Take the Jon Jones Route! Ex-UFC Fighter Rips Islam Makhachev’s UFC Legacy Plans

Set to vacate his lightweight crown next month, Russian star Islam Makhachev has been urged to think twice about his plans for legacy by ex-UFC fighter Alan Jouban.

Makhachev, who still holds the lightweight crown, will become a former gold holder as soon as UFC 317 at the end of next month during International Fight Week.

To make a welterweight move, the Dagestani lightweight champ will leave his 155lbs crown behind — as instructed by the promotional leaders for fighters looking to score a title in a second weight class.

And to boot, Makhachev’s arch-rival, Ilia Topuria, will fight for that belt in a showdown against soon-to-be common foe, Charles Oliveira, in a mouth-watering pairing. Now, whether or not it was a voluntary call from Islam, the Dagestani is being asked to reconsider.

“They want to see what’s the biggest fight that I can make,” Jouban told ESPN.

“What could make my legacy to be on that list of around Mount Rushmore? And you look at the guys on Mount Rushmore. You look at Jon Jones, 13 title adventures, Demetrious Johnson, 11 title defenses, so on and so on,” he continued. 

“He (Islam) needs more title defenses in my opinion,” Jouban noted, adding that “Islam Mahachev, if he would stay in the division, and then he would be a guy that would maybe be on that Mount Rushmore, clean it out.”

Notably, Jones has been a champion for over 800 days at this point with only one title defense to his name. So, calls for him to be stripped of the belt are only growing louder.

Jones urged to retire

Fighting just twice in his 2022 heavyweight move, Jones seems to have done everything in his power to avoid a fight with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Yet to book his return this year — despite claims from Dana White that the Rochester native would “100%” compete this annum.

Jones continues to come under fire as he posts videos laughing off the critics, claiming he wasn’t ducking anyone since he was already living his best life.

In comparison, Makhachev has been majorly active as champion. Needless to say, Islam has found supporters within the UFC who believe he was being unjustly treated and should have been given a chance to win the double championship.

Notably, to boot, lightweight title hopeful Paddy Pimblett has gone to bat for Makhachev, somewhat surprisingly. He has suggested that Jones must be stripped of his heavyweight crown before much longer.

“If you’re making Islam vacate, [Jon] Jones needs to be stripped. If you’re making Islam vacate after 4 defenses, fighting people on short notice, you should let him try and be double champ,” said Pimblett during an interview with TNT Sports.