Ilia Topuria did more than claim gold at UFC 317, he rattled the entire UFC P4P (pound-for-pound) rankings! With a thunderous TKO win over Charles Oliveira, the Georgian-Spanish star not only took home the lightweight belt but also soared to the No. 1 spot in the P4P list. But not everyone’s cheering.
Team Khabib, led by Ali Abdelaziz, wasn’t about to let the rankings shake-up go unanswered. And just days after the rankings dropped, the longtime manager of Islam Makhachev shared a pointed message on Instagram.
It wasn’t subtle as the Dominance MMA CEO shared an image of Makahchev brandishing two machine guns on his Instagram story and wrote, “The real P4P king: Beat Prime Volk on a 22 fight win streak. Beat prime Oliviera on a 12-fight win streak.”
The subtext? While ‘El Matador’ may be riding a wave of hype, Makhachev’s resume speaks louder. The Dagestani juggernaut, who vacated the lightweight crown to chase another title at welterweight, has only lost once in his entire MMA career. That loss? A knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins all the way back in 2015. Since then, there’s been no slowing down for Makhachev as he now holds the record for most total UFC lightweight title defenses with 4 to his name.
But is it enough to keep him on top? Not according to Chael Sonnen. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the UFC veteran and current analyst broke it down in classic ‘Bad Guy’ fashion.
Sonnen began by stating, “So if you guys have seen the rankings, obviously the number one spot goes to Islam, which is then going to have us something to debate. Should it have been Ilia or are we responsible enough to resist Ariel Helwani’s favorite term, “the receny bias” and keep Islam on top?”
Premiere of the documentary Topuria Matador in Madrid Fighter Ilia Topuria poses at the photocall of the premiere of the documentary Topuria Matador, at the Callao Cinemas, September 18, 2024, in Madrid Spain Topuria Matador is the story of Ilias personal overcoming, from his native Georgia at war and his arrival in Spain, to catapult as the UFC world champion, wrapped by his wife, family, friends and training partners 18 SEPTEMBER 2024 TOPURIA PREMIERE PREMIERE DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE Madrid Madrid Madrid Spain PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxESP Copyright: xRicardoxRubiox 6220918
Then came the curveball as he confessed, “They gave it to Ilia. They put Ilia over Islam. And you know what? I don’t think it’s possible not to.” According to Sonnen, the current rules of the rankings panel make Ilia Topuria’s rise undeniable. As an active champion without a current weight-class ranking, Topuria could only be considered for pound-for-pound status. And with consecutive wins over Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Max Holloway, his stock was simply too high to ignore.
‘The Bad Guy’ also emphasized, “How would you take a sitting world champion and then tell us that he is behind a guy that doesn’t have a belt? That’s tough isn’t it? ”
Topuria’s undefeated record of 17-0 certainly adds weight to the debate. He’s now a two-division champ, though he relinquished the featherweight title before returning to lightweight. That detail didn’t stop the panel from rewarding his dominance across divisions.
Still, the rankings decision has clearly struck a nerve with Team Khabib. And it’s not just Chael Sonnen who is firmly behind ‘El Matador’s rise to the top of the P4P mountain!
Kamaru Usman backs Chael Sonnen’s argument as he hands over the P4P crown to Ilia Topuria
Former UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman couldn’t hide his admiration for Ilia Topuria’s recent run. After watching Topuria dismantle Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Usman declared the Georgian-Spanish star as the unquestionable top dog in the sport.
Speaking on an episode of the aptly named ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman confessed, “I give Ilia Topuria pound-for-pound, I’ve been pondering that all since I saw that fight.”
And Usman didn’t stop there. He compared Topuria’s dominance to that of Alex Pereira during the Brazilian’s remarkable run in the promotion, where he captured the middleweight and light heavyweight crowns, but made one thing clear: the level of opposition mattered.
According to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, “Alex Pereira wasn’t doing that against necessarily the caliber Ilia’s doing that against – not just necessarily doing that, not just the caliber, but everything he’s putting into this fight.”
In a sport where most strikers avoid the ground with ‘Do Bronx’, Topuria met him there, and beat him. Then, as always, he used his fists to close the show. As such, Usman further shared, “Who has showed all the skill sets, all the facets of the game, as well as he has and still put them away with his hands, mano a mano, putting them away?”
In the end, while Team Khabib stands firm on Islam Makhachev’s legacy, voices like Chael Sonnen and Kamaru Usman are echoing a different reality. Topuria’s run, the names he’s beaten, and the way he’s done it have made him undeniable!
The post Team Khabib’s Dig at Ilia Topuria Triggers UFC Legend’s Response After Islam Makhachev’s P4P Drop appeared first on EssentiallySports.
