The pound-for-pound argument in the UFC is practically an earthquake that never stops shaking. One win or loss, and the entire order is changed again. The pace of the sport is such that nothing can be considered sacred for a long time. The latest to move up in such a shakeup is Islam Makhachev. After his dominant win over welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last week, the former lightweight champion was moved from the second spot to the pole position in the pound-for-pound rankings. But are we all in agreement?

It appears not. Ilia Topuria, who currently occupies the No.2 spot, called the fight “boring.” And is he alone? Nope. When asked during a recent livestream with N3on if he thinks Islam Makhachev is truly the pound-for-pound king of the UFC at the moment, Nate Diaz boldly snubbed the welterweight champion for a very obvious pick.

Nate Diaz pushes back on the UFC’s pound-for-pound narrative

“Jon Jones, for sure,” Nate Diaz replied. “What about Islam?” N3on asked. Here, the 40-year-old UFC veteran stated, “He’s been there for two minutes and he ain’t beat nobody that’s that great. The best lightweight ever was BJ. Penn. So when you get that sh-t like that and you got whatever Islam did, and it’s like, that don’t even match what, not that he can’t be and won’t be, though. No, he is good. Just not right now. I can’t even remember anything by getting bored in his last fight.”

When asked about Ilia Topuria, Diaz responded: “He’s pretty savage, but he just-I haven’t seen him do too much yet, though. He’s brand new, though. He needs a few more-But I think he’s a more complete fighter than a good fighter, though.”

What Diaz is trying to say is that greatness is not measured by a two-fight highlight reel; on the contrary, it is reflected by a long list of fights won over several years. When he mentions BJ Penn, he is outright telling fans that the criteria for lightweight legends are ridiculously high.

For him, Makhachev has not fought the very best of opponents, and hence his legacy is not grand enough to be the king in the pound-for-pound ranking. And when he says Makhachev’s last fight was “boring,” he is very much implying that if you are dominant but not dangerous in any way, that doesn’t even get a wow from him. He does not regard Topuria as a finished product yet because he sees the talent in him, but not the experience.

The video went viral immediately, in part due to Nate’s tendency not to be diplomatic, and in part due to the fact that his challenging the UFC’s current star adds gasoline to the already heated pound-for-pound debate.

After UFC Qatar, two new stars poised to make the pound-for-pound conversation

UFC Fight Night in Qatar has brought attention to a new generation of up-and-coming fighters. The main event was nothing short of a volcanic eruption, as Arman Tsarukyan clearly demonstrated why he is the number-one lightweight contender, and a performance that said he is ready for Ilia Topuria next.

The co-main event also created its own shockwave when Ian Machado Garry outperformed Belal Muhammad in a five-round bout, which included stuffing takedowns, defeating him on the feet, and finally achieving the biggest win of his career. He is now riding that momentum, directly targeting the UFC’s pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev, and calling for the fight like a man who is already convinced he belongs on that throne.

Machado Garry didn’t hold back when the mic came his way. He said, “The guy’s the pound-for-pound number one in the world and the champion of my division. However, when you come into my division and you are the only thing that stops me, that is in the way of me achieving my dreams, I’m going to make sure that I punch a hole in your head.”

“He has to fight me next. There is nobody that has fought a deeper division, that has fought the guys from top to bottom. You name them — D-Rod(Daniel Rodriguez), Magny (Neil Magny,), Geoff Neal, MVP (Michael Venom Page), Shavkat (Shavkat Rakhmonov), and now Belal Muhammad. And I haven’t even got a title shot yet.”

Garry’s callout is not merely sound; it hits as his resume has indeed got real bite. With Makhachev hinting at a shift to welterweight, it is absolutely the right moment, and Garry is making himself the one challenger who has already fought with all the styles that the division has in a way that is battle-tested.