Dana White seems to have his mind fixed on one thing – Jon Jones is the greatest of all time and the current best pound-for-pound fighter. The UFC CEO remained adamant about it even after Islam Makhachev produced a beautiful finish to the fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. But the lightweight champion has had his say and didn’t break too much sweat about White’s assertions.

Islam Makhachev almost seemed like he met his match in Dustin Poirier. Having tasted the dominating style of Khabib Nurmagomedov about five years ago, ‘The Diamond’ appeared to have upgraded the skills that he required the most against Makhachev. But despite that, the Dagestan native managed to prevail, prompting him to respond to Dana White’s P4P claims.

Islam Makhachev claims he saved UFC 302

Each to their own! That’s how Islam Makhachev responded when a reporter asked him about Dana White calling Jon Jones the best P4P fighter. However, he also added that the PPV would have left a sour taste in the fans’ mouths if he hadn’t been on the card, which he deemed had some of the most boring fights he’d ever been a part of.

The reports also claimed that the total gate for the PPV was around $7 million. This is indeed the highest gate ever collected in a UFC event in Newark, New Jersey. On that note, Islam Makhachev believes the success of the event should be credited to him.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s his opinion, but I think I saved this card today because all these fights [were] boring and the whole arena almost [fell] sleep,” Islam Makhachev stated during the post-fight pressers. Now, the question is how and if Dana White or Jon Jones respond to these comments.

Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev may have claimed to save UFC 302, but he did not shy away from sharing some praiseful words for his opponent, Dustin Poirier, after their tremendous back-and-forth contest.

Lightweight champion praises “legend” Dustin Poirier

The heat during the press conference before the fight between Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev ended with both embracing each other, with Khabib Nurmagomedov extending a kind gesture towards ‘The Diamond’ after the fight ended. Moreover, what was more joyful to watch was how Makhachev praised the former interim champion for leveling up in the takedown defense department, something that the undisputed champion didn’t anticipate.

“Dustin today give me hard time… Dustin prepared for this fight very well… He improved his wrestling defense,” stated Makhachev. It will be interesting to see how the road shapes up for Dustin Poirier now, since he’s maintained his stance on the claim he’s considering hanging up his gloves. Or maybe he could compete in one last big-time fight? We can never be too sure.

What do you make of Dana White’s P4P comments regarding Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones? Do you agree or disagree with the UFC CEO? Let us know in the comments.