanovski and now his last few performances are amazing.”

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Daniel Cormier: I don’t know that we’ll ever see anybody more dominant than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Daniel Cormier points out the main difference between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] points out the main difference between [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Both Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and Nurmagomedov have notched three title defenses as lightweight champion – the division’s record in the UFC. With Nurmagomedov in his corner, Makhachev retained his lightweight title by submitting Dustin Poirier in Saturday’s UFC 302 main event.

Nurmagomedov’s (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) title defenses came over Conor McGregor, Poirier, and Justin Gaethje before he decided to hang up his gloves. Cormier discussed their performances against common opponent Poirier.

“I don’t know that it’s fair to compare them, especially based on the common opponent, because I believe Dustin Poirier was better because he had the opportunity to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen.

“He had felt that strength in grappling – a little bit of a recognition of what he would be facing when he got in the octagon. I was one of the people that said early, and I said I think Islam Makhachev is more dangerous than Khabib because of his striking. But as I reflect on this, as a guy that’s been in there with both, I don’t know if we’ll ever see anyone as dominant as Khabib.”

Cormier explains that Makhachev’s willingness to stand on the feet puts him in more risky situations than Nurmagomedov, who had one specific, but unstoppable way of winning fights.

“I’m not saying that Islam was losing the fight on Saturday,” Cormier said. “There were times, though, where it looked competitive. How often did you see Khabib Nurmagomedov not look outwardly dominant? That is where I think you make the difference. We don’t know what would’ve happened if Khabib stayed for a while, but … history tells us he’d probably still be holding onto that championship right now with about eight or nine title defenses and still kind of dominating the way that he did.

“So when I watch them, I think the dominance is different because Islam will stand with you more than Khabib was willing to. But it was in the idea that you knew exactly what Khabib Nurmagomedov was going to do to you and nobody could stop it. With Islam, sure, you’ve got more things to worry about – you’ve got to worry about the striking. But with Khabib, he literally would tell you, ‘I am going to take you down and maul you and beat you up,’ and no one could stop it. I don’t know that we’ll ever see anybody more dominant than him.”

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Arman Tsarukyan: Version of Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 ‘would be very easy fight for me’

After watching Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, Arman Tsarukyan is adamant he can beat him.

After watching [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] at UFC 302, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] is adamant he can beat him.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) retained his lightweight title with a Round 5 submission of Dustin Poirier in this past Saturday’s main event. Tsarukyan is touted to be the next title challenger, as he’ll look to avenge his UFC debut loss to Makhachev.

Tsarukyan saw Makhachev slow down against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC), and thinks he’d exploit him if he got tired in their fight. Makhachev confirmed speculation that he was battling a staph infection less than a month out of the fight.

“It would be very easy fight for me,” Tsarukyan said on The MMA Hour. “I could outwrestle him (in) that fight as well because he got tired. When you’re tired, you can’t do sh*t. Even if you have the best skills in the world, if you’re tired, you’re done. All his five-round fights – he got tired with Volkanovski, he got tired with Dustin, and hopefully it’s going to be my key to win this fight.

Poirier hung tough, stuffing multiple takedown attempts and even busting Makhachev open with an elbow. Tsarukyan expected Poirier to perform well.

“I wasn’t (surprised),” Tsarukyan said. “I knew his heart is very good and I told everybody it’s like 60-40. Everybody talk like, ‘Oh, Islam going to win him, 100 percent. He’s not going to give him any chance,’ but I knew it’s going to be tough fight. Dustin, he’s a dog, so I wasn’t like – his defensive wrestling was super good and Islam couldn’t choke him. When he got tired in the fifth round, yeah, he got him.

“It wasn’t his best performance. He got tired and he was slow. I feel like Islam doesn’t have very good conditioning or maybe he got sick or whatever. I’m not judging him because of his last fight, I got to watch all his fights and take him serious. He’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. I’m just going to prepare like it’s best version of Islam Makhachev. Not underestimate him. Dustin can defend his wrestling, I’m going to defend as well.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Dana White: Islam Makhachev No. 1 pound-for-pound over Jon Jones shows media ‘know nothing about this f*cking sport’

Dana White continues to make a strong case for Jon Jones being the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] continues to make a strong case for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] being the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

The UFC CEO is baffled by the media voting lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter over former longtime 205-pound champ and current heavyweight champion Jones.

White says the fact that Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has never lost across two weight classes – minus a disqualification blemish to Matt Hamill, should make him No. 1.

“When you talk about, truly, right now – and Islam, I love you Islam – the fact that Jon Jones is No. 2 on the pound-for-pound list just goes to show how f*cking stupid – the media votes on that,” White said on the FLAGRANT podcast. “(It) just goes to show you that they have no f*cking idea. They know nothing about this f*cking sport. Jon Jones has never lost a fight ever.

