With UFC Nashville this Saturday, I don’t see anything changing on these rankings, especially after all week off. So I’ve been watching to see if anything pops up but the only fights that are being mentioned right now, have nothing to do with any of these fighters. That means I’ll update what I’ve heard and have the rest for when it matters. You’ll also want to stay tuned for the Fight Club of Pain which will be airing live Thursday at 7 pm EST. Don’t forget about my Five-tastic Picks article which is only on the Dr. Roto network. Now it’s time to get to the rankings for this week. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you.
1. Ilia Topuria: Ilia Topuria is now the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world after knocking out Charles Oliveira. Since then, Topuria had been running his mouth but choosing his spots when he takes his shots on the X. It’s fun watching him cuss everyone out and then you have the rumors that Justin Gaethje and him may happen at UFC 322. That matchup would be a barn-burner since both guys live to meet in the middle and bang.
2. Islam Makhachev: Islam Makhachev is preparing himself to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the Welterweight Championship. From what I’ve heard they’re targeting October or November which would take place at Abu Dhabi or MSG. Both venues would be great but as a long-time wrestling fan, I want to see this go down at MSG. Till then we’ll have to wait and see if this fight gets scheduled for those dates.
3. Merab Dvalishvili: Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley via submission this past weekend at UFC 316. This extended his winning streak to 13 as he broke down Sean easily and cemented his legacy like we talked about in the Fight Club of Pain. Now the champ can rest while he waits for his next challenger to step up. I’m sure we’ll know the frontrunner soon enough but for now, Dvalishvili moves up one spot to third for his dominant performance over O’Malley.
4. Alexandre Pantoja: Alexandre Pantoja dismantled Kai Kara-France within two rounds giving us those fireworks I talked about for weeks. Not only did Pantoja out-class Kara-France on their feet, he also took him down immediately and held him there for most of the fight. That’s when the opportunity to choke out Kara-France finally presented itself, leading to Pantoja tapping him out. After reconsideration, I have moved him to fourth putting him right where I like him.
5. Dricus Du Plessis: Dricus Du Plessis moves down to the fifth spot while gearing up for his next fight against Khamzat Chimaev. That fight will take place at UFC 319, which is in Chicago. I’ve caught some flack for having DDP ranked so high but I love how great he can be. Anyone that can dominate Sean Strickland the way DDP has done only shows why he deserves this spot. However, since I rank my rankings on fighters who fight or have fought, DDP slips a little until his war with Chimaev.
6. Alexander Volkanovski: Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski stays ranked as my sixth pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now that Volk is on this list, let’s talk about what he did to Diego Lopes. In their fight, Volkanovski kept on fighting which many people thought was a stupid decision. Instead he threw down with Lopes before taking him down and winning the fight. I’m sure we’ll hear about what’s next for Volk soon enough but for now we’ll welcome him to the party that Jon Jones just ducked out of.
7. Tom Aspinall: Tom Aspinall finally received his answer from Jones about their fight and it was answered with his retirement. That means Ciryl Gane becomes the matchup that everyone wants to see. Tom also mentioned that he wouldn’t mind fighting Jailton Almeida and Alexander Volkov, who he has barren before. However, with so many people talking about how Tom can’t handle Gane, you can bet that when this fight goes down, Tom will bring the pain.
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, but we’re waiting on this match until Pereira is ready. 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. Jack Della Maddalena: After defeating Belal Muhammad I removed him from the list until there’s a clear path for a rematch or title bout. Unfortunately for JDM, Makhachev is coming for him so he better get ready because Islam is nothing like Muhammed. He’ll run right through you if you stand there and if it goes to the mats, it’s most likely over. However, the champ does have a fighting chance and defending Belal’s takedowns aren’t easy. Hopefully this fight gets signed soon but I would be surprised to see this one around the holidays.
10. Alex Pereira: Alex Pereira looks like he’ll be getting a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev as soon as he’s ready. Alex did say that he didn’t feel ready when asked about 317 but that doesn’t mean he isn’t ready to throw kana at Ank. Alex recently said “No one knows he’s champion,” after Ankalaev decided to talk trash after turning down the rematch a few weeks back. Since then Alex has been enjoying his time off while he gets ready for his rematch with Ank. He even grew his hair back and had been leaving videos of his training recently which could spell trouble for Ankalaev once the date is set. CHAMA!
