Islam Makhachev Draws Top-Three Praise

Islam Makhachev has been placed alongside Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre in an all-time MMA discussion by former UFC fighter Diana Belbita. Speaking on The Game Plan podcast, Belbita said Makhachev would make her top three, or at minimum her top five, among the sport’s greatest fighters. Her assessment was not framed as a declaration that Makhachev has already taken the No. 1 spot. Instead, Belbita drew a distinction between placing him firmly in the elite conversation and deciding the exact order at the very top.

That distinction is the central point of Belbita’s comments. She named Jones as one of the best and said she felt Makhachev belonged “somewhere there” with Jones and St-Pierre. Belbita’s case rested on what she described as repeated proof against strong opposition, rather than on a claim that Makhachev had simply built his standing against opponents with losing records. For Makhachev, the praise is notable because it connects his current position to a career path that began with an early UFC setback and, according to the supplied account, grew into a lengthy unbeaten run and championship success in two divisions.

Belbita places Makhachev in elite company

Belbita was emphatic that Islam Makhachev belongs in the broadest all-time debate. “I will count him in the top three, at least top five,” she said, adding that he had proved himself many times and fought some of the best. The wording leaves room for debate over the order, but not over whether Makhachev should be included in her highest tier. She also made clear that she would not presently put Makhachev in either of the first two positions. Belbita said fighters at championship level in the UFC should be part of the conversation, while acknowledging the difficulty of deciding which elite fighter deserves to be ranked above another. Her final position was direct: Makhachev is “definitely top three best of all time” on her list, even without a No. 1 or No. 2 designation. That is a more precise reading of the praise than a simple greatest-of-all-time label. Belbita supplied a personal ranking opinion, not an official UFC ranking or a settled historical verdict. The confirmed news development is that she has elevated Makhachev into her top group with Jones and St-Pierre, while preserving a distinction between elite inclusion and the sport’s very highest individual slot.

The source material provides the career framework behind that opinion. Makhachev’s only loss in a 30-fight professional MMA record came against Adriano Martins in his second UFC fight at UFC 192 in 2015, a first-round defeat. The supplied account says he has since put together a 17-match winning streak. That sequence gives Belbita’s remarks a clear chronology: an early loss was followed by a sustained run that moved Makhachev from a developing UFC fighter into a champion whose accomplishments are now being used in all-time arguments. Makhachev won the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in 2022 and vacated that belt in 2025 before moving up to welterweight. He then captured the welterweight title with a win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The source also says he made his first successful title defense at UFC 330 in August and identifies a unanimous-decision victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Pennsylvania as his last outing. These supplied milestones explain why Belbita focused on proof over time rather than a single result.

What the supplied record adds to the debate

Makhachev’s resume, as described in the source, combines recovery from defeat, a 17-match winning streak and title accomplishments across lightweight and welterweight. The source further credits him with the most successful title defenses and the most title-fight wins in UFC history. Those are the concrete achievements attached to Belbita’s assessment, although her placement remains her own view rather than an official designation. His mentorship by Khabib Nurmagomedov is also part of the supplied background, but Belbita’s remarks centered on Makhachev’s own performances. She pointed to the level of fighters he has faced and to the repeated nature of his success. In that sense, her argument is not merely that Makhachev reached championship level once; it is that his continued results and title milestones warrant placement in a select historical discussion. The available material does not establish a universal all-time order, and Belbita did not claim one. What it does establish is her confidence that Makhachev has crossed the threshold into a top-three or top-five conversation. For readers weighing the statement, the relevant facts are the lone early loss, the reported unbeaten streak that followed, the lightweight title win, the later welterweight title capture and the UFC 330 result supplied by the source.

• Belbita’s ranking view: Islam Makhachev is in her top three, with top five as the minimum range she stated.
• Belbita’s limit on that praise: she did not place Islam Makhachev at No. 1 or No. 2 at this time.

Belbita’s comments place Islam Makhachev among the names she believes belong at the summit of MMA history, while stopping short of calling him the sport’s clear leader. The supplied career timeline gives that opinion substantial context: one defeat in 30 professional fights, a 17-match winning streak after that loss, championship success at lightweight and welterweight, and the title-fight achievements credited to him by the source. Her verdict is therefore specific: Makhachev is, in her view, already part of the top-three discussion.