Islam Makhachev enters UFC 322 with the opportunity to do something extremely special, and Michael Bisping says a win will forever enhance his standing as an all-time great.
After vacating the lightweight title earlier this year following a record-setting number of title defenses, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) moves up to welterweight on Saturday to challenge champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the event headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York City (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, FX, Disney+, ESPN+).
A win would not only make Makhachev the 11th fighter in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes, but he will tie Anderson Silva for the longest consecutive winning streak in company history at 16.
Should he accomplish the feat, an arguably can be made that Makhachev’s resume would hold up alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats such as Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson. UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Bisping admits that’s a hard group to infiltrate.
“It doesn’t sound right,” Bisping told MMA Junkie. “Maybe I’m not giving him his credit there. When you look at Anderson Silva, his second fight in the UFC he became the champ. He beat Chris Leben, then he beat Rich Franklin to become the champion. So the majority of those 16 wins were title defenses. That’s a little different. When you talk about Jon Jones, there’s a lot of title defenses in there, as well. Same with Georges St-Pierre.
“I’m certainly not critiquing Islam Makhachev’s career. I’m not nit-picking or discrediting it at all. … If he gets the job done, I think without question he deserves to be in that conversation.”
Bisping admits that, for his personal rankings, Makhachev, 34, might to more to crack the tier of those iconic names. However, the Dagestani fighter is not far off in his mind.
Makhachev, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings, enters a 170-pound weight class that is arguably deeper on talent that it has ever been. UFC 322 features contender fights with Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales and Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates, then the following week at UFC Fight Night 265 in Qatar, former champion Belal Muhammad will clash with Ian Machado Garry.
Former titleholder Kamaru Usman is also lingering with hopes for another title shot before his career wraps up, and undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is also on the comeback from injuries.
If Makhachev captures gold at UFC 322, he will have no shortage of fresh tests, and perhaps the biggest challenges of his career so far. Should he manage to record multiple title defenses against those names, Bisping said he will not only have to reassess where he belongs on the GOAT list, but also debate if he belongs at No. 1.
“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Bisping said. “If he beat Jack – and it’s a big if – if he can beat Jack and go on a run and defend it two or three times, it’s insane.”
