- Ikram Aliskerov pointed out a few reasons why Islam Makhachev surpassed Jon Jones as the UFC’s pound-for-pound best
- Islam knew he became the pound-for-pound best right after beating Alexander Volkanovski twice
Ikram Aliskerov totally agrees that Islam Makhachev is the rightful UFC’s pound-for-pound king and not Jon Jones.
There’s no debate
Speaking to Shak MMA, Aliskerov may have caused quite a stir in MMA community by backing Makhachev as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the organization. For Aliskerov, “Bones” has proven that he is one of the greatest of all time but his fellow Dagestani fighter is now the clear-cut pound-for-pound king, considering how outstanding his past performances have been.
“Of course, it’s Islam, there’s no question about him and look at how many fights he’s had in recent history, he’s constantly staying active. Obviously, Jon Jones is a legendary fighter, you’ve got to give credit where credit is due, but just with the amount of work and the amount of activity that Islam has, I don’t think there’s anybody who can compete with his status,” Aliskerov said through a translator.
Islam already knew he was the P4P best before it became official
Indeed, many, UFC president Dana White, consider Jones as the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. However, Makhachev himself insists that his incredible victories over top contenders in the lightweight division, as well as his back-to-back successful title defense against Alexander Volkanovski should’ve been enough for him to deserve the title over “Bones.”
True to form, the UFC eventually promoted Makhachev as the pound-for-pound best but it took about a almost a month after his historic KO win over Volkanovski in their rematch at UFC 294.
As it stands, Makhachev is fresh off another successful title defense, having submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. On the other hand, Jones has yet to be booked for his return following a pectoral injury last October.
As for Aliskerov, he is set to face former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Watch Aliskerov’s full interview below:
