We finally had two fights announced as of Tuesday for UFC 316 and that excites a lot of us going forward. Of course, I’ll outline that in the rankings below, but we’re all still waiting for other fights to be announced so that we can stay planning our summer. I mean, who doesn’t like watching a PPV with a bunch of your friends and a table of food? Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you.
1. Islam Makhachev: Islam Makhachev remains at number one since his next opponent hasn’t been announced as of this article. We’re still hearing the same names as his opponents as Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria remain the top two considerations.
2. Jon Jones: Jon Jones and his camp are still treading mud as they stand strong in their stance that they want 50 million to fight again. Retirement seems to be coming up again, but I do not believe that jargon. Let’s get this fight done so Tom Aspinall can get into bigger and better things.
3. Ilia Topuria: Ilia Topuria went on Instagram and said that the UFC promised that his next fight would be for the Lightweight title. If that’s true, and if it goes down, we will finally have a super fight on our hands between Makhachev and Topuria. I can’t wait to hear this fight announced.
4. Dricus Du Plessis: Dricus Du Plessis status at four while gearing up for his next fight. The last I heard was that Du Plessis is most likely going to fight Khamzat Chimaev. There are no updates as of right now, so we’ll be waiting for Uncle Dana to announce this fight in the future.
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. Make sure you stay tuned in for the Fight Club of Pain that week for all of your betting and DFS needs.
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, you are not entertained.
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, and many feel that a rematch with Pereira may be in the near future. Once it’s announced, you can bet that we’ll all be ready to see if Poatan can do what he didn’t in their first fight.
8. Tom Aspinall: Tom Aspinall is still waiting on a decision for his next fight but there are rumors this is going to happen at UFC 317. However, that doesn’t line up with Jones asking for six months to prepare for this fight, so until something happens, we’re all still waiting. However, I’ll take more antics from Aspinall and his camp for laughs along the way.
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: A turn of events has led to Alexandre Pantoja not being part of UFC 314 now, and it’s said that nothing is set in stone for UFC 316 either, especially after Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 was announced. However Kai Kara-French may not be his opponent so we wait again to see who Pantoja will be fighting.
