UFC 330 Win Fails to Convince Chris Weidman That Islam Makhachev Is the GOAT

While many fans have already labelled him the ‘GOAT’ after his back-to-back title defences, former UFC champion Chris Weidman believes he is still far from reaching that status.

Chris Weidman Flatly Rejects Islam Makhachev’s GOAT Status

With 17 consecutive victories, the Dagestani broke Anderson Silva’s record of 16 consecutive wins and successfully defended his title for the fifth time in the UFC. However, Weidman is quietly not pleased with people calling him the UFC ‘GOAT.’

"I am not saying that yet," Weidman said, per Sherdog. "Because I'm still old school… Title defenses mean a lot, and you go back to Anderson Silva or Demetrious Johnson if we're ever talking about GOAT… I don't know if he's there yet."

While Weidman never ruled out the possibility of the Dagestani being the best, he expressed that calling him the ‘GOAT’ now is a bit too far-fetched, considering that there are other fighters who have accomplished much more in the sport. 

Makhachev’s former opponent Dustin Poirier, while speaking on a podcast, named Jon Jones the absolute ‘GOAT’ of the sport. On top of that, former BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal questioned the calibre of Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title defences, pointing out that two of his title challengers had previously competed at featherweight.

Weidman doubled down, noting that Charles Oliveira also spent years of his career fighting at 145 pounds before eventually claiming the lightweight title. 

While the arguments are legitimate, it is worth noting that Islam Makhachev never backed down from a challenge and said yes to every opponent the UFC put in front of him.

On top of that, Makhachev could have remained in the lightweight division and dominated for years, but he chose to relinquish the title and move up to the welterweight division. 

‘GOAT’ or not, Makhachev has proven himself to be an absolute force in the game. But is it too soon to call him the greatest in the welterweight division? Well, Joe Rogan has a warning for him.

Joe Rogan Sounds the Alarm Over Makhachev’s Next Welterweight Test

There’s no doubt that Islam Makhachev has proved himself in the welterweight division by successfully defending his title. The last fighter to successfully defend the UFC welterweight title before Makhachev was Leon Edwards, who defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision in 2023.

However, while the defence was phenomenal, Joe Rogan believes Michael Morales could be a real challenge for the Dagestani. 

"This was the question after the move up to 170. There are some guys like Michael Morales who are absolutely gigantic. The gap is bigger than it is with Ian Garry,” said Joe Rogan, per Give Me Sport. 

He further added, "Out of the 10 victories that Garry has had in the Octagon, he's only had three stoppages. Morales kills everybody he touches. Ian Garry doesn't have nuclear power. Morales has nuclear power!"

The color commentator is absolutely not wrong in his assessment. While most of Ian Garry’s fights have gone to decision, Morales has finished the majority of his opponents throughout his career. Out of his 19 career victories, he has finished 15 opponents, giving him the power that Garry lacks.

Not only does he have a height advantage over Makhachev, but his reach is enormous as well. As of August, Morales sits at No. 3 in the welterweight rankings. 

With the Ecuadorian eyeing a title fight and serving as the backup fighter for the UFC 330 main event, his chances of securing a title shot have increased significantly.