Former two-division champion and UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has shared his pick for the current pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
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“Rush” is considered by many to be the greatest fighter to ever compete in the UFC or MMA as a whole, and after a lengthy reign as UFC welterweight champion he added to his already impressive legacy by claiming the middleweight belt from Michael Bisping in his last fight at UFC 217.
The debate around the sport’s P4P best fighter has been a hot topic in the aftermath of UFC 302 thanks to Dana White’s claim that Jon Jones should still be at the top of the rankings, but St-Pierre argues that Islam Makhachev is rightfully ranked as the P4P king at the moment.
“He’s amazing. I think right now he’s the best pound-for-pound right now, because of his last few performances. Just amazing. An amazing showcase of heart too, ‘cause he had a bad cut on his forehead and [Dustin] Poirier gave him a tough time… I think he’s already starting to get to that [legend] status right now. Beating [Alexander] Volkanovski, and now his last few performances are amazing.”
– Georges St-Pierre, Tristar Gym Youtube
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Makhachev has faced a considerable amount of scrutiny and pressure throughout his UFC career as a close friend and teammate of former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Tristar Gym head coach Firas Zahabi couldn’t resist asking St-Pierre to consider how those two fighters would match up in a hypothetical showdown.
“It’s hard to say. Khabib might have a more solid game in terms of positioning, in terms of ground and pound, in terms of takedowns…And on the other side, I think Makhachev has a better submission game. I think he’s more aggressive and more opportunistic on the submissions. On the striking department, Khabib might have more power…Makhachev is longer and maybe more fluid.”
A fifth-round submission against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event marked the third time Makhachev has successfully defended the lightweight belt, and in his first two defenses the 32-year-old successfully stifled the double-champ aspirations of former featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski.
The current expectation is that Makhachev will face #1-ranked Arman Tsarukyan next in what would be a rematch of their 2019 meeting, and if the champion is able to best Tsarukyan again he may be poised to challenge for a second belt in the UFC welterweight division.
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