Alexander Volkanovski lost the pound-for-pound battle – so why is he still No 1?

It was billed as a battle to decide the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC – No 1 vs No 2, featherweight champion vs lightweight champion. So how, after an agonising points defeat by Islam Makhachev, is Alexander Volkanovski still the best mixed martial artist in the word?

Some would argue that he isn’t – that the 145lbs champion can’t be –  after his failure to take the lightweight title from Makhachev. Those observers will argue that Makhachev should overtake the Australian in the pound-for-pound rankings after beating him in enemy territory in Perth.

But why is that not the consensus?

There are in fact a myriad of reasons, starting with Makhachev’s own ranking. Indeed, Volkanovski entered UFC 284 on Saturday as The Independent’s pound-for-pound No 1, and he has retained that spot, whereas Makhachev sat at No 7 in our own list – rather than second, as the UFC ranked him. And while most fans and pundits have agreed on Volkanovski’s supremacy in this sphere since his last bout, a masterclass in July that took him to 3-0 against Max Holloway, Makhachev’s own position has been more widely debated.

The 31-year-old’s title win against Charles Oliveira in November, when he submitted the man with the most submissions and finishes in UFC history, was mesmerising, a victory that ended on the canvas but started when Makhachev put Oliveira there with a crisp hook. Prior to that result, however, Makhachev was not in anyone’s pound-for-pound rankings. His most significant win had come against Dan Hooker in 2021, and while the Dagestani dismantled the fan favourite within half a round, his extensive winning run had been starved of highlight names.

That was not Makhacev’s fault, admittedly; he was a threatening presence from the offset, carrying the grappling skills of his childhood friend and now coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, while possessing sharper striking skills. Finding fighters ranked higher than the Russian who were willing to put their spot on the line against him was a difficult endeavour for the UFC. Regardless, it was not until he beat Oliveira that Makhachev rightly appeared on the pound-for-pound radar, with Oliveira himself in the top five as most pundits saw it.

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And by beating Volkanovski and matching the Australian’s record of 12 straight UFC wins by an active fighter, Makhachev surely improved his upwards mobility, yet that is only an issue if you had the Russian at No 2. As mentioned above, Indy Sport did not, though his win on Saturday – a successful first title defence – has now seen him climb from seventh to second.

But this discourse is, of course, not all about Makhachev. It was Volkanovski who, despite having the home advantage in Perth, had a size disadvantage as he risked his ranking and reputation against the Russian. The 34-year-old’s featherweight title was not at stake, but the pound-for-pound No 1 spot was.

If that statement seems at odds with the opinions expressed above, it should be noted that even Indy Sport would have elevated Makhachev past Volkanovski and to No 1 if the lightweight champion had produced the performance that some had predicted. If the southpaw had taken down Makhachev, brutalised the Australian and stopped him in any manner, this debate would likely not exist; nor would this article.

Instead, Volkanovski did what he said he would do, repeatedly standing up after Makhachev’s takedowns and “putting hands on him”. Twice the featherweight knocked down the lightweight, taking some significant strikes himself in pursuit of crucial blows. He exceeded many expectations while justifying others – and certainly his own.

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In many eyes, Volkanovski did enough to beat Makhachev. He might not have done enough to convince the judges that he should be lightweight champion, but he did enough to persuade many viewers of just that – and of his worthiness as pound-for-pound No 1. His stock rose in defeat.

The pound-for-pound concept is, admittedly, a faulty one. Clashes such as Saturday’s are rare chances to settle – in the closest thing to real terms – fun debates around fighters. Otherwise, it is all down to speculation and conflicting criteria from fan to fan. And as it turned out, even Saturday’s main event could not settle a debate. Volkanovski’s enthralling showing complicated an already complicated subject, rather than bringing clarity.

But while some believe that Makhachev’s win over Volkanovski should be enough to prove that he is literally a better fighter, pound for pound, than the Australian, it is not so simple; not only due to Volkanovski’s impressive performance, but also due to the way it suggested that he would in fact have beaten Makhachev if they were naturally the same size. Many would argue that that is the crux of the pound-for-pound debate.

As it is, the debate rages on. But isn’t that part of the fun?