If Ilia Topuria’s breakthrough knockout of former champion and future Corridor-of-Famer Max Holloway final weekend at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi wasn’t sufficient to stimulate new debates concerning who’s the perfect fighter within the sport at the moment, the subject of who ought to be subsequent for the Georgian-Spanish famous person is simply as compelling.
The unbeaten Topuria, 27, turned the primary fighter to knock down and knock out Holloway in a convincing protection of his UFC featherweight title that drastically supported the concept “El Matador” may very well be the breakout famous person the promotion has been clamoring for ever since Conor McGregor entered his present state of persistent inactivity.
The victory, only one battle faraway from capturing the belt in February when he stopped Alexander Volkanovski, additionally helped Topuria make headroom in his ongoing race for each fighter of the yr and pound-for-pound king, with the latter already involving an already crowded area consisting of Islam Makhachev, Alex Pereira and Jon Jones.
What bolsters Topuria’s case over his final 4 fights (which date again to December 2022) has been the standard of competitors and the damaging nature of his three stoppages wins in 4 fights, which embrace a submission of Bryce Mitchell and a hard-earned choice over 5 rounds in opposition to Josh Emmett.
It is who Topuria would possibly battle subsequent, nevertheless, that would dictate not simply whether or not P4P kingship is in his future but in addition how far his star would possibly attain within the short-term future (particularly since UFC has plans to maneuver aggressively into Topuria’s adopted residence of Spain prior to later).
On the UFC 308 post-fight press convention, CEO Dana White appeared to choose Topuria come again in a rematch in opposition to Volkanovski, citing the previous champion’s loyalty to the corporate and willingness to take large fights on brief discover. However Volkanovski has stated he does not want to wait till the second half of 2025, when UFC would possibly be capable to get into its first Spanish venue.
That would both imply rising contender Diego Lopes will get the decision, or that UFC would possibly contemplate reserving a Volkanovski-Lopes battle for an interim belt, probably within the promotion’s return to Sydney in February, with the winner unifying later within the yr in opposition to Topuria.
However what about if UFC seems to be past the confines of the 145-pound division given how electrifying Topuria’s latest fights have been in an effort to capitalize even faster on his rising superstar standing?
Ought to that develop into the case, two different matchups are attention-grabbing.
From a industrial standpoint, Topuria might go instantly right into a battle in opposition to McGregor, himself, though the previous two-division champion’s combating standing stays in query after pulling out of a scheduled return in June solely to point out up repeatedly on digicam since then in full social gathering mode at numerous occasions (alongside the occasional retirement tease).
However from the standpoint of dropping all the pieces to search out out, contained in the Octagon, who the precise P4P king is true now, there’s all the time the choice of permitting Topuria to maneuver as much as 155 kilos to problem Makhachev for the light-weight title.
On one hand, this goes in opposition to a pair of tropes that MMA followers consistently argue in opposition to — not simply champions getting a shot at double-champ standing with out first cleansing out their division but in addition the truth that two of Makhachev’s final three fights have come in opposition to a featherweight transferring up one division (due to his two-fight collection with Volkanovski). All of that’s actually legitimate.
What can be legitimate, nevertheless, is the concept of giving followers the most important and most compelling fights potential, which actually the concept of Makhachev-Topuria can be. Topuria has already declared publicly he’ll develop into the primary fighter to submit Makhachev and since he completed each Volkanovski and Holloway with such dominant ease, the concept of seeing him must deal with the dominant grappling fashion of Makhachev can be the right fashion distinction for the brand new featherweight king to have to determine.
Regardless of which route UFC in the end goes, Topuria has develop into must-see TV of the best order in world MMA as he seems poised to take his star to the subsequent degree whereas determining how nice he can develop into within the course of.
After the outcomes of his final two fights, it is changing into tougher and tougher to try to put a ceiling on simply how nice he would possibly transform.
