The first rule to remember when attempting to have a legacy conversation with Islam Makhachev is that it's far too early for the UFC welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king to have any interest in such a discussion.
"My legacy is still going. We are not finishing," Makhachev told CBS Sports last month at a Zuffa Boxing event in New York. "Man, let's go back to this question when I'm retired because, right now, I just want to fight and not focus on any records.
"I just want to defend my belt."
The 34-year-old Makhachev (28-1) will get a shot to do just that for the first time as 170-pound champion on Saturday when he headlines UFC 330 in Philadelphia against the No. 1-ranked Ian Machado Garry (17-1), who will boast advantages of five inches in height and four inches in reach against the former lightweight king.
While Makhachev's stance against entertaining any form of questioning regarding his place in UFC and/or MMA history is both noble and consistent with the traits of humility and extreme dedication to his craft that has become synonymous with fighters who were trained in Dagestan, Russia, under the tutelage of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (the late father of current coach and UFC Hall-of-Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov), it's a topic that has simply become unavoidable.
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Makhachev's 12-year run inside the Octagon has been so dominant, it has made his flash, first-round knockout loss to Adriano Martins in 2015 (in Makhachev's second UFC bout) feel like it happened in another era to a completely different fighter.
UFC 330 fight card -- Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry: Five biggest storylines to follow in Philadelphia Brian Campbell
First and foremost, Makhachev is the most accomplished champion in lightweight history, which has arguably been the sport's deepest and most consistently tough division over the past 15 years. He's the only 155-pound champion in UFC history to defend the title four times and holds victories at lightweight over Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski (twice, including when the two-time featherweight champion was P4P king) and Dustin Poirier.
Next, Makhachev is one of just nine UFC fighters to hold world titles in two different weight classes. Should he win as a 3-to-1 favorite on Saturday against the talented Garry, Makhachev would join an even more exclusive group of champ-champs who have defended titles at both weight classes and moved up in weight to do so the second time.
Makhachev also held the UFC's No. 1 spot on the P4P list for 602 consecutive days from October 2023 to the summer of 2025 when, after he vacated his lightweight title, rival Ilia Topuria became a two-division champion and stole the spot. Not only did Makhachev retake P4P kingship in his welterweight debut last November by using his grappling to control just about every second of 25-minute dismantling of defending champion Jack Della Maddalena, Topuria's title loss to Justin Gaethje in June ended any lingering debate.
"Yeah, of course [there's no longer a debate,]" Makhachev said. "I think I'm the most complete fighter, I can strike and I can grapple. Now, I am the best fighter in the world and I'm going to be many years more."
The comprehensive victory over Della Maddalena saw many begin to elevate Makhachev into the back end of the top 10 on the list of best fighters in UFC history. But the development with the most potential to catapult him even further up the list is what happens if Makhachev wins at UFC 330 and breaks Anderson Silva's vaunted record for consecutive wins inside the Octagon with 17.
Silva set the mark in 2013 with a first-round TKO of Stephan Bonnar at light heavyweight. Former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili came close with 14 until losing his title in December and longtime welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was one win away at 15 and ahead on the scorecards in his 2022 rematch with Leon Edwards before losing via head-kick KO in Round 5.
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The record speaks to consistency, sustained dominance and an ability to adjust against any style in order to secure the victory in an unforgiving sport that features so many ways to lose at any given second. Even two-division champion Jon Jones, who most consider the G.O.A.T., won 13 consecutive fights at his peak and holds the UFC record for title wins (16) but has endured both a disqualification loss and a no contest due to a failed drug test to break his win streaks.
Not surprisingly, Makhachev said the pursuit of Silva's record isn't even on his radar at the moment.
"I'm not focusing on beating some record," Makhachev said. "I just have my next good opponent and I'm just going to keep going and beat other contenders because our weight division has so many good fighters. I have many more good opponents [to fight.]"
