MMA
Dana White names new pound-for-pound king after UFC 311
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In 2024 it became a running joke that UFC president Dana White took every opportunity to name Jon Jones as the No. 1 best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
Even after many fans and media insisted it was UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, White held to his guns. White even berated people who disagreed and threatened to change the ranking system to make Jones the No. 1 spot. But in 2025 he seems to be changing his tune and is finally coming around to Makhachev.
When asked at the UFC 311 press conference if White finally sees Makhachev as the best after his performance that night, he agreed.
"Yeah," he said. "I'll give it to him. Are you happy? Is everybody happy now?"
Makhachev defeated Renato Moicano via a first-round D'arce choke after his original opponent pulled out just hours before the fight. The champion's assistance that he'd fight whatever replacement the UFC found for him was part of the reason White feels differently this time around.
“When I called Islam he said ‘Brother, I’m the champion. I don’t care who it is, I will fight anyone, I don’t care, I’m going to bed. When I wake up, and whoever I’m fighting tomorrow, I’m good with'," White said of the long-standing champion.
