Joe Rogan Differs From Dana White & Settles P4P Debate Between Jon Jones & Islam Makhachev

Who is the best P4P fighter in the UFC at the moment? This is the question that bothers most of the fans of the sport. However, it seems JRE host Joe Rogan might have the correct answer. During the UFC Fight Night, he sat down with Brendan Schaub, Bryan Callen, and Brian Simpson, and one of the biggest talking points between the group was about the best fighter in the UFC. Some believe it is Jon Jones, while others feel it’s Islam Makhachev. But what does Joe Rogan think?

Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones are undoubtedly two of the biggest names in the UFC. Makhachev is the current lightweight champion and ‘Bones’ is the heavyweight champion. Both fighters have an outstanding record at the moment, but picking one based on performance is tough. Rogan said while speaking on his JRE Fight Companion podcast, “Pound for pound is so subjective”.

The 56-year-old further went on to share his list of favorite fighters, “It’s like Jon Jones or Islam. You know you could say Islam, you could say Jon Jones. I see both arguments. And then the goat pound for pound or the goat list, I see GSP. I see the argument for Mighty Mouse. I see the argument for John. ”

Jon Jones is currently inactive from the promotion and is nursing a shoulder injury. During his absence, Islam Makhachev once again defended his title successfully at UFC 302. But UFC CEO Dana White still doesn’t consider the Dagestani Fighter the best. “For anybody to call Islam Makhachev the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world with Jon Jones is still f***ing fighting is nuts. Shouldn’t be ranking in the pound for pound or doing any rankings ever,” White had claimed during the UFC 302 post-match conference.

However, his comments did not go well with the Dagestani camp. Makhachev’s longtime coach Javier Mendez feels his student has done enough to earn the title of the best.

Javier Mendez feels Islam Makhachev is the best in the UFC at the moment

32-year-old Islam Makhachev put on a show for the fans at UFC 302 against Dustin Poirier. Poirier entered the fight high in confidence and started the clash on a positive note. However, the Dagestani’s relentless pressure finally made ‘The Diamond’ tap out in the last round. Despite his outstanding performance, the UFC head honcho still doesn’t rank him the best, which was made clear by him during the post-fight press conference. However, coach Mendez doesn’t quite agree with it.

Mendez said, “You get a lot of knowledge from this type of fight. And that’s exactly what Islam got. He got a lot of knowledge from this fight.” The coach further went on to add why he felt Makhachev deserved to be called as the best. He reckoned, “And he proved, he proved that he’s the real champion, and in my opinion, he is pound-for-pound, because he went through adversity, he conquered adversity.” 

Makhachev indeed went through a lot of adversity during his fight. However, he did manage to defend his title for the third time and is slowly progressing towards greatness. The debate for the best P4P fighter has divided the MMA fans currently. But who do you think is the best between the two? Let us know in the comments below.