UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has made his dissatisfaction with the current pound-for-pound ranking crystal clear. The Dagestani fighter, presently sitting at No. 3 in the men's category, finds himself behind featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and heavyweight champion Jon Jones, a positioning he vehemently disagrees with.
Makhachev's Critique of Rankings
In a sharp critique, Makhachev took aim at Jones, who had previously declined a late replacement fight against Chael Sonnen. "This is what UFC champions have to do," Makhachev said at Wednesday’s UFC 294 media day. "If you’re a real champion, you have to take a fight, no matter how many days notice or who it’s going to be. Not like your pound-for-pound champion when they give him Chael Sonnen. If you’re a real champion, you have to fight."
Makhachev further questioned the decision to rank Jones as the top fighter and criticized the quality of Jones’ last five opponents. Expressing his disillusionment, he described the rankings as unreliable and declared his decision to stop paying attention to them.
The Upcoming Championship Rematch
Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will headline UFC 294 in a championship rematch against Volkanovski. Initially scheduled to face Charles Oliveira, Makhachev found himself facing "The Great" due to an injury that forced Oliveira to withdraw. The injury, a severe cut above his right eye, was shared by Oliveira on social media along with an apology to his fans.
Interestingly, Makhachev had faced Volkanovski earlier in February at UFC 284. Despite being ranked No. 2 at the time, Makhachev triumphed over the No. 1-ranked Volkanovski. However, a few months later, he found himself at No. 3, with Volkanovski and Jones ahead of him, sparking his displeasure with the ranking system.
"Because last time I beat him already. The last fight, it was No. 2 vs. No. 1. If you beat No. 1, you have to be No. 1, but I don’t know who makes the rankings," said Makhachev when asked about his issue with the rankings.
Jones Responds with Positivity
Responding to Makhachev's remarks, Jones took to Twitter, wishing him all the best. "I wish you all the best Habibi," Jones tweeted, directly mentioning Makhachev’s Twitter username. "As far as the fight, may the best man win. I was just talking about life. Islam made some negative comments recently. No need for me to respond with negativity. I have bigger fish to fry right now."
Jones is no stranger to criticism of the UFC ranking system. In fact, in 2021, when he fell to No. 4 due to inactivity, he criticized middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya for his higher ranking despite his inability to defend takedowns.
“When you're ranked over Jon Jones on a pound-for-pound list but know you can’t defend a takedown,” he commented on Twitter. “It’s funny seeing people have the satisfaction of being ranked over me when I’m not even competing. Just take me off that silly list.”
In his next bout, Jones will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023. This will be his inaugural defense of the heavyweight belt, which he secured after defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023.