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UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has reacted after failing to seize fallen challenger Alexander Volkanovski‘s top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
This past weekend, Makhachev was in Perth with two goals in mind. As well as adding the first defense to his 155-pound reign, which began with a dominant display against Charles Oliveira last October, the Russian had his sights set on another accolade.
In addition to the champion vs. champion stakes, Makhachev’s superfight against Australia’s own Volkanovski saw the #1 and #2-ranked P4P fighters collide. With the lightweight king naming his challenger’s top spot as his main motivation for the trip Down Under, it appeared a victory would net him as much.
And in the immediate aftermath of the result, which saw Makhachev outpoint Volkanovski on all three scorecards, it appeared the UFC was aligned with the stakes, suggesting that the Dagestani had “achieved his dream” of reaching top spot on the P4P ladder.
But, as it turned out, the rankings panel saw things differently.
Earlier this week, the latest rankings update was released. The changes, or lack thereof, made for grim reading in Makhachev’s camp, with the Russian remaining a spot below Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Makhachev: “I Never Expected Justice”
Despite proclaiming himself as the new P4P king immediately after his narrow triumph against Volkanovski inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev has now suggested that he’s not surprised to have been denied the spot.
The lightweight titleholder broke his silence on the matter upon his return to Dagestan. In an interview that was uploaded to the Nurmagomedov MMA School Instagram account, Makhachev noted his snub in the post-UFC 284 update as the latest example of a negative attitude towards Russian fighters.
“About the rankings, I never expected justice and still don’t,” Makhachev said. “Because we saw the example with other fighters, (Magomed) Ankalaev, Petr Yan. (We) saw the attitude towards us, always. The main thing, I flew 13,000 kilometers there (and) defeated their champion. They raised my hand, and with a raised head, confidently with the belt flew home.”
As Makhachev alluded to, both Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan were left feeling hard done by in their latest outings.
While the former bantamweight champion disagreed with his split decision loss to Sean O’Malley last October, the light heavyweight contender was left enraged after missing out on a title crowning two months later at UFC 282 when his bout with Jan B?achowicz ended in a split draw.
What do you make of Islam Makhachev’s reaction to the decision to keep him below Alexander Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Quotes translated by @za.khabiba.
UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has reacted after failing to seize fallen challenger Alexander Volkanovski‘s top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
This past weekend, Makhachev was in Perth with two goals in mind. As well as adding the first defense to his 155-pound reign, which began with a dominant display against Charles Oliveira last October, the Russian had his sights set on another accolade.
In addition to the champion vs. champion stakes, Makhachev’s superfight against Australia’s own Volkanovski saw the #1 and #2-ranked P4P fighters collide. With the lightweight king naming his challenger’s top spot as his main motivation for the trip Down Under, it appeared a victory would net him as much.
And in the immediate aftermath of the result, which saw Makhachev outpoint Volkanovski on all three scorecards, it appeared the UFC was aligned with the stakes, suggesting that the Dagestani had “achieved his dream” of reaching top spot on the P4P ladder.
But, as it turned out, the rankings panel saw things differently.
Earlier this week, the latest rankings update was released. The changes, or lack thereof, made for grim reading in Makhachev’s camp, with the Russian remaining a spot below Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Makhachev: “I Never Expected Justice”
Despite proclaiming himself as the new P4P king immediately after his narrow triumph against Volkanovski inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev has now suggested that he’s not surprised to have been denied the spot.
The lightweight titleholder broke his silence on the matter upon his return to Dagestan. In an interview that was uploaded to the Nurmagomedov MMA School Instagram account, Makhachev noted his snub in the post-UFC 284 update as the latest example of a negative attitude towards Russian fighters.
“About the rankings, I never expected justice and still don’t,” Makhachev said. “Because we saw the example with other fighters, (Magomed) Ankalaev, Petr Yan. (We) saw the attitude towards us, always. The main thing, I flew 13,000 kilometers there (and) defeated their champion. They raised my hand, and with a raised head, confidently with the belt flew home.”
[/quote]
As Makhachev alluded to, both Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan were left feeling hard done by in their latest outings.
While the former bantamweight champion disagreed with his split decision loss to Sean O’Malley last October, the light heavyweight contender was left enraged after missing out on a title crowning two months later at UFC 282 when his bout with Jan B?achowicz ended in a split draw.
What do you make of Islam Makhachev’s reaction to the decision to keep him below Alexander Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Quotes translated by @za.khabiba.
