Islam Makhachev’s manager reacts to Dana White declaring Jon Jones as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter

There aren’t many things that Dana White has defended in the UFC more vehemently lately than his passionate declaration that Jon Jones is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

While it’s tough to deny Jones’ status among the greatest of all-time, his inactivity over the past few years has pushed him further down those rankings while other athletes like Islam Makhachev have continued to take out contender after contender. Right now it’s Makhachev sitting atop the mythical pound-for-pound list both in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and the UFC’s official rankings, surely to White’s dismay.

For all the ways White has continued to pound the desk when it comes to his belief that Jones should be No. 1, Makhachev’s manager believes he knows why the UFC boss is taking such a strong stance on the subject.

“Listen, it’s the reason why Dana White is the pound-for-pound greatest promoter on this planet,” Ali Abdelaziz explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Jon Jones is fighting next month. He’s fighting a guy [in Stipe Miocic], he’s probably going to be -800 against. [This is] the best way to promote this fight, to promote Jon Jones.

“Dana never promoted Jon Jones for some reason. But now he’s on Jon Jones’ wagon. Guess what? This promotes Jon Jones, too. He can say he’s the greatest of all time. Islam Makhachev right now currently is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world by far. It’s not even second place. But Dana’s Dana. People think he’s talking gospel.”

Abdelaziz might have a point based on the odds surrounding Jones’ upcoming fight booked against Miocic on Nov. 16 in the main event at UFC 309 in New York.

While it’s impossible to negate Miocic as one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history, he hasn’t fought since 2021 and his last appearance was a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. Add to that, Miocic just recently turned 42 and most oddsmakers have him around a 6-to-1 underdog going into the fight with Jones.

There’s also been a lot of blowback that Jones should be fighting interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall next rather than Miocic coming back from a three-plus year long layoff.

That’s why Abdelaziz can’t fault White for pumping up Jones any way he can, especially with a pay-per-vieiw to sell in November.

“In reality, it is what it is,” Abdelaziz said. “Dana is going to be Dana, Islam has just got to keep going and prove to everyone he’s the pound-for-pound king. I’m not worried about it. Islam is not worried about it. But Dana’s supposed to promote Jon Jones and he’s doing it and he’s doing a great job at it.”

As far as what comes next for Makhachev, the reigning UFC lightweight champion is expected to return in early 2025 after dealing with a thumb injury following his submission win over Dustin Poirier in June.

Makhachev’s coach and longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov recently stated that a fight was offered and accepted for January, although no further details were revealed.

Abdelaziz says that timeline is definitely possible now that Makhachev has been cleared to compete again.

“I think January, February,” Abdelaziz said. “He’s ready. I gave the UFC the green light and they’re going to book him against someone, it doesn’t matter who. It can be anybody. Islam is going to fight whoever they give [to him], it doesn’t really matter who.

“Good to go. Firing on all cylinders. Anybody, any time, anywhere.”

Makhachev’s opponent is almost certainly going to be Arman Tsarukyan, who is riding a four-fight win streak in the division and he’s been viewed as the No. 1 contender for the title.

That’s the matchup that makes the most sense but Abdelaziz says ultimately it doesn’t matter who they throw at Makhachev, which is why he doesn’t really call out opponents as the champion.

“I think Arman, he deserves it more than anyone,” Abdelaziz said. “It can be Arman, it can be [Renato] Moicano. It can be [Dan] Hooker … no, Hooker doesn’t deserve nothing.”