UFC president Dana White commented on Islam Makhachev’s potential status as the greatest fighter of all time (the GOAT).
Makhachev is the UFC welterweight champion, and he defends his belt for the first time this Saturday at UFC 330, when he takes on Ian Machado Garry. Makhachev, of course, is the former UFC lightweight champion as well, and was a dominant champion in that weight class before deciding to move up in weight and challenge for a second UFC title, which he won.
Right now, Makhachev is 17-1 in the UFC and is currently on a 16-fight win streak, tied with the great Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in the promotion’s history. Should Makhachev defeat Machado Garry at UFC 330, then he would break the deadlock and be in sole possession of the longest UFC win streak of all time.
But until that happens, White says hold your horses.
Dana White Says Hold Your Horses
Speaking to the media following Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, White was asked if he is ready to anoint Makhachev as MMA’s GOAT yet. But White wants to wait a bit.
“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, but obviously breaking (Anderson Silva’s_ record, you keep grinding, you keep fighting, you put your head down and just keep (expletive) knocking guys down left and right, by the time you say ‘you know what? I’m done,’ then we all figure out where he ends up in the big pictures. He’s on the right path, that’s for sure,” White said (via MMAFighting.com).
“He’s got all the things there to be the guy. I think we should talk about this Saturday night after the fight and see what we all think based on his performance on Saturday and breaking the record.”
Islam Makhachev Heavy Favorite at UFC 330
With just days to go until UFC 330, Makhachev is a heavy favorite to defeat Machado Garry and become the UFC’s all-time wins leader on his own.
Makhachev is a -325 favorite, with Machado Garry as a +265 underdog, according to the latest betting odds.
While the odds are tightening up somewhat, they are still quite lopsided in favor of Makhachev, and for good reason, given that he is the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
That being said, Machado Garry is an excellent fighter in his own right, and one who holds several physical advantages over Makhachev in terms of age, height, and reach.
But Makhachev’s grappling is some of the best that the sport has ever seen, and he has good striking too, making him one of the most difficult puzzles to solve in the UFC, which is why he has won 16 straight fights.
Will Machado Garry be the man to solve the Makhachev puzzle? We’ll find out Saturday at UFC 330 when the two welterweights go at it for five rounds or fewer to determine who the best in the world is at 170 lbs.
Dana White Comments on Islam Makhachev’s UFC GOAT Status