Dana White had been adamant about keeping Jon Jones on the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, claiming that he’s been undefeated his entire career. However, it seems like the UFC CEO had a change of heart after Islam Makhachev‘s recent win over Renato Moicano. The 55-year-old has finally admitted that the Dagestan native is indeed the number one P4P fighter, especially because he’s always down to fight any challenger out in front of him.

“He’s already the pound-for-pound number one ranked. Yeah, [Islam is his best P4P fighter]. I’ll give it to him,” Dana White stated in the post-fight presser. He knew that it was what everybody wanted to hear from him, so, in a light-hearted manner, he’d ask the reporters, “Everybody happy now?”

Dana White further claimed that he was expecting nothing less than the kind of performance Islam Makhachev showcased, given that it was a short-notice bout. “Islam was willing to fight anybody, you know. He stayed active and he went out tonight and performed the way a guy should on a short notice fight when you are the best in the world and you’re the champion,” the UFC CEO added.

Well, while the pound-for-pound situation is sorted, Dana White also shared an additional compliment to Islam Makhachev. After his performance against Renato Moicano, the UFC CEO decided to place him at the top of the 155-pound division’s history as well.

Dana White agrees that Islam Makhachev is the best lightweight ever

For a long time, Khabib Nurmagomedov was in the running for the best lightweight in UFC history, but his protégé not only continued his legacy but surpassed it at UFC 311. With the win over Renato Moicano, Islam Makhachev recorded his 15th straight win, which is the second-most behind Hall of Famer Anderson Silva, who recorded 16 wins in a row. When Dana White was asked if Makhachev passed the test to become the best lightweight, given that he has the most title defenses to his name, the UFC CEO replied in the positive.

“He’s the pound-for-pound best in the world right now, and he’s definitely the best to ever do it in that division,” Dana White added. The lightweight champion not only earned the boss’s praise but the praise of the fans as well. They cheered him as he left the arena with the win. Now, it remains to be seen how many more consecutive wins and successful title defenses Islam Makhachev will secure in the months and years to come because he’s certainly not done fighting. Also, it’ll be interesting to see if he can make his double championship dreams come true.

Meanwhile, let us know what you think about Dana White changing his tune regarding the P4P best fighter in the comments.