1. Islam Makhachev: Dana White still hasn’t announced anything regarding Islam Makhachev’s next fight. That means we’re still waiting but at least we have this weekend to look forward to.
2. Alex Pereira: With UFC 313 this Saturday, Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev are ready to go to war in the octagon. Regardless of the outcome, Pereira will most likely be moving up in weight to set up a dream match for us in the future.
3. Jon Jones: Jon Jones still has no fight announcement as of right now but rumors still say it’s going to be Tom Aspinall sometime in 2025. So Jones stays idle at the third spot until something is finally set in stone.
4. Dricus Du Plessis: Dricus Du Plessis is gearing up for his next fight and it looks like it could be one of two opponents. Those two are Khamzat Chimaev or Nassourdine Imavov, which is starting to lean Chimaev’s way for the next match.
5. Ilia Topuria: Just like Makhachev, Ilia Topuria is also waiting to see who his next opponent is right now. Regardless of who he fights, I know all of us in the land of MMA can’t wait.
6. Merab Dvalishvili: Dana White recently hinted that we could be looking at another Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley part two. That sits well with me since their last fight was a war that Dvalishvili won on the cards.
7. Tom Aspinall: Tom Aspinall is still waiting to see if he’s fighting Jon Jones, letting him sit at the seventh spot for now. Since my rankings last week, Aspinall has said that Jones’ camp is the one holding this up and he’s getting frustrated with waiting. At this point he’ll take anyone if it means another payday for him.
8. Belal Muhammad: Belal Muhammad will be defending his title against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. This fight is going to be a burner that could end up with the champ retaining.
9. Alexandre Pantoja: With Kai Kara-French is still likely to be Alexandre Pantoja’s next opponent at UFC 314. We still haven’t heard a word from Uncle Dana regarding this fight so far. One can only assume that if it isn’t mentioned before UFC 313, we should hear something by next week.
10. Leon Edwards: On March 22nd, Leon Edwards will be facing Sean Brady at UFC Fight Night. This fight is going to be off-the-hook, since Edwards is still seething from his loss to Belal Muhammad. Brady isn’t a push over either which means this could be the fight of the night if it goes the distance.
