Makhachev is not invincible: this is how you defeat him, according to a UFC legend
Georges St-Pierre has discussed how to beat Islam Makhachev, the two-time UFC champion and pound-for-pound No. 1.
Islam Makhachev closes out the year as the pound‑for‑pound No. 1, with two championship belts in his hands. The Dagestani star is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC, and at times he looks untouchable - but he isn’t. Georges St‑Pierre, the legendary former two‑division UFC champion, says there are keys to beating him.
“I think right now, he’s probably on paper the best fighter, probably pound-for-pound,” St-Pierre told an interview with The Break Talk this week. “I would say my best pound-for-pound would be Islam Makhachev, [Ilia] Topuria, Merab [Dvalishvili], Khamzat Chimaev is very good. These four guys are right there.”
And while Makhachev’s record and presence can be intimidating, he’s not undefeated. He was knocked out in his short‑notice UFC debut by Adriano Martins - a fighter who never made a major run with the promotion.
“It’s not the best fighter that wins”
“To beat Islam Makhachev, it doesn’t mean [you’re the best]‚” St-Pierre said. “It’s not because you’re the best that you’re not going to lose. It’s not the best fighter that wins the fight; it’s not the best team that wins the game. It’s the team that plays the best the night of the game. The same thing in fighting.
“People, for some reason, believe that fighting is different, [that it’s] always the strongest man that wins. Not true. If you zig when you should have zagged, you make a mistake... boom! You’re caught. By the way, it happened to Islam Makhachev. It could happen again."
The Canadian added: “I believe if he would fight that guy [Martins] 10 times, he would probably beat him nine times, but that one time he got clipped, and that can happen.” The knockout was brutal, and Makhachev hasn’t tasted defeat since.
St-Pierre continued: “To beat Islam Makhachev, he’s very skilled. I think you would need a guy that can match his wrestling in a way that either counters his takedowns or if he gets put down, manages to scramble back up and create distance, and also fight him standing up. I think you need a guy that puts pressure on him with a lot of fakes and feints.”
St‑Pierre also highlighted Makhachev’s win over Mansour Barnaoui - his eighth professional victory - which came by unanimous decision. “There’s a guy that gave him a lot of trouble,” the 44-year-old said.
“He was from France and he was one of my training partners. If you go and check that fight online, his name was Mansour Barnaoui. He was one of my best training partners when I was getting ready for fights, and he gave him a lot of trouble.”
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