INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Move over, Jon Jones: There’s a new UFC pound-for-pound No. 1 in Dana White’s book.
While lightweight champion Islam Makhachev officially has been ranked as the promotion’s pound-for-pound best for quite some time, White has spent the past year vehemently making the case for Jones. But that changed Saturday night after Makhachev submitted replacement Renato Moicano in the first round of the UFC 311 main event at Intuit Dome.
“Yeah, I’ll give it to him,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the UFC 311 post-event news conference. “Are you happy? Is everybody happy now?”
Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) further solidified himself as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world with his fifth consecutive title defense, which surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson and B.J. Penn for the most in divisional history. The finish of Moicano was also his 15th win in a row, a mark that stands as the second most in the history of the UFC behind only Anderson Silva’s 16.
Considering those new accolades on his resume, White went so far as to call Makhachev the greatest lightweight of all time.
“Hundred percent, there’s no doubt about it,” White said. “He’s the pound-for-pound best in the world, and he’s definitely the best to ever do it in that division.”
Makhachev originally was slated to fight Arman Tsaurkyan in a rematch, but Tsarukyan pulled out during Friday’s weigh-ins because of a back injury. The fact that Makhachev didn’t back down from the last-minute change to Moicano might’ve been what really put him over the top in White’s mind.
“Islam was willing to fight anybody,” White said. “He’s stayed active, and he went out tonight and performed the way a guy should on a short-notice fight when you’re the best in the world, and you’re the champion.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
