UFC's Makhachev, Jones trade barbs over streak

Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev, two of the greatest fighters in UFC history, are taking shots at each other this week. Makhachev (29-1) broke the UFC's official win streak record in August, when he defended his welterweight championship against Ian Machado Garry for his 17th consecutive win. Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva held the previous record of 16. Jones, a former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, would argue he won 20 bouts in a row from 2010 to 2024, but his streak was interrupted by a no-contest against Daniel Cormier in 2017. In a recent interview with a Russian news outlet, Makhachev said Jones' no-contest, which was the result of a failed drug test by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, invalidates his win streak. "I'm not denying that Jon Jones is one of the greatest athletes in history, but he was caught doping twice," Makhachev told Ushatayka. "I think that's why his streak isn't considered valid. Because he went into a fight while on PEDs and won, that's where a new count should have started." Jonse (28-1) was fined and suspended 15 months for testing positive for extremely trace amounts of steroid metabolites. He initially defeated Cormier in their fight in 2017, before it was later changed to a no-contest. An independent arbitrator later stated he believed Jones unknowingly ingested the substance and that it was not performance enhancing. Jones has long pointed to that independent finding as validation of his innocence, and did so again Monday in a post directed at Makhachev. "If you believe USADA for finding a picogram in my system, then you must believe USADA when they say it 'It was not found to be PERFORMANCE ENHANCING or INTENTIONAL,'" Jones wrote on X. "You can't have it both ways. Last I checked, my hand got raised every time I was in the Octagon since any of you can remember. Your own coach said I was 'a gift from God.' Let's not forget you've been KO'd, flatlined, went night night." Let's start this week by dispeling rumors that have been spread by people chasing me: — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) September 14, 2026 1. If you believe USADA for finding a pico gram in my system, then you must believe USADA when they say "It was not found to be PERFORMANCE ENHANCING or INTENTIONAL". You can't have it both... Makhachev, whose only loss came by knockout to Adriano Martins in his second UFC fight in 2015, responded to Jones the following day, and hinted at Jones's troubled legal history, both in and out of competition. "Jon, I'm not trying to diminish your achievements in any way," Makhachev wrote on X. "But 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."