Kayla Harrison and Merab Dvalishvili are making a strong push for the coveted No. 1 spot in the rankings.
While perhaps a cliché, this phrase accurately describes the impact of the statements these two bantamweight champions made at UFC 316. Harrison ascended to the top of her division, while Dvalishvili maintained his dominant position. Both fighters were already leading their respective weight classes in our rankings before their recent victories, and now they have significantly bolstered their arguments for achieving the top spot on the overall Pound-for-Pound charts.
Most observers would agree that further accomplishments are still needed to reach No. 1 overall. However, in this latest update to the MMA Fighting rankings, both Harrison and Dvalishvili have climbed into the top 3 (Dvalishvili shares his spot with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja). Interestingly, both fighters face different kinds of challenges in potentially moving up further.
For Harrison, a highly anticipated superfight against a returning Amanda Nunes is reportedly in the works. Should she overcome that challenge, the landscape at 135 pounds doesn`t offer many other equally compelling matchups. Amanda Nunes famously reached the No. 1 spot through a legendary win streak and by competing for featherweight titles in the UFC. It`s unclear if Harrison will remain at bantamweight long enough to build a similar resume and challenge fighters like Zhang Weili or Valentina Shevchenko for Pound-for-Pound supremacy.
On the men`s side, Dvalishvili is now ranked behind only Islam Makachev and Ilia Topuria and has appeared nearly unbeatable for the past seven years. Yet, he competes in arguably one of the deepest divisions in mixed martial arts. Even if he defeats the likely next contender, Cory Sandhagen, it feels somewhat inevitable that a talented bantamweight could eventually pose a significant threat to his reign.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe we will see either Kayla Harrison or Merab Dvalishvili reach the No. 1 spot on a Pound-for-Pound list in the future?
Pound-for-Pound Rankings Data
Women`s Rankings
Recent Results for Ranked Fighters (Previous Ranking Shown):
- No. 4 Kayla Harrison def. No. 13 Julianna Peña
Upcoming Bouts Featuring Ranked Fighters:
- No. 8 Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba (PFL Africa, July 26)
- No. 13 Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick (UFC Atlanta, June 14)
- No. 14 Seika Izawa vs. Yu Jin Shin (Super RIZIN 4, July 27)
- No. 20 Liz Carmouche vs. Elora Dana (PFL 6, June 20)
Fighters Also Receiving Votes (Number of Ballot Appearances Shown):
- Norma Dumont (3)
- Jessica Andrade (2)
- Maycee Barber (2)
- Macy Chiasson (1)
- Amanda Lemos (1)
- Gillian Robertson (1)
Men`s Rankings
Recent Results for Ranked Fighters (Previous Ranking Shown):
- No. 4 Merab Dvalishvili def. No. 19 Sean O’Malley
- Mario Bautista def. No. 16 Patchy Mix
Upcoming Bouts Featuring Ranked Fighters:
- No. 2 Ilia Topuria vs. No. 17 Charles Oliveira (UFC 317, June 28)
- No. 3 (tied) Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France (UFC 317, June 28)
- No. 5 Dricus du Plessis vs. No. 14 Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 319, Aug. 16)
- No. 11 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC 318, July 19)
Fighters Also Receiving Votes (Number of Ballot Appearances Shown):
- Sean Brady (4)
- Jiri Prochazka (3)
- Movsar Evloev (2)
- Francis Ngannou (2)
- Brandon Moreno (1)
- Sean O’Malley (1)
Falling Out of the Rankings (Previous Ranking Shown):
- No. 16 Patchy Mix
- No. 19 Sean O’Malley
Percy Harlow