Makhachev vs. Volkanovski: Is there a right choice for pound-for-pound No. 1?

The UFC 284 superfight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski was supposed to decide the No. 1 pound-for-pound male fighter in the world.

At least, that's how the UFC billed it and how the media talked about it. But the result of last weekend's lightweight title bout didn't change the rankings after all.

Makhachev, the defending lightweight champion, defeated Volkanovski, the featherweight champ who moved up to 155 pounds to compete for a second title, in a competitive and highly tactical battle to retain his belt. But despite coming up short for the first time in his UFC career, Volkanovski remains at the top of the men's pound-for-pound list, while Makhachev still sits at No. 2.

To no one's surprise, this has divided the MMA community. Some believe Makhachev, 31, should succeed his longtime training partner and friend, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, as the pound-for-pound king. Others think Volkanovski, 34, should still be considered the best in the world after a close fight.

Pound-for-pound in MMA has always been a puzzling debate. There are no actual criteria and, upon closer reflection, it becomes awfully silly to compare a 6-foot-4 monster like Francis Ngannou with a crafty 5-foot-7 flyweight like Brandon Moreno. Rarely do fighters on the UFC pound-for-pound list meet in the Octagon because they're almost all from different divisions. Therefore, the rankings generally come down to body of work, overall talent, and divisional dominance. But in this case, Makhachev and Volkanovski did fight. That - and the fact they're Nos. 1 and 2 - is what makes this matchup arguably the trickiest pound-for-pound debate yet.

And honestly, there isn't a right or wrong answer.

The argument for Makhachev is straightforward: On the rare occasions they happen, head-to-head matchups in the pound-for-pound rankings ought to matter. Makhachev won the fight, so he should move ahead of Volkanovski, especially because they were already side by side. It may have been the most competitive fight of Makhachev's run as a contender, but the Dagestani fighter still won. And this is, theoretically, what pound-for-pound is about - which of two fighters would win if they were in the same weight class. Makhachev and Volkanovski were in the same weight class, at least for one night, and Makhachev came out on top.

Head-to-head matchups matter when two fighters from the same division meet, such as when Leon Edwards beat Kamaru Usman last August or when Moreno beat Deiveson Figueiredo in January. Why should that change for two fighters from divisions only 10 pounds apart?

The argument for Volkanovski needs to be a little more creative, as he lost the supposed battle for pound-for-pound No. 1, but it's still rather simple: He has a better resume. Volkanovski has been featherweight champion since 2019, holds four title defenses, and has beaten the who's who of the division, including Max Holloway (three times), Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, and Chan Sung Jung. Makhachev, on the other hand, just won the lightweight title last October and has only defeated three top-10 opponents in Charles Oliveira, Dan Hooker, and now Volkanovski.

There's a reason the champions with the most title defenses - such as Usman and Israel Adesanya before they lost their belts in 2022, or Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko on the women's side - are often near the top. No matter how dominant Makhachev's rise these last few years, Volkanovski is the more accomplished fighter.

One could also argue Volkanovski remains the "better" fighter in defeat, at least from a pound-for-pound perspective, because he moved up from a lighter division and still came very close to beating Makhachev. Had Volkanovski - who was a sizable betting underdog - won one more round, he would have been crowned lightweight champion (and universal pound-for-pound king, which he already was going into the fight). It's not unreasonable to think that if Volkanovski was a proper lightweight or Makhachev was a featherweight, Volkanovski would probably win. Makhachev's size advantage did appear to make a difference at times during their fight.

Ultimately, the rightful pound-for-pound No. 1 comes down to how you view the criteria - which, because no such criteria exist, is about as subjective as whether dogs or cats are superior pets. If you favor actual results between fighters of similar sizes, it's Makhachev. If you favor body of work and hypothetical matchups between fighters of the same size, it's Volkanovski. Both are fair stances, and favoring one side would downplay the other. This is the reality of pound-for-pound. It's never a sure thing - and even less so now.

It wouldn't feel quite right to call Makhachev No. 1, nor would it feel quite right to call Volkanovski No. 1. Eventually, one of them may take a clear lead in the pound-for-pound debate. But until then, just list them as 1A and 1B. That's what Makhachev and Volkanovski are: the two best fighters on the planet. And that isn't up for debate.