Islam Makhachev or Jon Jones: Who should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter? [Opinion]

Islam Makhachev had been ranked No. 1 on the pound-for-pound list in the official UFC rankings, while Jon Jones had been listed at No. 2, heading into UFC 302 (June 1, 2024). Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier via fifth-round submission at UFC 302 and successfully defended his UFC lightweight belt, marking his third title defense.

The latest UFC rankings list Makhachev and Jones as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively on the pound-for-pound list. For long, certain sections of the MMA community have disagreed with Makhachev, or any other fighter, being placed above 'Bones' in the pound-for-pound rankings. During the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White echoed similar sentiments.

White suggested that Islam Makhachev is one of the greatest fighters of all time but Jon Jones is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. He notably labeled 'Bones' the greatest combat sports athlete ever.

The UFC boss further indicated that Jones hasn't lost a fight, alluding that he's virtually undefeated despite his oft-discussed DQ (Disqualification) defeat. He pointed out that 'Bones' has beaten the best fighters at light heavyweight for years and moved up in weight to win the UFC heavyweight title too.

Moreover, White made an allusion to Islam Makhachev's first two lightweight title defenses coming against then-UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in February and October of 2023. He insinuated that Makhachev hasn't moved to a higher weight class and achieved two-division UFC championship glory yet, but Jones has. An excerpt from White's comments read:

"For anybody to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f**king fighting, it's n*ts!"

Check out White's comments below:

While Jon Jones concurred with Dana White's assessment, Islam Makhachev seemingly didn't. Today, we take a special look at whether Makhachev or Jones is more deserving of the honor of being called the current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

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#3 Jon Jones boasts superior striking than Islam Makhachev

Jon Jones' professional MMA record stands at 27 wins, one loss, and one NC (No Contest). Of those victories, 10 came via KO/TKO, seven by submission, and 10 by way of decision.

Jones' lone loss came via DQ after he landed illegal 12-6 elbows against Matt Hamill in their light heavyweight bout at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale (Dec. 2009). Dana White, Jones, and others have often argued that the verdict should've been a win for 'Bones' rather than a DQ loss.

On the other hand, Islam Makhachev holds an MMA record of 26 wins and one loss. He's got five victories via KO/TKO, 12 by submission, and nine by way of decision.

Setting the numbers aside, it'd still be safe to say that Jones is a far more accomplished striker than Makhachev. Jones has craftily out-struck some of the deadliest strikers in the UFC light heavyweight division, including the likes of Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, Vitor Belfort, and Alexander Gustafsson.

Moreover, Islam Makhachev's lone defeat came via first-round KO against Adriano Martins at UFC 192 (Oct. 2015). Though Makhachev's striking has considerably evolved, as evidenced by his fight against Dustin Poirier, he still largely relies on a grappling-heavy approach to win.

Makhachev needs to create the threat of the takedown to distract and possibly out-strike his foes, but Jones (although a deft grappler) doesn't need to create that threat and can simply out-strike most opponents over long periods in a round. Assuming Makhachev and Jones were the same size, 'Bones' would surely win their hypothetical clash's striking aspect.

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#2 Islam Makhachev is a better grappler than Jon Jones

Jon Jones competed as an amateur wrestler in the US, and his grappling skills have lent themselves well to his MMA arsenal. However, Islam Makhachev's grappling pedigree is a class apart. The Dagestani grappling savant is believed to have had a tremendously successful Combat Sambo career, bagging two Sambo gold medals at the national level in Russia.

We've seen Jones struggling to take down similar-sized fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson and Dominick Reyes. Many have even highlighted that Gustafsson deserved the decision win in their first match (in 2013) and that Reyes outpointed Jones in their encounter (in 2020). 'Bones' has masterfully utilized size and reach to his benefit against most, but he's struggled to find his grappling rhythm against similar-sized or larger foes.

Contrarily, Makhachev has out-grappled similar-sized or bigger/heavier lightweights with relative ease, dominantly submitting fighters like Charles Oliveira and Dan Hooker. In a Makhachev-Jones pound-for-pound comparison — assuming they were the same weight and size — Makhachev would surely prove himself the better grappler.

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#1 Islam Makhachev or Jon Jones — overall MMA skill set, athleticism, and miscellaneous factors

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has notched three successful lightweight title defenses thus far, whereas current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has yet to defend his heavyweight title.

That said, Jones is a former UFC light heavyweight champion who defended the light heavyweight title a record 11 times. 'Bones' is tied with former UFC flyweight champion and current One flyweight champion Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson for the highest number of successful UFC title defenses (11).

As for their athleticism, Makhachev and Jones are both regarded as truly elite athletes. Furthermore, when it comes to their overall MMA prowess, it's Jones who has a more diverse combat arsenal and strikes a better balance between striking and grappling. Makhachev continues to function as a grappling-heavy combatant, his noticeably improved striking skills notwithstanding.

That said, one miscellaneous factor that might give Islam Makhachev the edge in regard to claiming the pound-for-pound crown is that he hasn't failed as many drug tests as Jon Jones has.

Makhachev tested positive for a banned PED just once in his career, and he was later apparently absolved of the same. The UFC's Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky, recently suggested that Makhachev's failed drug test in 2016 was a colossal mistake.

Novitzky attributed that to the UFC's former drug testing partner, USADA, indicating that Islam Makhachev had used meldonium for medical purposes before the drug was banned and had submitted proper documentation.

On the contrary, Jon Jones has tested positive for multiple PEDs in his career, including clomiphene, letrozole, and turinabol. Perhaps his most infamous drug test failure came before his scheduled rematch against Daniel Cormier that was to transpire at UFC 200 (July 2016). That booking fell apart, but they eventually did clash in July 2017, and he beat Cormier via third-round KO. However, he failed another PED test, and that win was overturned to an NC.

In a nutshell, the pound-for-pound debate's outcome hinges on one's perspective of Jones' alleged PED usage. If the assessor accords great significance to Jones' multiple PED test failures, then Makhachev would be more deserving of being called the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

Alternatively, one could suppose that the failed tests were due to inadvertent consumption or another reason (he's always maintained his innocence!). In that case, his multifarious MMA skillset and ability to mix his striking and grappling more efficiently would supersede Makhachev and earn 'Bones' the title of pound-for-pound king.

Yours truly would concur with Demetrious Johnson's assessment, as 'Mighty Mouse' himself hailed Jones as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter.