Welcome back, everyone, for another week of power rankings after another exciting UFC Fight Night event. With UFC Noche having its ups and downs, one thing remained, and that man’s name is Diego Lopes. In the final seconds of round two, Lopes threw a spinning elbow that caught Jean Silva while he was going for the finish. With this dominant performance, Lopes has put himself back at the top as a future contender for Alexander Volkanovski’s title. That means this week the rankings haven’t moved due to the off week. Next week, we’ll be back to now fights as the UFC invades Australia for Ulberg vs. Reyes. Also, the Fight Club of Pain will be live on Friday next week at 7 pm EST, due to us traveling on Thursday. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you.
- Ilia Topuria: Ilia Topuria is still the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Since then, a lot of fighters have been running their mouths, with one finally getting his wish. On December 6th, in Las Vegas, Topuria will defend his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 323.
- Islam Makhachev: Islam Makhachev is preparing himself to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the Welterweight Championship. This match is rumored to take place on November 15th, in Madison Square Garden, at UFC 322. This will be the perfect fight to start off the holiday season with.
- Merab Dvalishvili: Merab Dvalishvili is set to take on Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event at UFC 320, on October 4th, in Las Vegas. With both fighters having similar styles, this could be a fight where both fighters try to stay on their feet, but in reality, we know it’s going to hit the ground.
- Alexandre Pantoja: After Alexandre Pantoja dismantled Kai Kara-France in their title fight, things immediately picked up when Joshua Van entered the ring for a face-off. Since this face-off, it has been talked about that Pantoja should be facing Joshua Van at UFC 323. It hasn’t been officially signed yet, but this is another match that is going to be wild since both fighters fight at a high pace.
- Khamzat Chimaev: Khamzat Chimaev takes over the fifth spot after beating Dricus Du Plessis for the title at UFC 319. With a rematch most likely not happening, the next set of opponents has been set up. Reinier De Ridder is fighting Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez on October 18th at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver. Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borrahlo last weekend, setting up one of two fighters who will have a chance to challenge for Chimaev’s title.
- Alexander Volkanovski: Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski stays ranked as my sixth pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Next up for Volk will most likely be Lerone Murphy, who remained undefeated after knocking out Aaron Pico. However, after Diego Lopes knocked out Jean Silva, there’s no doubt that these three will be fighting in some shape or form in the future. I could see Murphy getting the shot during the holiday season while Lopes gets a chance at the winner.
- Tom Aspinall: On October 25th in Abu Dhabi, Tom Aspinall will be defending his Heavyweight Championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. Aspinall has been hungry for a fight for a long time, but people think Gane is going to walk him. I don’t see that happening, but the Gane fans can hope.
- Magomed Ankalaev: Magomed Ankalaev finally has a date set to defend his title against Alex Pereira. That defense is going to take place at UFC 320 in Las Vegas on October 4th. A lot of people have wanted to see this matchup since Pereira lost the belt to Ank back at UFC 313. Ankalaev will be ready and has gone on record saying that this time he’ll be finishing Pereira inside the distance.
- Jack Della Maddalena: Jack Della Maddalena doesn’t care that Islam Makhachev is coming for him. JDM knows that Makhachev is the complete package and is his toughest opponent yet. With the match now scheduled, you can bet that JDM can’t wait to prove everyone wrong by beating Makhachev on November 15th.
- Alex Pereira: Alex Pereira finally has his rematch with Magomed Ankalaev scheduled for UFC 320 on October 4th. Since losing the title, Pereira has been training like a madman to prove to all of his critics that he isn’t washed up. CHAMA!