UFC champ Islam Makhachev is pound-for-pound best

UFC Corridor of Famer Georges St-Pierre is the most recent high-profile identify to again Islam Makhachev as the highest pound-for-pound fighter in MMA over Jon Jones.

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

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

“I believe proper now he’s the most effective pound-for-pound proper now,” St-Pierre stated to teach Firas Zahabi on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel. Due to his previous couple of performances. Simply wonderful. An incredible showcase of coronary heart, too, as a result of he had a nasty minimize on his brow and Poirier gave him a tricky time. Pushed the tempo to the sting, and I believe that combat goes to make Makhachev even higher. These are the fights that make you develop.”

Zahabi requested St-Pierre what he thinks Makhachev’s ceiling within the sport seems like given his current success and what may very well be on the horizon. “Rush” is taken into account by most to be within the top-three fighters in all of MMA historical past, and arguably on the prime of the checklist.

St-Pierre thinks Makhachev, 33, is effectively on his approach to becoming a member of that even larger dialogue, as long as he stays the course.

“He’s already beginning to get to that standing proper now (as an all-time nice),” St-Pierre stated. “Beating Volkanovski and now his previous couple of performances are wonderful.”