After an exciting card for UFC 314, we’re back to see if anything has changed in the land of MMA as a new champion is crowned. Now that Alexander “the Great” Volkanovski is the new Featherweight champion, this will shake up the entire division as we get ready to see who will qualify to be his next opponent. However, that’s the latest news that has come out of the UFC, with everyone focused on next week’s UFC Fight Night in Kansas City. Many, many fight cards haven’t been filled yet, and some cards don’t even have a main event. That means this should all change soon enough, with hopefully some announcements within the next two weeks. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with us.
1. Islam Makhachev:
Islam Makhachev remains the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov said that even though Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett’s strong performance Saturday would likely make them the next challenger, there was another guy that he thought would be a great opponent for Makhachev. That fighter is Arman Tsarukyan, who is not only ranked but would be an excellent opponent instead. I can’t wait to see what comes from this recent news that just came out recently.
2. Ilia Topuria:
Ilia Topuria has made hints, as there are rumors hitting the mills, but we still don’t have a fight signed for Ilia Topuria. Recently, he said that he would like to fight in summer or at least by September, which gives us a timeline. I don’t see them waiting till then to announce anything, so for now I feel that we’ll hear something over the next couple of weeks that could shock us. For now, we all wait for Dana White to wave his magic wand and give us the fight we deserve.
3. Jon Jones:
Knick, knack, paddywack, can someone get all of us a bone? That bone would be Jon “Bones” Jones finally getting paid and signing to fight Tom Aspinall. Now, if we could get that announced, that would be great. For that, we’ll keep Jones at the third spot but any more wins by anyone below him could result in him moving down, unless he retires.
4. Dricus Du Plessis:
Dricus Du Plessis stays at fourth while gearing up for his next fight. The last I’ve heard was that Du Plessis is most likely going to fight Khamzat Chimaev. Nassourdine Imavov was brought up again, but I still think the UFC is going to make Chimaev, Du Plessis’ next opponent. This fight is getting some traction, but until Uncle Dana announces it, we’ll have to wait.
5. Merab Dvalishvili:
Finally, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2 has been announced for UFC 316 in Jersey on June 7th. After that first fight, I know a lot of us can’t wait to see this matchup go down again. We’re still over a month away from this rematc,h so let’s just be excited we have this one signed and on paper.
6. Belal Muhammad:
Belal Muhammad is still set to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Barring any injuries or setbacks, this match is set in stone and proves why the UFC is one of the best brands in sports today. If you’re not watching the UFC right now, then you’re most likely not being entertained by what you’re watching. Trust me, you want to get in now because the future is bright with stars like these fighters.
7. Magomed Ankalaev:
Magomed Ankalaev has since settled into being the champion since defeating Alex Pereira. Ankalaev had said that the contract had been signed, which many feel that a rematch with Pereira is all but signed right now. Once it’s officially announced, you can bet that we’ll all be ready to see if Poatan can bring the pain, this time around.
8. Tom Aspinall:
Tom Aspinall still hasn’t heard a word about his fight with Jones and his fight camp yet. Of course, that isn’t going to happen any time soon, but everyone still wants Jones to be his next opponent. If or when this fight finally gets signed, we’ll have at least a few months before it goes down due to Jones’ request for six months to prepare. That means you should go grab yourself a subscription to Dr. Roto so that you have a lot of reading material while you wait.
9. Alex Pereira:
Alex Pereira looks like he’ll be getting a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev before moving up in weight or any other jazz you may be hearing right now. However, it’s not 100 percent set in stone, but from the rumblings I’m hearing, you can see this fight being announced by Dana White at some point in the near future.
10. Alexandre Pantoja:
Alexandre Pantoja waits in silence as the UFC tries to figure out his next opponent. So, like a lot of other fighters in this list, we’re waiting once again. However, Kyoji Horiguchi recently said that if he came back to the UFC, he would like a shot at Pantoja. If this is the only news we have, we’ll take it for no,w which keeps Volkanovski out of the rankings for now.