As we approach the end of April, we have another UFC Fight Night one up this week in Kansas City. As Ian Machado-Garry prepares to fight the Fighting Nerds, Carlos Prates, I can’t help but be excited for great fights and the NFL Draft. With no recent news that will affect these rankings, we’ll stick to the rumor mills for anything that we can get hold of. Ilia Topuria did leave a post on the X that has me excited, but Dana White still needs to announce the fight before we throw a party. For now, let’s get to the rankings. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you.
1. Islam Makhachev:
Islam Makhachev remains the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. However, there still haven’t been any updates as to who Makhachev’s next opponent is from his camp or Dana White. We did have another fighter say that training camp is open, which could mean an announcement could be made later today or within the next week.
2. Ilia Topuria:
Ilia Topuria said on the X that the camp has begun. From what I have read, there’s talk that it’s going to be for a belt, which would make him a double champ. Regardless, I feel this could finally lead to the super fight we all want to see against Makhachev. The target date for this fight is UFC 317, which gives them a lot of time to prepare and hopefully announce it.
3. Jon Jones:
Knick, knack, paddy wack, 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 remains in the fourth spot while gearing up for his next fight. The last I’ve heard was that Du Plessis is most likely going to fight Khamzat Chimaev. However, with speculation of an injury to Du Plessis, it currently leaves this match-up in limbo. This may be smoke in mirrors because both Du Plessis and Chimaev recently went at it on the X. Does that mean the match is imminent? I can’t say, but what I do know is that at least we have some action going on between the two.
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 rematch, 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. Tom Aspinall:
Tom Aspinall has been keeping a secret, apparently, and from what Chael Sonnen is saying, the fight is agreed upon, but no date has been set. If this is true, this is great news, so all we have to do now is wait for an announcement. I saw earlier in the UFC’s Facebook group that two big fight announcements are coming soon, which could be this fight and hopefully Makhachev vs. Topuria.
8. Magomed Ankalaev:
Magomed Ankalaev has since settled into being the champion since defeating Alex Pereira. Ankalaev has said that the contract is all but signed, which I feel is a rematch with Pereira. 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. Till then, we all wait for Uncle Dana to give us the word
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. One thing I do know is Poatan has been training hard so once this fight is announced, you can bet it’s going down as soon as possible.
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. Pantoja liked this comment and said it would be a pleasure to fight Horiguchi. For now, we’ll take it, but it makes you wonder if the UFC is holding out these announcements because of their meetings with Netflix. If that’s the case, then we’ll be waiting until that deal is done, or if they choose to stay with ESPN.