"Don't know what else to do"- Islam Makhachev breaks silence on Jon Jones' dominance in pound-for-pound rankings

Islam Makhachev recently opened up about Jon Jones still being the UFC's pound-for-pound (P4P) king despite going 2-0 over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in less than nine months.

Prior to last weekend, Volkanovski occupied the No.2 spot on the UFC P4P rankings, with Makhachev in third place. 'The Great' notably held on to his spot despite losing to the Dagestani grappling phenom via unanimous decision at UFC 284 in February. However, their rematch at UFC 294 last weekend saw Makhachev defeat Volkanovski via a statement first-round knockout.

In the aftermath, many believed Islam Makhachev had done enough to replace Jon Jones at the top of the UFC P4P list. Unfortunately for the lightweight champion, the updated list only pushed him one spot up. He replaced Alexander Volkanovski in second place, whereas the Australian went down to third.

Islam Makhachev recently broke his silence on the latest P4P developments. In a video by @RedCorner_MMA and shared by Nina-Marie Daniele on X, he addressed his new pound-for-pound rank and said:

"I have already said at the press conference, who makes these rankings, what they do it for, I have no clue. I beat the P4P king, and they didn't put me at No.1. So now, I'm not surprised they did it this way again. Maybe that's because he [Jon Jones] is fighting soon, and they want to promote his fight. I don't understand what else I should do to get the No.1 spot other than beat the one who was No.1."

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Dana White on Islam Makhachev potentially surpassing Khabib Nurmagomedov as the UFC lightweight GOAT

Dana White recently discussed Khabib Nurmagomedov's legacy and how Islam Makhachev could surpass it during his time in the UFC. The UFC CEO believes that Nurmagomedov's protege has the potential to become the greatest lightweight champion the promotion has ever seen.

As mentioned, Makhachev faced Alexander Volkanovski in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 294. The Dagestani didn't take long to finish the fight and secured a stunning first-round KO. Makhachev dropped Volkanovski with a devastating head kick and followed up with some brutal ground-and-pound shots.

In a post-fight presser, Dana White shared his thoughts on Makhachev's performance and stated:

"The truth is, when you look at Khabib – and nothing against Khabib, Khabib came in and won the title and defended, but [Islam Makhachev] could go on a defense run that absolutely blows everybody away that ever held the belt in that division."