Islam Makhachev explains why he “never expected justice” in latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev explained why he “never expected justice” in the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
In arguably one of the greatest UFC title fights of all time, Makhachev won a close unanimous decision over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 284. It was an incredible fight that went the full five rounds, with both men showing their heart and their skills for the entire 25 minutes. While some believed that Volkanovski deserved to win the decision, the three cage-side judges were unanimous that Makhachev won the fight, with the judges scoring the bout in the Russian’s favor 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
Despite Makhachev defeating Volkanovski at UFC 284, the latest UFC rankings came out with Volkanovski still as the sport’s No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter. Considering this bout was billed as a matchup to determine who would be the sport’s top-ranked P4P fighter, it’s interesting that the voters kept Volkanovski as the top P4P fighter despite Makhachev beating him on the judges’ scorecards. For Makhachev himself, he’s not surprised.
In a video shared on his social media, via Igor Kakdela, Makhachev commented on not moving up the pound-for-pound rankings, suggesting that he’s not surprised it’s the case, bringing up other Russian fighters such as Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan as reasons why it’s not surprising for him to not get recognition from the voters.
“I never expected justice and still don’t. Because we have always seen the attitude towards us in the example of our other fighters, (Magomed) Ankalaev, Petr Yan. The main thing is I flew 13,000 kilometers, defeated their champion there. Referee raised my hand up. With my head up, confident, with a belt, I came home,” Makhachev said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Do you think Islam Makhachev should be ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, or do you believe it should still be Alexander Volkanovski?
