At UFC 330, Islam Makhachev successfully defended his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry in a grueling five-round battle. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favor of the champion.
The win extended Makhachev’s UFC winning streak to 17 straight fights, breaking Anderson Silva’s long-standing record of 16 consecutive victories inside the Octagon. The Dagestani now boasts a 29-1 professional record, championships in two weight classes and the most title wins and defenses at 155lbs.
More importantly, Makhachev became just the fifth double champion to successfully defend gold in two different weight classes. He has also remained undefeated 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 putting him ahead of legends like Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson. And it’s safe to say Jones wasn’t going to let that slide.
A consensus GOAT for many years, the former two-division champion took to social media after UFC 330 to address the growing claims surrounding Makhachev. In a recent post on X, Jones shared an image showing himself at the top of the list with 16 title fight victories, three ahead of Georges St-Pierre in second place.
Rather than consecutive wins, however, Jones clearly believes title fight victories are the more important metric. Makhachev, meanwhile, sits 12th on the list with seven championship-fight wins.
Alongside the post, Jones wrote, “Hopped on social media and heard there was a new goat? I’m so confused, make it make sense.”
Hopped on social media and heard there was a new goat? I’m so confused make it make sense. pic.twitter.com/wLPew0DAnR
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) August 19, 2026
It remains unclear whether Jones will add to his legacy after backtracking on his initial retirement announcement following his decision to vacate the UFC heavyweight title last summer. Still, he has already built a resume that is difficult for anyone to match.
“Bones” holds the UFC record for most title fight victories with 16 and is one of just 11 fighters to win championships in two divisions. His lone career loss came via a disputed disqualification in just his fourth UFC appearance, while he went unbeaten across his final 20 fights.
Jones also became the youngest champion in UFC history and built his resume by defeating a who’s who of former champions and legends, including Daniel Cormier, Stipe Miocic, Mauricio Rua, Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and Ciryl Gane.
Makhachev, meanwhile, has his own impressive list of former champions on his resume, including Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier and Jack Della Maddalena. Still, the GOAT debate isn’t just about numbers.
Jones’ issues outside the Octagon and the relatively slow pace of his activity over the final five years of his career have affected how some fans view his legacy. Makhachev has fewer blemishes, but he still has plenty left to accomplish if he wants to make his case nearly impossible to dispute.
So, what exactly does Makhachev need to do from here to leave no doubt that he is the No. 1 fighter in UFC history?
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.