Makhachev's initial UFC rise largely saw him operating in the shadow of Nurmagomedov, who retired abruptly in his prime as the P4P king at age 32 in 2020 with a 29-0 record in order to honor the wishes of his parents (and replace his late father as head coach alongside Javier Mendez of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California).
Nurmagomedov's exit not just from the sport but the lightweight division opened up the door for Makhachev to become champion, which was Abdulmanap's plan from the beginning. But it's uncertain how many people believed that Makhachev would go on to eclipse Nurmagomedov's accomplishments and legacy while becoming essentially the prototype of what a true mixed martial artist looks like with no holes in their game.
"This is the dream." - @MAKHACHEVMMA [ #UFC330 | LIVE SAT AUG 15 | 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/4Fc1OvIMAA
— UFC (@ufc) August 12, 2026
Depending upon how you view things, a win for Makhachev could put him in the top five all-time or even consideration for the top spot alongside the likes of Jones, Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson and Amanda Nunes. For whatever Makhachev lacks compared to other greats in the categories of total title defenses (Johnson and Jones share the UFC record with 11) or future HOFers he beat because of how long it took Makhachev to finally get his shot at the title, he makes up for in dominance and overall skill.
Following Makhachev's win over Della Maddalena last fall, UFC CEO and president Dana White didn't hide his appreciation of the new welterweight champion's accomplishments at the post-fight press conference, saying, "This guy is headed towards G.O.A.T. talk." Mendez, who was asked last week whether Makhachev is on the verge of entering the Mount Rushmore of UFC fighters, shared a similar sentiment.
"I think, personally speaking, If [Makhachev] wins on Saturday -- especially if he wins in spectacular fashion -- you can't exclude him from the [Mount Rushmore] conversation," Mendez told CBS Sports. "Now, if he wins and it's a tough one, then maybe there is something to [keeping him off]. But if he wins spectacularly, you can't take him out of that. No way. For me, he belongs there if we are able to manage this win the way we want to win."
Garry's combination of size, reach, quickness, technique and cage IQ has many wondering whether this could be the toughest test of Makhachev's collective reign as UFC champion across two divisions. Makhachev, however, wasn't willing to go that far.
"Bro, all fights are tough, OK?" Makhachev said. "Last fight, I got the chance to work Della Maddalena and he's one of the best boxers in the UFC but we have our style, we have our game. We are going to keep going, try to catch him and take him down. We will see. How is his grappling? We will check.
"I have to prepare more running because [Garry] always runs back. I have to follow him."
But given the recent TKO defeats to both Topuria and Alex Pereira at the White House in June, there's also a strong argument to make that Makhachev is in the midst of his own era at the moment as the singular face of UFC given his P4P accreditation and the fact that he's in the argument for the most popular fighter at the box office.
"The fighter has to be like everywhere No. 1, not just inside the cage but outside," Makhachev said. "You have to show who is the No. 1."
Losses to Topuria and Pereira also stalled their respective bids for one more accomplishment that has become the holy grail, of sorts -- becoming the first three-division champion in UFC history. Topuria hoped to get there by moving up to fight Makhachev until he was badly beaten by Gaethje and Pereira came up empty in his bid to become interim heavyweight champion in a stoppage loss to Ciryl Gane.
Makhachev said it isn't likely that he moves up to middleweight to try it himself, quickly mentioning how deep the pool of capable contenders currently is at welterweight. But if anyone's within potential striking distance it's Makhachev and he didn't rule it out altogether.
"Yeah, this is [likely my] final [division] because it's so tough," Makhachev said. "I don't say 100% [no] but we will see what will be in the future. But I feel comfortable in this welterweight [division] because I don't cut much weight and it's good when you are focusing on your training camp and you can enjoy it and don't have to follow too much diet."
Either way, at 34 and still operating at the peak of his prime, there's a feeling that Makhachev, who said last week that any rumors of an imminent retirement are false, might not be close to finishing the masterpiece that has been his career resume.
Even though he won't talk about it yet, a victory over Garry at UFC 330 should be enough to keep the conversation going in a major way.
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