Fight fans are eagerly anticipating the next move of the pound-for-pound king.
Islam Makhachev has multiple different paths that he could go down for his second outing of 2025 with big options on the table.
The lightweight champion has spoken openly about wanting to move up to welterweight but this has become complicated with the current titleholder Belal Muhammad not wanting to fight Makhachev.
Amongst other contenders at 155-pounds like Justin Gaethje, the fight that most fans want to see is Ilia Topuria versus Makhachev now that the former featherweight champion has moved up a weight class.
At 33-years-old, the Russian champion has already accomplished remarkable things but his coach is confident that he can continue to take his stock to new heights in the near future.
Javier Mendez says that Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson are currently ahead of Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev is the pound-for-pound number one fighter in the sport today for good reason.
It’s not just his record that backs this up, it’s the manner of his performances with the lightweight champion proving himself to be an incredibly dangerous operator wherever the fight takes place.
Fans have watched his striking in particular become a more respected weapon in recent years which has opened up the conversation of whether he’s one of the most well-rounded fighters of all time.
His grappling game needs no introduction but seeing Makhachev strike with the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier showed that he’s far from a one trick pony.
During a recent episode of his podcast, the Javier & Mo Show, Makhachev’s coach explained why he only ever refers to his fighter as the most well-rounded in the history of his division.
Javier Mendez believes that there are two legendary champions who currently occupy the top spots for being the best mixed martial artists of all time but he’s confident that the lightweight king can threaten these positions if he continues to compete.
“I’ve been saying he’s the most well-rounded fighter in the lightweight division. The reason why I don’t go with all time is only because of Demetrious (Johnson). I think Demetrious is unbelievable. Jon Jones is another unbelievable well-rounded guy but in the lightweight division, I can easily say Islam Makhachev is hands down, and I’ve been saying that for a long time.
“But, to say over everybody, there’s two guys that are in contention for that title and that is Jon Jones and that’s Demetrious but having Islam in that category is unbelievable because at the rate he’s going, if he keeps going, he could very well end up becoming the GOAT.”
Islam Makhachev is in contention to be the greatest lightweight of all time
It’s very hard to argue that Islam Makhachev isn’t the most well-rounded lightweight of all time but there are other former champions who are in the race for being the best 155-pounder to ever do it.
BJ Penn achieved great things in multiple weight classes but for many fans, the argument comes down to Makhachev or his close friend, teammate and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Following his win over Renato Moicano in January, the current champion holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses whilst ‘The Eagle’ has the advantage of remaining undefeated throughout his entire career.
As Mendez stated, Makhachev is likely to have an even stronger case if he continues to fight for several more years where he could rack up even more accomplishments.