Islam Makhachev made history at UFC 330, extending his Octagon winning streak to 17 fights and breaking Anderson Silva’s long-standing record. The Dagestani now boasts a 29-1 professional record, championships in two weight classes, and the most title wins and defenses at 155 pounds.
More importantly, Makhachev became just the fifth fighter in UFC history to win titles in two divisions and successfully defend gold in both weight classes. He has also remained unbeaten for 11 years, adding even more weight to his growing GOAT case.
At this point, plenty of fans already consider Makhachev one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, with some even ranking him ahead of legends such as Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Demetrious Johnson. Jones recently pushed back against that idea, sharing an image that had himself at the top of the list with 16 UFC title-fight victories.
Rather than overall winning streaks, Jones believes title-fight victories are the more important metric. Makhachev, meanwhile, sits 12th on that list with seven championship-fight wins. Now, the Dagestani appears to have fired back with an assessment of his own.
When it comes to winning streaks, many fans believe Jones’ record deserves an asterisk. “Bones” went 20 consecutive fights without a loss after his defeat to Matt Hamill in December 2009, although that run included a disqualification loss due to a then-illegal 12-6 elbows.
His streak was later interrupted by a No Contest in his July 2017 rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214. Jones initially won the fight by knockout, but the result was overturned after he tested positive for Turinabol.
Makhachev recently brought up that controversial history and refused to give Jones full credit for his winning streak because of his past drug-test violations. Speaking to Ushatayka in Russian, the reigning 170-pound champion said, “I’m not denying that Jon Jones is one of the greatest athletes in history.”
He added, “But he was caught doping twice, and I think that’s why his streak isn’t considered valid. Because he went into a fight while on PEDs and won. That’s where a new count should have started.”
Islam Makhachev says he does NOT count Jon Jones winstreak because he popped for PEDs:
“I’m not denying that Jon Jones is one of the greatest athletes in history. But he was caught doping twice, and I think that’s why his streak isn’t considered valid.
Because he went into a fight while on PEDs and won. That’s where a new count should have started.”
(via Ushatayka)
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 13, 2026
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Jones’ UFC 214 controversy wasn’t his only run-in with anti-doping authorities. He had previously tested positive for Clomiphene and Letrozole, which forced him out of the UFC 200 card. He also tested positive ahead of UFC 232 for his rematch with Alexander Gustafsson, although that case was far more complicated.
Just one day before UFC 232, a tiny amount of around 33 picograms of the M3 metabolite of oral Turinabol was detected in Jones’ system. USADA ultimately determined that the finding was consistent with a “pulsing effect” from the same UFC 214 violation, for which Jones’ win over Cormier had already been overturned.
That brings Jones’ documented anti-doping violations to two, and Makhachev believes his winning streak should essentially restart from those points.
However, Makhachev has also been involved in an anti-doping controversy of his own. In April 2016, the Dagestani failed an anti-doping test after testing positive for meldonium. The substance had only been added to the WADA prohibited list on January 1, 2016.
As a result, Makhachev was handed a provisional suspension by USADA, and his scheduled bout against Drew Dober at UFC on FOX 19 was canceled just one day before the event.
That suspension didn’t last long. Following a thorough investigation, USADA cleared Makhachev in July 2016, officially finding “No Fault or Negligence.” He received no fine or period of ineligibility and returned to the Octagon in September 2016.
Eight years later, in May 2024, UFC Senior VP of Anti-Doping Compliance Jeff Novitzky publicly criticized how Makhachev’s situation was handled, arguing that it unfairly targeted athletes who had followed the rules.
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Makhachev’s record since then has remained spotless under the UFC’s testing program. The promotion even presented him with an official jacket commemorating 50 consecutive clean drug tests, further highlighting his record in the program.
So while Makhachev has a point about Jones’ complicated anti-doping history, his own 2016 case is an important part of the conversation too. The key difference is that Makhachev was ultimately cleared with a finding of no fault or negligence, while Jones’ UFC 214 result was officially overturned.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
