Video: Is Islam Makhachev the new pound-for-pound king over Alexander Volkanovski?

MMA News

Video: Is Islam Makhachev the new pound-for-pound king over Alexander Volkanovski?

UFC 284 featured a rare moment in MMA history this past Saturday in Perth, Australia.

In the main event, the man considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on most lists moved up a division to challenge for a belt in a second weight class – against the man many had at No. 2.

The UFC’s internal rankings had featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. Right behind him at No. 2 on the UFC’s list was lightweight champ Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC). (MMA Junkie’s rankings going into the fight hat Volkanovski No. 1 and Makhachev at No. 9, though that includes all promotions and not just the UFC.)

Volkanovski fell short and Makhachev won a unanimous decision, but there are pockets of people who thought Volkanovski won the fight. But with the win, is Makhachev now the new No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world?

That’s the question we asked this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Dan Tom. They broke it down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

 

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/02/ufc-284-video-opinion-islam-makhachev-best-mma-pound-for-pound-alexander-volkanovski