Click here to view the article.
This past weekend, Makhachev was in Perth with two goals in mind. As well as adding the first defense to his 155-pound reign, which began with a dominant display against Charles Oliveira last October, the Russian had his sights set on another accolade.
In addition to the champion vs. champion stakes, Makhachev’s superfight against Australia’s own Volkanovski saw the #1 and #2-ranked P4P fighters collide. With the lightweight king naming his challenger’s top spot as his main motivation for the trip Down Under, it appeared a victory would net him as much.
And in the immediate aftermath of the result, which saw Makhachev outpoint Volkanovski on all three scorecards, it appeared the UFC was aligned with the stakes, suggesting that the Dagestani had “achieved his dream” of reaching top spot on the P4P ladder.
But, as it turned out, the rankings panel saw things differently.
Earlier this week, the latest rankings update was released. The changes, or lack thereof, made for grim reading in Makhachev’s camp, with the Russian remaining a spot below Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Makhachev: “I Never Expected Justice”
Despite proclaiming himself as the new P4P king immediately after his narrow triumph against Volkanovski inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev has now suggested that he’s not surprised to have been denied the spot.
The lightweight titleholder broke his silence on the matter upon his return to Dagestan. In an interview that was uploaded to the Nurmagomedov MMA School Instagram account, Makhachev noted his snub in the post-UFC 284 update as the latest example of a negative attitude towards Russian fighters.
“About the rankings, I never expected justice and still don’t,” Makhachev said. “Because we saw the example with other fighters, (Magomed) Ankalaev, Petr Yan. (We) saw the attitude towards us, always. The main thing, I flew 13,000 kilometers there (and) defeated their champion. They raised my hand, and with a raised head, confidently with the belt flew home.”
As Makhachev alluded to, both Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan were left feeling hard done by in their latest outings.
While the former bantamweight champion disagreed with his split decision loss to Sean O’Malley last October, the light heavyweight contender was left enraged after missing out on a title crowning two months later at UFC 282 when his bout with Jan B?achowicz ended in a split draw.
What do you make of Islam Makhachev’s reaction to the decision to keep him below Alexander Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Quotes translated by @za.khabiba.
This past weekend, Makhachev was in Perth with two goals in mind. As well as adding the first defense to his 155-pound reign, which began with a dominant display against Charles Oliveira last October, the Russian had his sights set on another accolade.
In addition to the champion vs. champion stakes, Makhachev’s superfight against Australia’s own Volkanovski saw the #1 and #2-ranked P4P fighters collide. With the lightweight king naming his challenger’s top spot as his main motivation for the trip Down Under, it appeared a victory would net him as much.
And in the immediate aftermath of the result, which saw Makhachev outpoint Volkanovski on all three scorecards, it appeared the UFC was aligned with the stakes, suggesting that the Dagestani had “achieved his dream” of reaching top spot on the P4P ladder.
But, as it turned out, the rankings panel saw things differently.
Earlier this week, the latest rankings update was released. The changes, or lack thereof, made for grim reading in Makhachev’s camp, with the Russian remaining a spot below Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Makhachev: “I Never Expected Justice”
Despite proclaiming himself as the new P4P king immediately after his narrow triumph against Volkanovski inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev has now suggested that he’s not surprised to have been denied the spot.
The lightweight titleholder broke his silence on the matter upon his return to Dagestan. In an interview that was uploaded to the Nurmagomedov MMA School Instagram account, Makhachev noted his snub in the post-UFC 284 update as the latest example of a negative attitude towards Russian fighters.
“About the rankings, I never expected justice and still don’t,” Makhachev said. “Because we saw the example with other fighters, (Magomed) Ankalaev, Petr Yan. (We) saw the attitude towards us, always. The main thing, I flew 13,000 kilometers there (and) defeated their champion. They raised my hand, and with a raised head, confidently with the belt flew home.”
[/quote]
As Makhachev alluded to, both Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan were left feeling hard done by in their latest outings.
While the former bantamweight champion disagreed with his split decision loss to Sean O’Malley last October, the light heavyweight contender was left enraged after missing out on a title crowning two months later at UFC 282 when his bout with Jan B?achowicz ended in a split draw.
What do you make of Islam Makhachev’s reaction to the decision to keep him below Alexander Volkanovski in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Quotes translated by @za.khabiba.
Click here to view the article.
