Islam Makhachev's manager lashes out at UFC for 'bullsh**' pound-for-pound rankings after latest update
Islam Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has been left furious at the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings update.
Makhachev is currently preparing for a rematch against Charles Oliveira, with the pair set to headline UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi next month. The lightweight champ heads into the cage off the back of a successful title defence against Alexander Volkanovski, defeating the Australian in a Fight of the Year contender back in February.
Despite his recent success, however, Islam Makhachev has seen himself drop down in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Russian fighter is now No.3 in the P4P list, having previously held the No.2 spot.
The shift in the rankings is due to the return of Jon Jones, who captured the heavyweight title in his return bout against Ciryl Gane in March. The victory for 'Bones' reinstated him to the No.1 spot, which has now seen 'The Great' drop to No.2 and Makhachev behind him at No.3
Ali Abdelaziz has since taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express his outrage at the latest update. According to the Dominance MMA CEO, Makhachev's victory over Volkanovski and his 12-fight undefeated streak should have seen him sit at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. He tweeted:
Islam Makhachev was #2 P4P, fought the #1 P4P for his ranking, won and now he's P4P #3. These rankings are bullsh*t"
Colby Covington talks potential first title defence against Islam Makhachev
Colby Covington has expressed an interest in defending the welterweight title against Islam Makhachev, should he successfully capture the belt from Leon Edwards at UFC 296.
The bout against Edwards marks a return to the octagon for Covington after over a year away from the sport, last time out defeating Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision in March 2022.
In a recent interview with MMA journalist James Lynch, Covington admitted he's eyeing up a super fight against Islam Makhachev. According to 'Chaos', he has spotted multiple holes in the Russian fighter's game and claimed that Makhachev has been bad mouthing him to the UFC brass. Covington stated:
"A lot of holes in [Makhachev's] game. He's talked a big game, trying to ride the coat-tails of Khabib's success and what he was able to accomplish. He's not Khabib. It's not the same thing... He keeps talking a big game over to Hunter Campbell, Dana White and the UFC, so there's no telling what's gonna happen. He's said some things behind the scenes, but let's see if he's actually a man of his word."
Catch Covington's comments here (15:35):