UFC legend Jon Jones considers current UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev to be one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Right now, very few fighters are at the level of Islam Makhachev – if any. Following on from his successful run in the lightweight division, he went up to welterweight and won a second world title. While it’s not clear how much longer he will continue competing, nobody can deny that he is carving out quite the legacy for himself in mixed martial arts.
As we look ahead to the future, one or two more big wins could really elevate Islam Makhachev in the GOAT conversation. A lot of people already have him in that debate, and have him quite high up, such as Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ is a controversial figure as we all know, but his opinion on other fighters is certainly worth taking into consideration given what he himself has accomplished.
In a recent interview, Jon Jones had the following to say when commenting on Islam Makhachev’s run in the sport.
Jon Jones praises Islam Makhachev as one of the GOATs
“I think Islam is definitely one of the greatest fighters of all time,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “He’s one of the guys for sure. I’m not surprised that he’s dominating the competition. He’s a special athlete. Some guys are just chosen to do great things, and I think he’s one of those guys.
“I’m excited to watch the rest of his career. I think he has a lot of work to do, but he is on the right path, and he’s just doing everything right. He’s one of the guys in the sport I respect very much.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Makhachev’s position in comparison to that of Khabib Nurmagomedov is something that is always up for discussion, especially given how close both men are. Khabib retired undefeated, which isn’t going to be possible for Islam given his one knockout defeat. With that being said, a lot of people in the GOAT talk have been beaten in the past, and the way in which Makhachev bounced back from that was pretty remarkable.