“And when you talk about what it really means to be pound-for-pound, (Alexander) Volkanovski moved up and it was a very f*cking close fight the first time (vs. Makhachev). Jon Jones moved up and absolutely f*cking decimated the greatest heavyweight that was out there right now. (If Ciryl Gane) doesn’t go for that armbar, he beats Francis Ngannou and becomes the heavyweight champion. Jon Jones walked through (Gane) like it was f*cking nothing.”

A panel of media members selected by promotion officials casts ballots for the UFC’s official weekly rankings. MMA Junkie staff members do not participate in those rankings. Jones is No. 1 on the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA pound-for-pound list; Makhachev is No. 2

Makhachev is fresh off his third title defense when he submitted Dustin Poirier in this past Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner. He has aspirations of moving up a weight class to challenge for the welterweight title next.

Jones is expected to make his first title defense against the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time Stipe Miocic later this year.

“Jon Jones is the f*cking baddest dude to ever be involved in combat sports,” White said.

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Leon Edwards: I welcome ‘massive’ Islam Makhachev, fight but we’ve ‘both got work to do within our division’

Leon Edwards is open to fighting fellow UFC champ Islam Makhachev – but not right now.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] is open to fighting fellow UFC champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] – but not right now.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) continued to express interest in moving up to welterweight to challenge Edwards after he submitted Dustin Poirier to retain his lightweight title in Saturday’s UFC 302 main event.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 main event July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. He likes the idea of facing Makhachev, but not until they both log in a few more title defenses.

“I welcome it,” Edwards told Sky Sports of a Makhachev fight. “I think we’ve both got work to do within our division. Let’s say we both go on this reign, then why not? He just fought his first defense against an actual lightweight (Poirier). I feel like he’s got a few more lightweights he’s got to go through first before he can even think about moving up.

“But if we’re both going on these reigns, then why not later on in the future? We’re both similar age, 32 years old so, what a time to get it done for sure. It’s a massive fight. Feel like I’ve got work to do within my division first then the super fights will come.”

Edwards wants to chase dual-champion status himself.

“I would like to go up and challenge for the middleweight belt, that is my goal,” Edwards said. “But if we can get two at the same time, why not? My excitement is me getting another belt. My plan was to go next year. Defend my belt twice this year. That will be four defenses.

“Maybe one more next year. That’s five defenses. Then later on in the year, have a big middleweight fight. That’s six title fights. That’s more than worth it. That is my goal. Two this year, one next year, then end of next year move up.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Alexander Volkanovski says activity makes Islam Makhachev pound-for-pound No. 1 over Jon Jones

Alexander Volkanovski thinks Islam Makhachev is the rightful No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] thinks lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] is the rightful No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) submitted Dustin Poirier in Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner to notch his third title defense. In the post-fight news conference, UFC CEO Dana White claimed that former longtime light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] should be No. 1 pound-for-pound over Makhachev.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), who lost twice to Makhachev, thinks recent strength of schedule has to play a part in the argument.

“You look at Jon Jones, all right, we get it, you’re going to say he’s the greatest fighter of all time,” Volkanovski told Submission Radio. “But pound-for-pound has to go with, you know, if you fought, where one (has fought) in the last few years, eight times, against the names, and you’ve only fought once. Like, that’s got to come into play.

“But I mean, (if) we’re talking GOAT or greatest of all time top fighters, you know Jon Jones’ name is going to be up there. No one’s saying that’s not the case. But pound-for-pound, I think there has to be some activity there and who you fought lately. Islam has fought some great fighters and won. So, you’ve got to give him a lot of credit for that. I think he’s pound-for-pound.”

Volkanovski expressed interest in fighting Poirier at lightweight while he waits for his featherweight title shot. He praised both Makhachev and Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for their Fight of the Night efforts.

“I thought he (Poirier) fought great; Islam looked great, as well,” Volkanovski said. “I think a lot of people are expecting Dustin not to do so well. Like, obviously that first round it looked like, ‘Oh no, this is going to be a quick one.’ For him to bounce back from that and then start stopping the takedowns. The first one he got taken down pretty easily.

“So, I was like, ‘Oh, this ain’t a good look.’ But then he was able to stop him in the center, and he did a great job there. So, credit to him, showed toughness. But yeah, man, that’s expected from Dustin. We know he’s a gamer. We know he’s an absolute beast. And we know how good of a fighter Islam is. But I think Islam showed incredible striking, which we already knew.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Aljamain Sterling agrees with Dana White that Jon Jones is No. 1 pound-for-pound over Islam Makhachev

Aljamain Sterling points to a personal experience to argue why Jon Jones should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter over Islam Makhachev.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] points to personal experience to argue why [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), who notched his third title defense by submitting Dustin Poirier in Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner, is currently the promotion’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

Despite Makhachev’s impressive finish, UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] disagrees with the rankings. He thinks former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight champ Jones should be No. 1, and Sterling agrees.

“If we’re talking pound-for-pound, everyone’s criteria is different,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “But I think pound-for-pound, the way I understand it is, if weight was not a factor, size was not a factor, skill-for-skill, who would be the best guy? And I agree, I think it’s Jon Jones.”

