Why is the UFC ranking blocking Ilia Topuria despite his latest win?

Topuria did it again. The Spanish-Georgian fighter, as promised, became the first to defeat Max Holloway, a legend in the featherweight division, by knockout. With a right hook that disoriented the Hawaiian and a decisive left hook, El Matador has now made a huge impact on the history of MMA in Spain and the UFC.

The saying in the octagon is that a champion isn’t truly a champion until they successfully defend their title for the first time. Ilia, with his outstanding performance in Abu Dhabi, has already established himself as a champion. His victory, much like his win over Alexander Volkanovski, has major sporting and social implications. However, the new impact made by Topuria has yet to affect the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

On Tuesday, the American company updated its classification, which is the most prestigious of all. In this ranking, El Matador remains in the same position he held before his victory over Holloway: fourth place. Unlike the significant impact of his win over Volkanovski, which propelled Topuria directly into the pound-for-pound ranking at fifth, the Spanish-Georgian fighter has not been able to advance this time. The ranking orders fighters regardless of their weight class and also considers their past achievements. In this context, fighters like Jon Jones, who is currently in third place, have a considerable advantage. Despite having fought only once in the last four years, Jones is a UFC legend. He has an impressive record of 27 wins, 1 loss, and 0 draws, and many consider him the best of all time. On November 16, he will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic.

Ahead of Jones, there are two other fighters who are very hard to surpass. In second place is Alex Pereira (12-2-0), a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion who has successfully defended his titles three times. At the top is Islam Makhachev (26-1-0), the current undefeated champion at lightweight, who has also made three successful title defenses. He is currently regarded as a dominant force in the UFC.

Ilia Topuria has his sights set on three prominent names in the fighting world, with Islam Makhachev at the top of his list. After Topuria’s victory over Max Holloway, Makhachev congratulated him, despite having his own challenges throughout the year. “I like to accomplish things that no one else can,” Topuria said. “No one has submitted Islam Makhachev, so I want to be the one to do it. I’ve heard people laugh about this, but I don’t care. I will prove them wrong.” Topuria aspires to become a champion in three different divisions, a feat that could potentially elevate him to legendary status in the sport.

Respect above numbers

Despite the rankings, Topuria gained the respect in the MMA community with his recent knockout. In the days leading up to his fight against Holloway, the UFC had doubts about him, with 20 out of 24 surveyed fighters predicting a victory for the Hawaiian. However, after his performance in Abu Dhabi, those doubts were erased, and all the fighters acknowledged Topuria’s skills.

“Ilia Topuria is the fighter of the year, not Alex Pereira,” Henry Cejudo did not hesitate to assure. “Topuria has hands of stone. What a hell of an ending,” commented Justin Gaethje. And so, one after another. “At this weight class, it is true that he has no rival. Right now, I think that the two most important people within the promoter company are him and (Alex) Pereira”, analyzed one of Topuria’s trainers, Jorge Climent, for AS.

His next steps may hold the key to unlocking the pound-for-pound.