Ilia Topuria could be back in the octagon soon. But what awaits the UFC’s undisputed lightweight champion?
In his absence, an interim champion was crowned at UFC 324, where Justin Gaethje won a decision over Paddy Pimblett to claim that status for the second time in his career. He is now expected to meet Topuria in a unification bout on a date to be determined.
UFC 325 also saw fights of consequence take place in the lightweight division, as Benoit Saint Denis continued his resurgence with a finish of Dan Hooker, and Mauricio Ruffy broke through to our top 10 by knocking out Rafael Fiziev.
Outside of the UFC, Usman Nurmagomedov continued his dominance of the PFL as he ran through Alfie Davis at PFL Dubai to improve to 21-0 (1 NC). Nurmagomedov is unquestionably the best lightweight not in the UFC – a situation that could change by year’s end if he chooses to pursue free agency.
For now, our panel wasn’t particularly moved by Gaethje’s interim title win, nor Nurmagomedov’s excellence in a league searching for an identity, so there’s no change in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings from 1-6. There could be movement when Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira meet in a long-awaited rematch at UFC 326, but the truth is that until Topuria’s first title defense is in the books – and some would argue, until he settles the score with No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan – don’t expect there to be much change in MMA’s deepest division.
Check out MMA Fighting’s updated 155-pound rankings below.
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