It’s Thursday, and it’s the first day of May, so let’s go over some rankings for some of the best MMA fighters in the world. That starts this week as we have a great Bantamweight Main Event featuring Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. That being said, we have had a lot of rumors and speculation hit the web since. So let’s dive into that wildness and see if we can make any sense of it. Also, make sure you check out the Fight Club of Pain this week for all of your UFC betting and DFS needs. 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, everything is starting to get wild with everyone else in the division. After Ian Machado-Garry’s win over Carlos Prates on Saturday, Garry said that he deserves this match, but Sean Brady quickly fired back, saying he doesn’t deserve it at all. After that, Ilia Topuria said that he wants to be the first guy to submit the champ, and when Uncle Dana was asked about this, all he said was that there are a lot of possibilities.
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, but we still don’t have a definitive answer yet.
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. Yes, I kept this the same write-up for Jones because I’m going to keep singing knick-knack paddy whack until Jones or his camp breaks silence.
4. Dricus Du Plessis: Dricus Du Plessis remains in the fourth spot while gearing up for his next fight. The last news I’ve heard from Dana White is that Du Plessis is going to fight Khamzat Chimaev. When and where it’s going to be is still in the works, but after Dana gives us confirmation, it can’t be much longer. I can’t wait to see this fight, and with Du Plessis’ recent hate on him, it only adds fuel to the champ’s fire.
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. This fight is so close we can all taste the blood that will be spilled.
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. Then we have Din Thomas saying that Aspinall will headline UFC 317 against Ciryl Gane. This has become a circus at this point, and seeing everyone making fun of Jones has become downright hilarious.
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, who is a teammate of his. For now, we’ll take I,t 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.
