Ilia Topuria Edges Past Islam Makhachev in P4P Rankings According to UFC Champ Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili puts Ilia Topuria above Islam Makhachev in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

Ilia Topuria Edges Past Islam Makhachev in P4P Rankings According to UFC Champ Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili believes Ilia Topuria is the top pound-for-pound fighter above Islam Makhachev (via X)

Last weekend at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria shocked the entire MMA community by winning his second UFC championship belt impressively. The fighter brutally knocked out veteran Charles Oliveira and secured the UFC lightweight title in front of a stunned Las Vegas crowd. Topuria’s dominating victory has elevated his status, and according to Merab Dvalishvili, he should top the pound-for-pound rankings.

Both Dvalishvili and Topuria are proud Georgians who share a wholesome and supportive relationship built on mutual respect and friendship. Recently, the bantamweight champion appeared on the Ariel Helwani Show and discussed Topuria’s dominant UFC 317 performance at length. During the same interview, Dvalishvili also revealed his personal updated version of the UFC’s current pound-for-pound rankings list.

Right now, I will say Ilia. Number one. Who does this? I mean, he’s undefeated and how he wins the last three fights and [he’s a] two-division champion. Number two, Islam. I will say number three, Pantoja. Number four(Merab Dvalishvili) is good. I have to be [humble] because I don’t wanna overlook my opponents.

As Dvalishvili mentioned, Topuria has now officially surpassed Islam Makhachev in the latest updated pound-for-pound UFC rankings. The Dagestani champion had impressively ruled the top spot for more than 600 consecutive days before finally being dethroned. With this achievement, Topuria becomes the 10th fighter in UFC history to reach the #1 position in men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Apart from that, Dvalishvili is currently ranked #3, sitting above Dricus Du Plessis and Alexandre Pantoja at #4 and #5, respectively. However, as the Georgian champion explained, flyweight king Pantoja deserves a higher ranking due to his four successful UFC title defenses. Still, the current rankings are a definite improvement and much fairer to the Brazilian compared to his earlier placements.

Nevertheless, while discussing Topuria, Dvalishvili revealed he stopped sparring with ‘El Matador’ because of his unbelievable knockout power. The Georgian admitted getting dropped multiple times from Topuria’s brutal body shots, which aligns with his current knockout streak. From vacating the featherweight title to capturing lightweight gold and topping the pound-for-pound list, Topuria is currently looking unstoppable.

UFC Hall of Famers believe Ilia Topuria should have three belts

Ilia Topuria’s meteoric UFC rise showcases his devastating knockout power and elite trash-talking skills that mentally break opponents beforehand. UFC 317 served as undeniable proof of his dominance, as he predicted the outcome and delivered with surgical precision and confidence. Topuria’s ability to visualize and then execute his wins has made him one of the most dangerous and marketable stars in the sport.

Ilia Topuria wins the lightweight championship
Ilia Topuria wins the lightweight championship (via X)

Last year, Topuria was among the UFC’s best, knocking out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in the featherweight division. He captured the featherweight title from Volkanovski and defended it successfully against Holloway in a high-stakes, action-packed championship showdown.

However, despite Holloway holding the BMF belt at the time, that title was not on the line during their fight. Recently, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen questioned this decision during a podcast, sparking discussion about missed promotional opportunities.

There was a mistake made. The mistake was made to put Ilia in there with the reigning BMF champion and not to put up that belt. That son of a b**ch should have three belts right now… The marketing and the posters are totally different if we had that… Ilia Topuria should have two [belts] over his shoulders and one around his waist. I really do think that was an error, and I’m glad that error is not going to be made the next time Max fights. I’m glad they are making him put the belt up.

Now, Topuria is motivated to make his octagon return later this year and there are already several top contenders waiting. Among them, Paddy Pimblett is the biggest name given his recent face-off with the Georgian-Spanish fighter at UFC 317.