Islam Makhachev shares his thoughts on Jon Jones being ranked the #1 pound-for-pound fighter: “This is bullsh*t, brother”

By Harry Kettle - June 15, 2023

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev isn’t happy about Jon Jones being the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the rankings.

Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones

Following his win over Alexander Volkanovski, many believed Islam Makhachev was the new #1 P4P fighter in the world. However, because of how close the fight was, the UFC opted to keep Volkanovski at number one.

It didn’t last long, though, as Jon Jones took that spot courtesy of his dominant win over Ciryl Gane. As you can imagine, Makhachev wasn’t too pleased with this turn of events.

RELATED: ISLAM MAKHACHEV REACTS AFTER BEING DENIED TOP SPOT IN UFC P4P RANKINGS

Jones, on the other hand, is the UFC heavyweight champion, as we await further news on what his next bout will be.

As Makhachev continues to do the same, the star from Dagestan couldn’t help but poke fun at the rankings during a chat with Daniel Cormier.

Makhachev’s big problem

“This is bullsh*t, brother,” Makhachev said. “How Jon Jones can be No. 1? He beat some guy who is not champion. This guy (Gane) don’t have belt, and they put him No. 1 pound-for-pound. This is bullsh*t. … Doesn’t matter how he beat him. The UFC put him best pound-for-pound. But other people who know about MMA, they know who is the best fighter in the world. Don’t call me lightweight champion. Call me pound-for-pound best fighter.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

It clearly means a lot to Islam Makhachev for him to be top of the mountain in the rankings. After all, that’s where Khabib Nurmagomedov was situated when he walked away from mixed martial arts almost three years ago.

In terms of what’s next, the expectation is that he’ll defend the 155-pound strap in Abu Dhabi later this year.

Do you agree with Islam Makhachev? What do you believe is next for Jon Jones? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Islam Makhachev Jon Jones UFC