Males’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev — Light-weight champion
Document: 26-1 | Earlier rating: No. 1
A more in-depth-than-expected victory over future Corridor of Famer Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June did nothing to maneuver Makhachev off of the highest spot within the rankings. Regardless of struggling a reduce over his left eye from an elbow, Makhachev held off a late rally and put Poirier to sleep in Spherical 5. Makhachev’s win, which extends his streak to 14 (two shy of Anderson Silva’s UFC document), additionally strikes him right into a tie for many title defenses (3) in light-weight historical past.
The very best on this planet
@MAKHACHEVMMA stays the light-weight champion with a submission victory! #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/LpSwj8PH0T
— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2024
2. Ilia Topuria — Featherweight champion
Document: 15-0 | Earlier rating: 4
A altering of the guard atop the 145-pound division at UFC 298 in February may need produced the subsequent breakout star of the game. Topuria did all the pieces he stated he would in opposition to Alexander Volkanovski, together with ending him within the first two rounds. So how did the Georgian sensation high that? He turned the primary fighter to knock down and knock out fellow P4P-ranked Max Holloway in October. Topuria is all the pieces he says he’s and that is a daunting actuality.
All class from the champ
@TopuriaIlia reacts after his first title protection
[ #UFC308 | #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/H6BlYFV8nx
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
3. Alex Pereira — Mild heavyweight champion
Document: 12-2 | Earlier rating: 2
The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger is certainly essentially the most priceless fighter on the UFC roster. After saving the promotion by headlining three main playing cards on late discover relationship again to final November, Pereira returned in October to defend his 205-pound crown in opposition to Khalil Rountree Jr. The win set a brand new UFC document with three title defenses in a span of simply 175 days.
4. Jon Jones — Heavyweight champion
Document: 27-1, 1 NC | Earlier rating: 3
Regardless of the emboldened pleas of UFC CEO Dana White, Jones’ continued inactivity on account of damage has prevented him from claiming the highest spot, even together with his standing as MMA’s reigning G.O.A.T. Jones’ first title protection at heavyweight, scheduled for final November in opposition to former champion Stipe Miocic, was canceled after “Bones” suffered a pectoral tear in coaching. Jones, 37, will lastly face Miocic this November however continues to tease retirement above unifying belts in opposition to interim champion Tom Aspinall.
5. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight champion
Document: 22-2 | Earlier rating: 5
Say what you’ll about his lumbering and sometimes uncooked fashion of ahead strain, the native of South Africa has achieved super outcomes all through eight unbeaten journeys to the Octagon. The defending 185-pound champion added Israel Adesanya to his hit record at UFC 305 in August, which additionally consists of fellow former middleweight kings Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker. Merely put: DDP is on fireplace.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY THE CHAMPION!
@DricusDuPlessis defends his middleweight title by forcing Israel Adesanya to faucet! #UFC305 pic.twitter.com/SYa24zbUKa
— UFC (@ufc) August 18, 2024
6. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Document: 18-4 | Earlier rating: 6
After dropping his first two UFC bouts, the native of Georgia has run off an insane 11-fight win streak that culminated in a storybook victory over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 to assert the title. The cardio king neutralized and outworked the defending bantamweight king on the bottom and obtained the higher of him within the putting earlier than being compelled to carry off a “Suga Present” rally in Spherical 5. Per UFC CEO Dana White, up subsequent is unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov.
7. Belal Muhammad — Welterweight champion
Document: 24-4, 1 NC | Earlier rating: 8
With an unbeaten streak that reached 11 fights when he upset Leon Edwards to seize the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July, the time to doubt or undermine Muhammad’s world-class abilities is not any extra. At 36, the proud Palestinian-American from Chicago additionally turned the oldest fighter to win a UFC title at 170 kilos or under. His first title protection, set for UFC 310 in December, comes in opposition to the extremely harmful Shavkat Rakhmanov.
8. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight
Document: 14-0 | Earlier rating: NR
The one factor beforehand stopping Chimaev from becoming a member of this record has been inactivity, largely on account of a bad-luck combination of sickness and damage. However a wholesome Chimaev is as harmful as any within the sport, as evidenced by the 30-year-old’s first-round destruction of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October, which left the previous champion with a damaged jaw. If anybody deserves to chop the road within the title image at 185 kilos, it is the grappling savant from Chechnya.
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV JUST DID THAT!
@KChimaev wins by submission in Spherical 1!
[ #UFC308 | #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/uh0NuQd2rp
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
9. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Document: 28-5 | Earlier rating: 9
After relying rather more on his iron will than his P4P abilities to take the flyweight title from Brandon Moreno final summer season, the Brazilian submission knowledgeable has stayed busy since with a pair of title defenses in opposition to Brandon Royval (of their rematch) and Steve Erceg. Pantoja’s ardour and dogged willpower has develop into his calling card of late as his title reign continues to develop.
10. Leon Edwards — Welterweight
Document: 21-4, 1 NC | Earlier rating: 10
Preventing in his adopted yard of England supplied few benefits for Edwards in opposition to the crisp boxing and relentless strain of Belal Muhammad because the inspirational 170-pound title reign of “Rocky” got here to an finish at UFC 304. Edwards blamed the early morning begin time for his flat efficiency regardless of rallying to chop Muhammad late in Spherical 5.
Dropped out: Max Holloway
Simply missed: Sean O’Malley, Tom Aspinall, Sean Strickland, Umar Nurmagomedov, Magomed Ankalaev
Girls’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Document: 24-4-1 | Earlier rating: No. 1
The longer term Corridor of Famer cemented her legacy even additional by changing into a two-time champion in her trilogy in opposition to Alexa Grasso at UFC 306. At 36, Shevchenko defied age and a one-year layoff to pitch a shutout of Grasso over 5 rounds due to her grappling and counterpunching. A lifelong scholar of martial arts, Shevchenko is simply getting higher.
2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion
Document: 25-3 | Earlier rating: No. 2
Zhang improved to 9-0 within the UFC in opposition to everybody not named Rose Namajunas when she outlasted Chinese language countrywoman Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300 and did so by counting on her cardio, IQ and improved grappling after almost scoring a pair of early finishes. Her hardest check should still be to come back, nevertheless, within the type of Tatiana Suarez.
3. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Document: 12-1 | Earlier rating: 3
A shutout, five-round choice over red-hot Erin Blanchfield seems to be to be the ultimate hurdle that the 34-year-old native of France should clear en path to a title shot. Fiorot’s takedown protection and skill to keep away from hazard on the bottom set the right stage for her pinpoint putting to shine. Count on Fiorot to get the primary shot at Shevchenko in her second title reign at 125 kilos.
4. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight
Document: 18-1 | Earlier rating: 5
Regardless of an insane weight reduce all the way down to 135 kilos that left her hospitalized and urinating blood simply weeks earlier than the battle, Harrison seems to have lastly secured a shot at a UFC title along with her October victory over No. 2-ranked Ketlen Vieira. Harrison was compelled to beat heavy swelling and blood after being reduce for the primary time in her profession. Whereas Harrison might be a heavy betting favourite in opposition to champion Julianna Pena, the true query comes down as to if she will proceed to make the burden on this division after competing at 155 kilos within the PFL.
5. Tatiana Suarez — Strawweight
Document: 10-0 | Earlier rating: 4
Regardless of dropping almost 4 years of her prime on account of persistent accidents, Suarez is again on the scene in an enormous means. Her dominant submission of former champion Jessica Andrade final summer season was a stark reminder of the place she stands inside 115-pound title competition. Few can match her grappling prowess alone and even much less can equal the relentless aggressive streak which fuels her resolve. After a prolonged break, a No. 1 contender’s bout in opposition to Virna Jandiroba is about for December.
Dropped out: None
Simply missed: Alexa Grasso, Erin Blanchfield, Rose Namajunas, Julianna Pena, Yan Xiaonan
