UFC chief says it’s too early to label Islam Makhachev the sport’s greatest
UFC president Dana White said he will wait until Islam Makhachev’s upcoming welterweight title defense before considering him a candidate for the greatest-of-all-time discussion.
Islam Makhachev is set to defend his welterweight championship at UFC 330, a fight that could also give him the chance to tie Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive wins in UFC history, both standing at 16. The Russian fighter already holds the record for most lightweight title defenses and is ranked the No. 1 pound-for-pound competitor.
UFC CEO Dana White said he will hold off on any “greatest-of-all-time” declarations until after Makhachev’s bout with Ian Machado Garry. > “I don’t think about that stuff until the fight happens. When we see his performance on Saturday, let’s see how it plays out… we’ll figure out where he ends up in the big picture after the fight,” White told reporters at a recent press conference.
White added that Makhachev has the attributes to join the sport’s elite but emphasized that any assessment should be based on his performance on Saturday.