“They’re Not Champions.”: UFC Hall of Famer Gives “Khabib 2.0” Islam Makhachev a Brutal Reality Check, Week After the Lightweight Champ’s Comments on Jon Jones’ P4P Ranking

Following in the footsteps of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev is continuing the Dagestani legacy in the UFC. The 31-year-old secured the UFC lightweight title almost two years after ‘The Eagle’ announced his retirement. He is also on a 12-fight winning streak and showing no signs of slowing down.

As Makhachev continues to cement his legacy, he has naturally earned comparisons with his teammate Nurmagomedov. As a champion, he gets compared to other champions, one of whom is Jon Jones. However, that is where a UFC Hall of Famer wishes to draw the line.

While Makhachev is an undeniably great fighter, he has not yet earned the honors to be compared to the likes of Jones, says Michael Bisping. Further, the lightweight champion had taken shots at Jones by dissing his #1 pound-for-pound status.

The former UFC middleweight champion was discussing Makhachev’s resume on his ‘Believe You Me’ podcast with UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith. Bisping did not shy away from giving Makhachev his due credit but laid down facts to defend his argument.

Michael Bisping compares Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev

Talking about Islam Makhachev, Bisping credited him with carrying on the legacy that Khabib Nurmagomedov started. He said, “It almost sounds disrespectful, like a Khabib 2.0, but I think that’s fair to say. And I understand and I respect him wanting to be held in that regard. The reality is he’s not there yet, sadly.”

The UFC Hall of Famer reiterated that his claim was not out of malice but a professional one. He then evaluated Makhachev’s resume, saying, “I’m looking at his record. Since he came to the UFC there’s been great wins- Nik Lentz, Chris Wade, Gleison Tibau, Arman Tsarukyan. Good win. Davi Ramos. These are all good wins. Drew Dober, [Dan] Hooker, right? Bobby Green, then it’s Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski.”

Then he made his argument, stating, “The fighters I mentioned up until those last two are really good fighters. You don’t get to the UFC unless you’re something special but they’re not elite. They’re not champions. They’re not Hall of Famers. The last two- Oliveira and Volkanovski, for sure.”

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Prior to this, the pair had discussed the murderer’s row of talent that Jon Jones added to his resume during his days as a UFC champion. They believed that Jones’ wins held more merit simply because he faced a lot more top-tier competition in his younger days.

Jon Jones is the consensus GOAT of MMA for many fans and pros. Meanwhile, Makhachev is slowly adding title defenses to his resume. Do you think the Russian will ever match up to ‘Bones’ in greatness? And do you agree with Bisping’s claims?

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Let us know in the comments.