Weidman Questions Makhachev's GOAT Case After UFC 330

Former UFC champion Chris Weidman says Islam Makhachev hasn't earned greatest-of-all-time status despite breaking the promotion's consecutive wins record with his welterweight title defense at UFC 330.

Makhachev picked up his fifth overall UFC title defense earlier this month when he outpointed Ian Garry, moving the Russian past the all-time wins streak mark. But appearing on the latest Deep Waters podcast, Weidman told hosts that title defenses still matter more than raw win totals.

Former Champions Weigh Makhachev's Resume Against Silva, Jones

"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."

Dustin Poirier, also on the podcast, named Jon Jones as his pick for the top spot. Jorge Masvidal raised concerns about the level of opposition Makhachev faced during his lightweight run, noting that two of those title defenses came against fighters who previously competed at featherweight. Weidman added that Charles Oliveira also campaigned at 145 pounds earlier in his career.

Makhachev now holds the welterweight belt after a dominant lightweight reign that included wins over Volkanovski twice and Oliveira. His next defense date has not been announced.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Islam Makhachev's UFC GOAT case gets pushback from former champs