UFC champion Islam Makhachev is the best pound-for-pound fighter

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre is the latest high-profile figure to endorse Islam Makhachev as the top pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts over Jon Jones.

After Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) made his third consecutive defense of the lightweight title by submitting Dustin Poirier in fifth round at UFC 302 this month, UFC CEO Dana White sparked the pound-for-pound debate by declaring Jones his favorite to be the best in the division.

White's comments sparked a heated debate across the MMA world, and now former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion St-Pierre has spoken out with his own opinion.

“I think he's the best pound-for-pound right now,” St-Pierre told his coach, Firas Zahabi, on the TriStar Gym YouTube channel. “It's because of his last few performances. It's just amazing. It was a great display of heart, even with that nasty cut on his forehead and how hard Poirier had to fight. He pushed the pace to the limit and I think Makhachev will be even stronger after this fight. Fights like this help him grow.”

Zahabi asked St-Pierre what he thought Makhachev's ceiling was in the sport, given Makhachev's recent success and future prospects. “Rush” is considered by most to be one of the top three fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, and is probably the fighter at the top of the list.

St-Pierre believes Makhachev, 33, is well on his way to being part of a bigger discussion as long as he keeps up his form.

“He's already approaching that status (as the greatest of all time),” St-Pierre said. “The win over Volkanovski and his recent performances have been great.”