Islam Makhachev finally did it! He is now the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, overtaking heavyweight champion Jon Jones. In doing so, he replicated his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s feat. Moreover, the 32-year-old also fulfilled his former coach, the late great Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov‘s dream, which delighted fans on social media.

There are a lot of fighters who come to the UFC to win gold. However, that wasn’t enough for Islam Makhachev. He always wanted to earn the top spot in the P4P rankings. After a year as champion, the Dagestani fighter has finally been acknowledged as the top dog in the promotion. Let us take a look at that front.

Islam Makhachev fulfills Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s dream by replicating Khabib’s feat

When Islam Makhachev won the UFC lightweight title for the first time, Khabib Nurmagomedov mentioned he wasn’t there just to be a champion. He wanted to be the P4P king. Makhachev then fought and defeated the then-no.1 P4p fighter, Alexander Volkanovski. However, that did not earn him the top spot in the rankings. Before his UFC 294 fight, Jon Jones was sitting at the top spot because of his triumphant return against Ciryl Gane. Nevertheless, Makhachev was not happy with that, since ‘Bones’ only had one fight in over three years.

Islam Makhachev questioned the UFC for giving Jones the top spot in the P4P rankings. But then, he defeated Alexander Volkanovski in the rematch in Abu Dhabi. He knocked out the featherweight champion in the very first round. That knockout win finally made Makhachev the no.1 P4P fighter, which was his former coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s dream. How Khabib and Makhachev established their dominance even after Abdulmanap’s death in 2020 is a testament to his coaching prowess.

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“You’re talking about one of the greatest MMA coaches of all time. He was just a tremendous coach. He instilled discipline in all of his fighters. He wasn’t a control freak by any means and he knew how to get the best out of people. But he was strict and because the fighters respected him so much, they didn’t often get out of line”– this is what AKA head coach Javier Mendez said of team Nurmagomedov’s patriarch.

He took these lightweight under his wing from their combat sambo days. Despite the many hurdles and hardships, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov put his weight behind his disciples and now they have checked the final box on his list. Fans shared some emotional reactions to this achievement on social media. Let’s see what they had to say.

Fans react to the lightweight champion achieving his late coach’s dream

The fans had no doubts that both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev would become the no.1 P4P fighters in the UFC. They praised both of them for their immense hard work, discipline, and respectful behavior, which they believe has been the key to their success. The fans also claimed that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov could very well be the best MMA coach ever.

“Solid, tough, disciplined, respectful it’s a life style first!”

“Abdul Manap is the goat of all coaches”

However, the fans also mentioned that AKA coach Javier Mendez also contributed a lot to the Dagestani duo’s successes in the UFC. Moreover, they believe that this story could become a great movie.

“Dont forget Javier Mendez”

“Make a movie of them already!”

However, some fans claimed that Jon Jones deserved the top spot in the P4P rankings. Moreover, some of them also claimed that Conor McGregor would take Makhachev’s spot when he knocks him out if they ever fought each other. However, one fan shut them down stating that the lightweight champion deserved to be on the top.

“Islam isn’t the pound for pound champ…. Jon Jones is”

“Conor will be taking that spot when he sleeps Islam”

“No one can have a problem with Makhachev being pound 4 pound. Volk, Jones and himself are all worthy in different ways of the Monica. Hopefully he will fight more often and prove he deserves it. We will all see.”

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Islam Makhachev may have achieved what he wanted to all along, but that may just be the beginning. Javier Mendez mentioned that the lightweight champion could jump ship to the 170lbs division and aim to win the divisional gold. If that happens, there are chances that Makhachev could overtake Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy and go on to have a better career than his mentor. We will have to wait and see how that shapes up in the future.

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