Sterling compared Jones’ comeback after more than a three-year layoff to submit Ciryl Gane and become vacant heavyweight champion to Henry Cejudo’s attempt. Cejudo tried to do the same when he came out of retirement to challenge then-bantamweight champ Sterling after almost three years away but fell short.

“I was about to say, three years off and to come back and do that to the No. 1 guy like Dana said, I actually really agree with that,” Sterling said. “If we’re talking about right now, Jon Jones, what he did is super impressive. Henry Cejudo came back, he tried to do what he tried to do and look what happened. He’s ‘the greatest combat athlete of all time,’ no disrespect to him but …”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Eddie Alvarez confident Arman Tsarukyan beats UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev

Eddie Alvarez thinks Arman Tsarukyan is the one to dethrone UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] is the one to dethrone UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) retained his title with a fifth-round submission of Dustin Poirier in this past Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

When comparing Makhachev to his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Alvarez says Makhachev’s risk taking is what makes him more beatable than Nurmagomedov.

“Islam is not Khabib, he doesn’t fight like Khabib,” Alvarez said on The MMA Hour. “He takes more chances, he takes more risks and relies on finishing guys, where Khabib just knew you weren’t going to be able to deal with him over time and he’d take you from 100 percent energy to 0 energy, and then he would finish you.

“Islam’s going to go for it, he’s going to leave himself more vulnerable so he’s a little bit funner to watch, but he’s more susceptible to getting beat than Khabib was.”

Makhachev said he’s more interested in challenging for the welterweight title than rematching Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), whom he beat in April 2019. That was just Tsarukyan’s UFC debut, and the 27-year-old has since gone 9-1.

Alvarez thinks Makhachev and his team are avoiding Tsarukyan. The former UFC lightweight champion also sees Tsarukyan being able to resist Makhachev’s wrestling, and even picked him to win – especially after seeing Poirier fend off numerous of Makhachev’s takedown attempts.

“Arman beats him,” Alvarez said. “I made that assumption right after the (Poirier) fight. Everybody Khabib defended against, he had what I call the state-grappling advantage. The gap in the grappling advantage was so high, and he dominated these guys. … If you’re able to match their wrestling a little bit where they can’t dominate you and you can put them in a fight, you start to see they’re a little bit human.”

“Arman, because of his wrestling background, he’s going to be able to stop the shot. He may even take Islam down a little bit. Islam won’t be the hammer the entire fight, and we need to see how he deals with that because they’re always the hammer.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Video: Is Islam Makhachev or Jon Jones the No. 1 P4P after UFC 302?

Dana White was adamant that Jon Jones remains the P4P No. 1 fighter, not Islam Makhachev. Is he right? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses the fallout of [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s latest title defense.

Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight title for a third time this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 302. He did so by submitting Dustin Poirier in a thrilling war. Makhachev’s win not only left a lot to talk about in the 155-pound division, but also in the sport as a whole, as many now view him as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA.

Is Makhachev the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, or does that spot belong to [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], as UFC CEO Dana White suggested?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Mike Bohn and host Gorgeous George react to Makhachev’s win and how this affects the pound-for-pound conversation.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/HlprD38OBpI

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Stephen A. Smith: Conor McGregor ‘has no business being in the octagon’ with Islam Makhachev

There’s just no way we should ever see Conor McGregor fight Islam Makhachev, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

[autotag]Stephen A. Smith[/autotag] does not want to see [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] fight UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Coach Javier Mendez said he’d like Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) to fight McGregor sometime after McGregor brought light to the staph infection he endured during his UFC 302 training camp. Makhachev wound up submitting Dustin Poirier this past Saturday to retain his title in what turned out to be a grueling main event.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to return June 29 against Michael Chandler in the UFC 303 main event, with many believing a title shot could be his if he’s victorious.

“Conor goes and starts on a rant, starting to create drama with Islam,” Mendez told Red Corner MMA. “Which is kind of good because Conor’s the kind of guy you want to root against or root for. Regardless, everybody wants to see him, Me, I want to see him get beat by Islam.

“So, for me, him doing what he’s doing is causing a lot of attention, so there wouldn’t be nothing better for me and Khabib (Nurmagomedov) than to have Islam have a fight with him somewhere down the line. He brought that staph up, which is very observant on his part, to be honest with you. The only thing is that he observed it way too late. At the time he mentioned it, it was already three weeks past.”

However, after seeing Khabib Nurmagomedov dominate and submit McGregor in their title fight in 2018, Smith believes McGregor should want no part of Makhachev.

“I was in Vegas for the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov fight,” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take” (h/t Championship Rounds). “It was one of the greatest events I’ve ever attended in my life. It was unreal.

“But what we learned in that fight is that Conor McGregor has no business being in the octagon against a grappler, which is what Makhachev (is). This brother right here is something special, and he’s not going to try and strike against Conor McGregor.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.