UFC president Dana White now believes Islam Makhachev is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world after UFC 311.

While lightweight champion Islam Makhachev officially has been ranked as the promotion’s pound-for-pound best for quite some time, White has spent the past year vehemently making the case for Jones. But that changed Saturday night after Makhachev submitted replacement Renato Moicano in the first round of the UFC 311 main event at Intuit Dome.

Dana White has seen enough to finally put Islam Makhachev at the top of his personal list as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter over Jon Jones.

Makhachev is already the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, a decision UFC CEO Dana White lambasted. White has reiterated that UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should be No. 1, but when asked if Makhachev’s willingness to fight anyone at anytime has changed his mind, he finally caved.

Dana White announced a major change to the UFC 311 pay-per-view card this Saturday in Los Angeles. Just hours before the official weigh-in on Friday, White and the matchmakers got word that Arman Tsarukyan has an ailing back and that he wouldn’t be able to compete this weekend against Islam Makhachev.

Dana White spent the majority of 2024 blasting the UFC rankings panel for overlooking heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who has fought just twice in five years, in favor of Makhachev. However, the MMA mogul finally admitted that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate is the best fighter currently on his roster after UFC 311.

Moicano gets a big opportunity, but White said Makhachev was without hesitation when the news was presented to him. “When we called Islam Makhachev, he said, ‘Brother, I am the champion. I fight anybody,

Dana White denies Arman Tsarukyan a title shot against Islam Makhachev, stating the rising contender won’t get his chance yet.

The UFC 311 event was thrown into temporary dissaray one day before it's due to begin Saturday, the 18th of January, as main event fighter Arman Tsarukyan, who was scheduled to challenge the UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, withdrew from the bout on Friday, citing a back injury.

UFC President Dana White announced Friday that Islam Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight title against Renato Moicano at UFC 311 on Saturday

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has playfully noted UFC boss Dana White's change of stance over the pound-for-pound rankings.

During the weigh-ins for UFC 311, it started to become clear that something had gone wrong with Arman Tsarukyan and that he may not appear on the scales. It was later revealed by Dana White that he had suffered an injury, and the fight was changed at late notice.