Islam Makhachev’s Beef With Craig Jones Just Got Personal

Islam Makhachev didn’t just walk away from UFC 322 with the welterweight belt; he walked away with a mission. After dominating Jack Della Maddalena with a wrestling clinic that looked frankly unfair, Makhachev set his sights on his next opponent: BJJ super-coach and professional troll, Craig Jones. And he’s rallying his massive online army to join the pile-on.

In a move that screams “I won, but I’m not done with you,” Makhachev took to X (formerly Twitter) to not-so-subtly suggest a personnel change for Australian MMA. “Jokes aside, Craig Jones needs to be fired. We have to make Australia great again!” he posted, channeling his inner political showman. He attached a poll asking his followers if Jones should be fired or, hilariously, sent to Dagestan for a 2-to-3-year “re-education” trip.

The results were… predictable. A staggering 88.8% of the more than 130,000 voters decided that a forced vacation to the mountains of Dagestan was the appropriate punishment. It seems Makhachev’s fans are more than happy to play along with the beef, turning a simple post-fight jab into a full-blown internet crusade.

How Did This Feud Even Start?

This whole saga began because Craig Jones, a man who has made a career out of both world-class jiu-jitsu and making fun of everything, was hired to help Jack Della Maddalena prepare for Makhachev’s relentless Dagestani wrestling. Jones, a BJJ purist, has a long history of poking fun at Sambo, the combat sport that forms the bedrock of Makhachev’s style, essentially calling it a sloppy mashup of other martial arts.

So, when Makhachev dismantled JDM by landing four takedowns and smothering him on the ground, it wasn’t just a win for him—it was a win for Sambo over the BJJ specialist’s coaching. The irony was thicker than a Dagestani accent, and Makhachev wasn’t about to let anyone forget it. He made it clear that a few weeks with a jiu-jitsu guy isn’t enough to stop the freight train that is his top game. You don’t just download “takedown defense” like a software update, especially not against Islam Makhachev.

The Trash Talk Isn’t a One-Way Street

Of course, Craig Jones isn’t the type to just sit back and take it. The man is practically made of sarcasm and witty comebacks. Before the fight, Makhachev told Daniel Cormier that bringing in someone like Jones for a training camp was pointless. Jones’s response was gold. After watching the press conference clip, he quipped, “That look, I’ve only seen in the exes that really loved me.”

He then flipped Makhachev’s own meme back at him, suggesting the Dagestani champion be sent to Australia for a few years to “forget.” It’s a classic Jones move: deflect with humor while simultaneously throwing a jab of his own. While Makhachev uses his fists and wrestling to dominate, Jones uses his wit, and it’s a fascinating clash of styles both in and out of the cage.