Daniel Cormier thinks Islam Makhachev staked his claim as No. 1 pound-for-pound after UFC 294.
Lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) retained his title against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) a second time in this past Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena – this time, in a much more decisive way.
Makhachev beat Volkanovski by close decision at UFC 284 in February, but was able to knock him out in just one round in their rematch.
“The way he was able to separate himself from Alex over the course of eight months – special,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
Makhachev wasn’t able to overtake Volkanovski’s No. 1 pound-for-pound spot despite beating him in February. But when Jon Jones returned one month later to claim the heavyweight title with a quick finish of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March, he took the top spot, moving Makhachev down to No. 3.
But Cormier thinks Makhachev’s definitive finish of Volkanovski should make him No. 1.
“It was awesome to watch,” Cormier said. “He’s the best. Now people will start to wonder if he will be a better world champion than Khabib, if he’s going to be the greatest lightweight of all time. I don’t know if that’s going to happen – it’s going to take a little more.
“But I think you have to take Khabib’s whole career into effect when that happens. There’s work to be done for Makhachev to be considered the greatest of all time. But what can’t be denied is that he is now the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and why? because of the person that he just beat and the fashion that he just beat (him). It’s unreal.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
