Islam Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion, has sparked a heated debate about the authenticity of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belts in MMA, accusing some fighters of having ranks that were merely gifted by their coaches. This controversy has been fueled by Makhachev’s bold claims questioning the legitimacy of certain UFC fighters’ BJJ credentials.
UFC legend Chael Sonnen described Makhachev’s remarks as a strategic “heel move,” likening it to a tactic used by villains in professional wrestling to stir up emotions and draw attention. Sonnen commended Makhachev for generating buzz with his provocative statements.
“Islam Makhachev is one of the greatest heels in this sport. Islam said there’s too many black belts in the sport, I cannot believe…a lot of people need to give their black belts back,” Sonnen stated on his channel.
Makhachev’s critique initially targeted Dustin Poirier, criticizing his granby roll against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 as a mistake unworthy of a true BJJ black belt. Even BJJ icon and ADCC silver medalist Craig Jones supported Makhachev’s view, suggesting that “a lot of competitors in the UFC need to lose their black belts.”
In a recent video, Makhachev expanded his critique to include Tony Ferguson, Paddy Pimblett, and Poirier. Despite Ferguson’s long-standing status as a 10th Planet black belt and Pimblett earning his black belt at 21, both known for notable submission victories, Makhachev questioned their legitimacy.
“He is not a real black belt. I work with black belts, real black belts; it’s so tough. For the fighters, they get a gift… Some don’t deserve it,” Makhachev stated regarding Ferguson on Hohseh MMA.
Makhachev’s remarks have caused a stir within the BJJ community, yet his grappling skills remain widely respected. His longtime training partner and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has highlighted Makhachev’s ability to submit ADCC champions and top-level grapplers during training, likely referring to Yuri Simoes.
“Yeah, because I know like we grew up together like all our life, and I see how Islam go go with a lot of ADCC level guys even with ADCC champions – they tap,” Khabib explained to the media, as reported by calfkicker.
“They tap when they grapple with Islam. I see 88 kilo 99 kilo 77 kilo – I don’t want to say name but they tap – ADCC world champion, you know,” he added.
As Makhachev continues his tenure as UFC lightweight champion, his critiques of the BJJ black belt system add another layer of intrigue to his already fascinating persona in the sport. Makhachev has also suggested that Charles Oliveira’s ability to avoid tapping against Ferguson is due to his grappling skills, not a lack of them in Oliveira’s opponents.
When Cormier pointed out that Poirier holds a BJJ black belt, Makhachev remained unimpressed:
“Please, brother… So what he did when he [Ferguson] catch his arm, he go to do, what is this brother? [Granby roll]… Black belt. Who give him that? We have to check that brother.
And we have to cancel many black belts [because] they make Jiu-Jitsu look bad. Because a lot of guys have black belts but I don’t know [if they have the skills].”
