The pound-for-pound debate in MMA is like trying to pick the best song of all time — everyone’s got an opinion, and no one’s completely wrong. Most fans will agree that Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones are rightfully sitting comfortably at the top of that mountain. But ask who truly deserves the number one spot, and a never-ending argument will start.
UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear he thinks Jones is the guy — case closed. But the fans are divided about it, and so is the MMA fraternity. Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez, of course, would back his man.
The AKA coach wants people to understand that he agrees Jones is one of the greatest ever. But he doesn’t think he’s currently the best. “That’s what people confuse,” he said. “Pound-for-pound is about right now.”
But what if both Jones and Makhachev were suddenly out of the picture? Mendez recently explored the scenario and came up with three interesting contenders who could take over the throne.
“The next one I would say would be Merab [Dvalishvili], Ilia [Topuria], and Dricus du Plessis. Those are my three if you’re taking Jon and Islam out,” he said on an episode of the Javier & Mo Show.
All three are, or have been, UFC champions in their weight classes and present compelling cases for the top spot. Topuria boasts an unblemished record and has achieved remarkable victories. He was the first fighter to knock out both Alexander Volkanovski (UFC 298) and Max Holloway (UFC 308).
Du Plessis has made waves in the middleweight division, securing the championship and defending it with a decisive win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312. He extended his UFC winning streak to nine with that victory.
Meanwhile, Dvalishvili has demonstrated dominance in the bantamweight class with a 15-fight winning streak that includes victories over top-tier opponents like Sean O’Malley (UFC 306), Henry Cejudo (UFC 298), and Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC 311).
Each fighter’s achievements and consistent performances make them strong contenders for the pound-for-pound throne. However, none of them even look like they could close in on Jones and Islam till they are active.
And as far as the competition between Jones and Makhachev is concerned, Mendez provided valid justifications for thinking his pupil deserves the number one spot over White’s pick.
Makhachev trumps Jones, feels Mendez
Mendez’s first point of contention is that Jones has only fought twice in the last four years.
“If he were active, different story,” Mendez said. “But he hasn’t been. Islam has fought eight times in that span — against killers.”
He stated that Makhachev’s fights against top-tier opponents like Volkanovski, who was ranked pound-for-pound No. 1 at the time, to further strengthen the Russian’s case.
After beating Volkanovski, Islam has also taken on Dustin Poirier and beat him at his own game by outstriking him. The lightweight champ set him up before putting him out with a D’Arce choke.
In the five rounds they fought at UFC 302 last year, Makhachev had 147 strikes to Poirier’s 104, including 88 significant strikes compared to the challenger’s 74.
For a grappler to be able to do that is no easy feat. Besides, Islam’s style of fighting is highly creative and adaptive. It would keep him in good standing even if he changes divisions, which, after all, is a deciding factor in the P4P debate.
