Dana White sends Arman Tsarukyan back in line, finally comes around on Islam Makhachev after UFC 311

The ride to UFC 311 had some last-minute bumps in the road when would-be lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan suffered a back injury Friday that forced his withdrawal from a main-event rematch with champion Islam Makhachev, resulting in a Renato Moicano detour on a day's notice.

Makhachev was ultimately too much, earning a record-setting fourth successful lightweight title defense by submitting Moicano with a first-round D'arce choke.

Afterward, UFC CEO Dana White said Tsarukyan will need to re-earn his Makhachev rematch.

"He's going back to the drawing board," White said. "I don't want anybody to ever fight hurt, ever. We've been in these positions before. Went down there with a doctor, went down there with Heather [Linden] from the P.I. (Performance Institute), who — you can ask any fighter or anybody else — is the best in the world. You miss opportunities sometimes, and he did. So we'll see how this plays out for him next year.

"He's not getting a title shot, so he's going to have to fight his way back to the title."

Tsarukyan, 28, has been confident throughout his rise to No. 1 contender status and during his four-fight win streak, so he had no issues with White's comments about his lost opportunity, instead challenging former champion Charles Oliveira to a five-round rematch on social media to determine the next man up.

As for Makhachev, Saturday's Moicano rout extended the champ's lengthy win streak to 15, which includes a previous unanimous decision over Tsarukyan in April 2019. Makhachev's 15 consecutive victories slot him further into the history books, as the streak ties him with Kamaru Usman for the second longest in UFC history, behind only Anderson Silva's legendary 16-fight run as middleweight king.

After being adamant for all of 2024 that UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was unquestionably the best pound-for-pound fighter on Earth, White finally changed his tune after the Dagestani destroyer added another ruby to his belt at UFC 311.

"He's the pound-for-pound No. 1. I'll give it to him," White said of Makhachev. "Are you happy? Is everybody happy now?

"Islam was willing to fight anybody. He's stayed active, and he went out tonight and performed the way a guy should in a short-notice fight when you are the best in the world and you're the champion."

Makhachev, 33, is already reaching rarified air, accomplishing feats never before seen in the perpetually stacked lightweight division. His previous title defense count of three was tied for the most with numerous legends and all-time lightweight greats like BJ Penn and Makhachev's coach Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Now Makhachev stands alone as the most successful 155-pound champion in UFC history and is a required mention when discussing the division's all-time best. And in White's eyes, the current pound-for-pound king has surpassed his Hall of Fame coach as the greatest to ever do it in the lightweight division.

"One hundred percent, there's no doubt about it," White said of Makhachev as the lightweight GOAT. "He's the pound-for-pound best in the world right now, and he's definitely the best to ever do it in that division."