The Pound-For-Pound Debate
Following the conclusion of UFC 309, the newly revised pound-for-pound list of the UFC has been announced, and as usual, it has people debating.
Despite defeating Stipe Miocic in dominating fashion this past weekend, Jon Jones, whom most consider the greatest of all time, misses out on the top spot to the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, who retains his position.
With just three fights in almost five years, the current #2, Jon Jones, is many people’s choice for the coveted #1 spot, and it’s hard to think of a reason other than inactivity to prevent him from being given the nod. Some would argue that his lack of fights is irrelevant, and the fact that he is still a member of the UFC roster should keep him at the top, regardless of the absence of bouts.
Jon Jones holds an MMA record of 28-1-1(NC.) The MMA community widely disregarded his only loss (against Matt Hamill), as he was disqualified under some very dubious circumstances in a fight that he was dominating. Upon a review of the fight replay, Jones was disqualified for the use of the ’12-6 elbow,’ a manoeuvre that is now legal in the UFC. Although the use of such a move was prohibited at the time of the fight, there were arguments as to whether the result of the bout should have been deemed a ‘no contest’ as opposed to a disqualification for Jon Jones.
The UFC president, Dana White, believes that the list is incorrect and has called out journalists and media members (who contribute to the formation of the list) for what he deems as inaccuracies. White took to social media to express his disdain and indicated that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is working with him to create an AI-based formula in future to determine the pecking order of the pound-for-pound list.
UFC P4P List
With Islam Makhachev retaining the top spot in the rankings, fans of his will point to his record when putting a case forward for him. The only loss of his career came back in October 2015 when he was KO’d by Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in Houston, Texas. Since then, Makhachev has gone on a fourteen-fight win streak, beating the likes of Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski (twice) in his most recent outings. His resume over the past couple of years rivals anyone in the sport.
Aside from Makhachev and Jones, the other fighter some claim to be the #1 pound-for-pound great is the Brazilian kickboxing specialist Alex Pereira. After a decorated kickboxing career, which included two victories over what would be the future UFC Champion, Israel Adesanya, ‘Poatan’ made the transition into mixed martial arts, and it’s fair to say the process was more or less seamless.
While still kickboxing, Pereira lost his first-ever MMA fight by way of submission, but he wasn’t deterred. He got back inside the cage less than three months later and racked up three consecutive stoppage victories. Pereira caught the eye of the UFC, and despite having just four professional MMA fights under his belt, the premier league of the fight business came calling.
Fast forward just three years later, Alex Pereira has a 9-1 record in the UFC and is already a two-weight world champion. His activity, combined with the way he has brutally dispatched most of his opponents, has elevated him to superstar status.
Who do you think is the pound-for-pound number one? Should Islam Makhachev hold the number one spot?
Discussion about this post