Makhachev, Jones Spar Over UFC Win Streak Record — SkimNews
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- Islam Makhachev (29-1) broke the UFC's official win streak record in August, defending his welterweight championship against Ian Machado Garry for his 17th consecutive win and surpassing Anderson Silva's previous mark of 16.
- Jon Jones, a former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, claims a 20-bout unbeaten run from 2010 to 2024, though it was interrupted by a 2017 no-contest against Daniel Cormier stemming from a failed USADA drug test.
- Makhachev told Russian outlet Ushatayka that Jones was "caught doping twice" and argued any fights after a positive PED test should restart the win-streak count.
- Jones was fined and suspended 15 months for testing positive for trace steroid metabolites; an independent arbitrator later deemed the ingestion unintentional and not performance enhancing.
- Jones fired back on X, citing USADA's own finding that the substance "was not found to be PERFORMANCE ENHANCING or INTENTIONAL" and mocking Makhachev for a 2015 knockout loss to Adriano Martins.
- Makhachev hit back a day later, hinting at Jones's broader legal troubles and writing, "your whole life seems to be tied to breaking the rules one way or another, and somehow, you're never the one to be blamed."
Why it matters: The spat puts the UFC's official streak bookkeeping under the microscope, with Makhachev now holding the record at 17 straight wins while Jones argues his 20-fight run deserves equal billing despite the 2017 USADA flag. The back-and-forth keeps both fighters in headlines and reframes a record that had been settled fact into a live debate over how the promotion treats drug-test flags in historical rankings.
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