Oh, UFC, you paint yourselves as tough guys but you love the drama. Tuesday is where the rankings are updated. Following Ilia Topuria‘s win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, he is now the number one fighter in the pound-for-pound rankings over Islam Makhachev.
This is just adding drama as Ilia Topuria has been vocal about wanting to face Makhachev. Now, Topuria not only owns the belt Makhachev had, but he also is, according to the UFC, the best fighter in the world. Makhachev vacated the lightweight title to go up to welterweight. He will fight 170 lb champion Jack Della Maddalena for the belt.
The pound-for-pound rankings are absolutely platonic. The basic premise of it is to rank the best fighter in the sport if all things were equaled, hence disregarding stuff like weight classes, heights, etc.
While the pound-for-pound are platonic, Topuria vs. Makhachev could be real
Makhachev dominated the 155 lbs division. He racked up four title defenses and elevating himself to a 27-1 record with 18 finishes. He rose to be one of the UFC’s biggest stars and most dominant fighters. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria was growing as fast as minute rice at 145. Topuria knocked out the best two featherweights of all time in Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Then, he wanted to face Makhachev at lightweight.
However, just as Topuria announced he was vacating the belt at 145 to go to lightweight, Makhachev did the same to go from 155 to 170. This means the megafight we wanted never happened. Having said so, Makhachev has stated he could come back to 155. On the other hand, Topuria has been adamant in fighting Makhachev, saying he knows how to beat him. If stars align, we could still have this fight in the future.
Not having a title might’ve cost Makhachev in the rankings
The UFC is the biggest and baddest MMA promotion in the world. Hence, they are taken as a serious powerhouse when it comes to quality. This is why it can be theorized that having a guy with no belt atop of the pound-for-pound rankings is not a good look.
With Topuria beating Oliveira in devastating fashion, it was a no-brainer to put him on top. Topuria is marketable, and has a blockbuster fighting style. Having him as the number one fighter in the world is credible. Now, though, there’s a question that has to be asked. If Islam Makhachev wins vs. JDM for the 170 title, will he go back to number one?