Nate Diaz doesn’t think Islam Makhachev is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC right now

Nate’s Pound-for-Pound Throne Is Still Occupied by One Man Only

Jon Jones sits alone at the top of the mountain in Nate Diaz’s world, no committee, no debate, no “but what about recency?” Jones is the pound-for-pound king, full stop. Everyone else is fighting for second place, and according to Stockton’s finest, most of them aren’t even close.

Nate Diaz doesn't think Islam Makhachev is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC right now 😬

"He's been here for like 2 minutes, he ain't beat no one that crazy. You're just gonna throw 'GOAT' at him when he just showed up on the scene?

I can't even remember anything but… pic.twitter.com/MmeYFB356D

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 24, 2025

Islam Makhachev? “Been Here Like Two Minutes”

Imagine having 15 straight UFC wins, two finishes over Alexander Volkanovski, a submission over peak Charles Oliveira, and a dominant decision over Dustin Poirier… and Nate Diaz still hits you with “he’s been here for like two minutes, he ain’t beat nobody that crazy.” That’s not just disrespect; that’s rewriting history in real time. To Nate, Islam is some random dude who lucked into the belt yesterday and got overnight GOAT claims, never mind the decade-long grind or the fact he’s about to tie Anderson Silva’s all-time consecutive wins record.

The True Lightweight Blueprint is B.J. Penn

When Nate says the best lightweight of all time was B.J. Penn, he’s not negotiating. That’s canon in the 209 bible. Penn was the original savage who fought everybody, everywhere, with zero fear and maximum violence. In Nate’s eyes, no one since not Khabib, not Islam, nobody has matched that aura or that resume at 155. It’s old-school loyalty mixed with a middle finger to the new wave.

The Wildest Part: Ilia Topuria Is Apparently More Complete

Out of nowhere, Nate drops the bomb that Ilia Topuria a dude with nine UFC fights and one title defense against a faded Max Holloway is already a more complete fighter than Islam Makhachev. He admits Ilia is “brand new” and needs more fights, but still plants his flag: Topuria’s striking, wrestling, finishing threat, and swagger apparently check more boxes than the Dagestani wrestling machine. Only Nate Diaz can look at the current lightweight champion and say “nah, the featherweight guy is more well-rounded” and make it sound like common sense. Absolute chaos, zero apologies.

Preview Image: Photo by Streetice00, CC BY-SA 3.0