Is Jon Jones at Risk of Losing His Pound-for-Pound Top Spot as Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski Clash for the LW Strap at UFC 294?

The current UFC Heavyweight champ, Jon Jones, earned a major title along with the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 295. The fans who consider ‘Bones’ to be the ‘GOAT’ found another justification for their claim. Jones has now held championships over two divisions in the UFC. Well, it may be said that the UFC also supported their claim in a way. They awarded ‘Bones’ the #1 pound-for-pound spot among the male UFC fighters. But the upcoming UFC 294 may be a significant threat towards his #1 pound-for-pound crown.

A look at the current rankings will reveal that the UFC 294 main eventers, Alexander Volkanovski, and Islam Makhachev, currently sit at the #2 and #3 positions of the list topped by Jones. It is pretty hard to say what actually determines the rank of a fighter on the UFC pound-for-pound list. Still, it’s quite apparent that both Makahchev and Volkanovski might have a chance to crown themselves as the UFC’s pound-for-pound king.

What are Islam Makhachev’s chances to dethrone Jon Jones?

The exact ground on which the UFC selects its top PFP fighters is still a gray area. Even the noted UFC personalities don’t seem to have a clear answer to this question. But looking at the top UFC pound-for-pound fighters in the last few years will give us an idea about it. We may conclude that the overall UFC record of a fighter is a huge factor in determining their status.

Islam Makhachev’s mentor cum friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, stated in the UFC 280 that putting Makhachev at the apex spot of the UFC pound-for-pound list was one of their major priorities. Makhachev used to occupy the second spot in the UFC pound-for-pound fighters list back then.

Still, the Dagestani failed to dethrone the then-UFC PFP king, Alexander Volkanovski, despite defeating him at UFC 284. It also won’t be wrong to say that a fighter with a lesser amount of losses on his record is expected to get a higher spot in the rankings than a fighter who has more losses in his career. Makhachev will achieve a double victory over ‘Volk’ if he manages to defeat him once more at UFC 294.

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More importantly, ‘Volk’ sits over Makhachev in the current rankings. Hence, most fans and UFC personalities would agree that the 31-year-old will have a good chance of dethroning ‘Bones’ if he comes out victorious in his UFC 294 showdown on 21 October.

What are Alexander Volkanovski’s chances of dethroning Jon Jones?

Volkanovski held on to his position above Makhachev in the UFC pound-for-pound list despite a defeat against him at UFC 284. However, ‘Bones’ only has one loss in his entire UFC career. Even that came 14 years back in 2009. Hence, it’s quite understandable that ‘Volk’s defeat against Makhachev will be a huge restricting factor for him.

But a win against Makhachev at UFC 294 will level his scores at 1-1 with the Dagestani in their rivalry. So, it’s completely plausible that a win will ensure that he holds his #2 spot in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. But hardly anyone in the entire UFC community can document whether ‘Volk’ will gain the #1 spot even if he manages to defeat Makhachev at their UFC 294 showdown.

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