Post-UFC 302 rankings update: Paulo Costa falls one spot, Islam Makhachev retains No.1 P4P spot despite Dana White's grievances
After last weekend's thrilling UFC 302 event in New Jersey, the promotion has updated its official fighter rankings. The exciting card was headlined by an Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier lightweight title fight, with Sean Strickland going up against Paulo Costa in the co-main event.
Poirier put on an impressive performance against Makhachev and took the Dagestani grappling savant into deep waters. However, Makhachev's ground game proved too much for Poirier to handle, ultimately losing the fight via fifth-round submission. In the aftermath, 'The Diamond' hinted that he might have fought his last professional fight in the promotion.
Given his strong effort against a dominant champion like Makhachev, Poirier unsurprisingly stays put as the No.4-ranked lightweight contender. Meanwhile, Makhachev continues his reign as the 155-pound king and stays at the top of the UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings with Jon Jones in second place.
Elsewhere, Strickland maintains his position as the No.1-ranked contender in the middleweight division after defeating Costa via split decision. On the other hand, Costa's loss caused him to slip down one place to No.8 rank.
Dana White rejects Islam Makhachev's claim as pound-for-pound king after the UFC 302 event
UFC CEO Dana White recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev becoming the pound-for-pound (P4P) king. White wasn't keen on acknowledging the Dagestani grappling maestro as the No.1-ranked P4P fighter in the promotion and outlined why no one could claim that spot as long as Jon Jones was active.
Makhachev is considered among the most dominant lightweight champions in UFC history and is on a 14-fight unbeaten streak. Nevertheless, White believes Jones' undefeated status and legendary reign as light heavyweight champion is enough for him to hold the P4P king status as long as he's active.
During the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, White said:
"[Makhachev's] one of the greatest of all time. I think he is incredible. I don't think he is pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. For anybody to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f***ing fighting, it's nuts!... Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever. He has fought all the baddest dudes in the world."
White continued:
"Now when you think about what pound-for-pound rankings really mean, he moved up to heavyweight and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting actively and is in the rankings, yeah, nobody is pound-for-pound best fighter in the world."