Makhachev's 17-Fight Streak Fuels UFC GOAT Debate After Garry Win

1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 17

Islam Makhachev's win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 shifted the focus from the result itself to whether his 17-fight streak now puts him in the UFC's all-time-great conversation.
Ariel Helwani's panel argued Makhachev has already surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov on resume and star power, but said he still trails Jon Jones and likely Anderson Silva when title-fight achievements are weighed.
The main distinction was title-fight depth: Makhachev's streak reached a title bout in fight No. 11, while Silva's 16-fight run was built largely in championship fights and Jones logged 16 title-fight wins.
Makhachev still drew praise for beating Garry without his usual dominance, digging out a fifth-round victory against a difficult stylistic matchup and reinforcing his status as one of the UFC's few remaining pillars.
Attention is already turning to what comes next, with Makhachev saying he wants to be more active and analysts eyeing a move to 170 pounds for tests against names such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales.