Dricus Du Plessis believes Ilia Topuria is the | MMA News
Rankings are subjective, but serve a couple of functions. They’re used to promote and to spark dialog and debate. There’s no good system, and the UFC rankings are no different.
While the system has flaws, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis believes the panelists obtained it proper in voting light-weight titleholder Ilia Topuria as the top pound-for-pound fighter.
“I believe Ilia is rightly where he deserves to be. He deserves to be at No. 1. What he’s been doing and how, in the fashion he’s been doing it, absolutely incredible,” Du Plessis said on the Ariel Helwani Show.
Topuria made his octagon debut in October 2020. He completed 4 of his first 5 UFC opponents. He earned a featherweight title shot by dominating Josh Emmett in June 2023. He then went on one of the most spectacular three-fight win streaks in the promotion’s historical past.
He knocked out longtime 145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski to seize the featherweight strap. He defended the championship against former featherweight titleholder Max Holloway, changing into the first fighter to knock the Hawaiian out. Topuria then relinquished the featherweight title to transfer up to the light-weight division with an undefeated report intact.
Related: Paddy Pimblett trashes top light-weight contenders
“El Matador” confronted former light-weight champion Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 main event for the vacant 155-pound championship. Islam Makhachev vacated the light-weight title to transfer up to the welterweight division and chase a second divisional UFC championship. Topuria knocked Oliveira out halfway through the first spherical to develop into a two-division UFC titleholder.
Du Plessis headlines this weekend’s UFC 319 battle card against the unbeaten Chimaev. While Du Plessis believes Topuria is rightfully ranked at No. 1, he thinks a win over Chimaev will strengthen his case for being ranked at the top.
“I think he (Topuria) is very deserving of No. 1. Merab [Dvalishvili] is incredible, but I think people’s grown, have grown so used to Islam Makhachev winning that they’ve forgot, they’ve forgotten how amazing he is,” Du Plessis said. “Being in that Top 3 is, it’s a tough ask. But after I beat Khamzat, what are you going to say? I mean, look at the names that I’ve fought, I’ve beaten.”
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