Islam Makhachev has an opportunity to make historical past on Saturday if he defeats Arman Tsarukyan within the UFC 311 predominant occasion.
A win would mark Makhachev’s fourth consecutive title protection at 155 kilos, which might set a brand new file surpassing his coach and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov after he retired with three straight defenses of the light-weight belt. After all, Nurmagomedov additionally left the game with an ideal 29-0 file, and barely shedding any rounds throughout his profession, and that’s why he’s largely thought-about the best light-weight to compete in MMA.
But when Makhachev surpasses Nurmagomedov’s title protection file, does he usurp “The Eagle” as one of the best light-weight within the historical past of the game?
“It’s a really subjective factor, particularly the place they’re at proper now,” Matt Brown defined on the most recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “Like Jon Jones is to the purpose the place there’s not numerous debate. The one debate is steroid stuff. That’s actually your solely argument of him being the best of all time or not. Once you take a look at his file, he’s the best of all time. Interval. It’s only a truth.
“However I feel Islam — if he beats Arman — he’s nonetheless in that part the place there’s some debate.”
Whereas it’s unlikely that Makhachev or Nurmagomedov actually care a lot about who sits atop that legendary listing, it’s nonetheless an argument amongst followers, fighters and media about who deserves to be touted as the best of all time.
Maybe the most important argument working in opposition to Makhachev could be the lone loss on his file from 2015 whereas Nurmagomedov retired undefeated.
However Brown doesn’t purchase that losses really diminish an general resume, particularly once you start drilling right down to particulars like the extent of competitors any person faces or the kind of dominance displayed whereas placing collectively a championship reign.
Look no additional than the game of boxing the place Floyd Mayweather retired with an ideal 50-0 file, and whereas there are those that would argue that he’s the best of all time, many consultants nonetheless put legends corresponding to “Sugar” Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali atop these lists regardless of quite a few defeats on their information.
“For me, personally, the losses don’t take away from that,” Brown mentioned. “You may’t say [Islam] had a loss and [Khabib] didn’t. You lose once you struggle above your stage. If Khabib would have fought B.J. Penn for his debut professional struggle, B.J. most likely would have beat him.
“Should you’re combating guys at your stage or beneath, you win and when you struggle guys above your stage, you lose. Once you get to the highest, now you’re combating for the title, you’re one of the best on the earth, now it involves title defenses for the best of all-time. We actually must put Islam in that dialog. If something, the loss exhibits me you’ll be able to work by way of some adversity.”
Brown believes on a protracted sufficient timeline nearly each fighter in MMA might be going to expertise a defeat at one time or one other. In Makhachev’s case, that got here earlier in his UFC profession whereas Nurmagomedov retired within the prime of his profession at 29-0 so it’s unimaginable to know what may need occurred if he continued combating.
“On this sport, everyone has a weak point,” Brown mentioned. “Should you struggle lengthy sufficient, you’ll lose. That’s the sport. You struggle usually sufficient, sufficient individuals, you set your self on the market sufficient, you’ll lose.
“With all of the credit score we give to Jon Jones, at heavyweight he has picked his fights. At mild heavyweight, there’s arguments he misplaced a few these fights. So the losses aren’t actually to me what’s going to discredit somebody from being in that best of all-time argument.”
When it comes particularly to Makhachev’s standing at light-weight, Brown doesn’t see how anybody may disregard him with another title protection whereas additionally including one other top-ranked fighter like Tsarukyan to his resume.
Clearly, Makhachev may flip a couple of extra heads if he goes out and mauls Tsarukyan like he’s achieved so many previous opponents, however Brown believes any form of win ought to earn him that recognition to face shoulder to shoulder with somebody like Nurmagomedov.
“For me personally, Islam wins this struggle, he’s on the prime of that listing,” Brown mentioned. “Then you definitely’ve obtained to look into the nitty gritty particulars of him versus Khabib, who’s larger, or perhaps B.J. nonetheless. I feel there’s a superb argument that B.J. was the best [lightweight] ever.”
“Particularly if [Islam] beats Arman, he’s undoubtedly within the debate. It turns into a debate. We’re debating nitty gritty particulars, proper? We’ll see how he seems to be in opposition to Arman, various things like that. As a result of it’s going to come back right down to the small print.”
