“I don’t know if he really lives in Khabib’s shadow,” MMA Fighting quoted the head of the organization as saying. “He took a step in the right direction this weekend. The guy dominated and closed any controversy that arose in the last fight, ending the fight that way. And there’s no excuses here like, ‘It came down to the third round and Volkanovski didn’t have time to prepare.’ He came out and finished the fight in impressive fashion, Cro Cop style.”
“It’s hard to imagine a better win over a tough stand-up guy with a great chin. And you’ve never seen anything like that done to Volkanovski.”
The UFC head is confident that in time Makhachev could become the greatest lightweight in the organization’s history.
“If he continues to take out his opponents one by one, it’s bound to happen. With all due respect to Khabib, who won and defended the title, Islam can make a title run that will be unrivaled by anyone who has ever held the belt in this division”
Earlier, White said that the Russian’s next opponent is likely to be Charles Oliveira, who was scheduled to fight Makhachev but suffered a dissection eleven days before the fight and lost his title shot to Volkanovski.