Dana White Changes Course, Acknowledges Makhachev as No. 1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Dana White is finally ready to give Islam Makhachev his flowers.

After Makhachev retained his lightweight title with a first-round submission of Renato Carneiro in the UFC 311 main event on Saturday night, White conceded that the Dagestani is the top pound-for-pound talent in the sport. That’s a significant change in course for White, who for months has expressed his displeasure that Makhachev was ranked ahead of heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the promotion’s pound-for-pound poll.

“He’s already the pound-for-pound No. 1 ranking. Yeah, I’ll give it to him,” White said at the UFC 311 post-fight press conference. “Is everybody happy now that he’s pound-for-pound?

The UFC CEO came away…