Merab Dvalishvili is becoming the kind of problem for the bantamweight division that there is currently no answers for.
At 34, the proud native of Georgia continues to make his claim for both inclusion in the conversation of pound-for-pound best in the sport and the increasing likelihood that he one day finishes his 135-pound title reign as the best bantamweight in the sport’s history.
Five months after he overcame a serious back injury to gas out and outpoint undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili welcomed back a fully healthy Sean O’Malley and his rematch against the former champion at UFC 316 in June. The second time around proved to be an even easier performance for Dvalishvili as he outstruck O’Malley en route to submitting him in Round 3 of a dominant performance.
The fact that Dvalishvili continues to round out his skills this late into his career has become a scary proposition for any 135-pounder on the planet. Already in possession of the greatest cardio MMA has ever seen, along with a grappling prowess that has produced the most completed takedowns in UFC history, Dvalishvili is now a threat on both the ground and feet.
Given his ability to endure and fight hurt (he also injured a pair of toes during his recent training camp), Dvalishvili is starting to give off the feeling that he’s indestructible.
A second win over O’Malley extended Dvalishvili’s win streak to 13 fights, which places him three shy of Anderson Silva’s UFC record. He also added yet another impressive win to a run that includes victories over Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice) and Nurmagomedov.
Should Dvalishvili continue to his current path of destruction, which could include a title defense against Cory Sandhagen later this summer, it won’t be long before the debate over whether he, Ilia Topuria or current P4P king Islam Makhachev are most deserving of the top spot only continues to grow.
It’s not as if Dvalishvili plans to sit on his laurels, either. The champ has made it his goal to bank two more title defenses in 2025, which would leave him (if successful) as the only champion in UFC history to defend a title four times in a calendar year.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev — Lightweight
Record: 27-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Makhachev chose to vacate his 155-pound title despite the presence of former featherweight king Ilia Topuria moving up to his division. At 33, Makhachev is looking to add to his increasingly legendary resume by competing for a title in a second weight class. He’s expected to challenge new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena this year with a shot at equaling Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins.
2. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight
Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: 2
Topuria, a native of Georgia who fights out of Spain, looks very much to be the next breakout star in MMA after earning fighter of the year in 2024 with knockouts of the P4P-ranked Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. The former 145-pound champion surprised the MMA world when he vacated his UFC title in February to pave the way for a move up to lightweight. A vacant lightweight title bout against Charles Oliveira is on tap for UFC 317 in June.
3. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Record: 20-4 | Previous ranking: 3
It’s scary to think about but, at age 34, “The Machine” only continues to get better as his 135-pound title reign continues. Five months after he outpointed unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov despite an injured back, Dvalishvili submitted former champion Sean O’Malley in their June rematch at UFC 316. With cardio for days and improved striking, Dvalishvili is slowly becoming a complete fighter and he’s expected to return against top contender Cory Sandhagen.
4. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight champion
Record: 22-2 | Previous ranking: 4
Say what you will about his lumbering and often raw style of forward pressure, the native of South Africa has achieved tremendous results throughout nine unbeaten trips to the Octagon. The defending 185-pound champion returned to Australia in February to widely outpoint Sean Strickland in their title rematch. A showdown with unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev looms for August at UFC 319 in Chicago as DDP plots his return while recovering from injury.
5. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Record: 29-5 | Previous ranking: 6
After relying much more on his iron will than his P4P skills to take the flyweight title from Brandon Moreno last summer, the Brazilian submission expert has stayed busy since with a trio of title defenses against Brandon Royval (in their rematch), Steve Erceg and, most recently, UFC debutant Kai Asakura. At 35, Pantoja is in the best shape of his career as he prepares to take on Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 in June.
6. Jon Jones — Heavyweight champion
Record: 27-1, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 5
In just his second fight in five years, Jones shook off an 18-month layoff from pectoral surgery to dominate former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. While the performance was complete, it came against a 42-year-old opponent who hadn’t fought in three years. The fact that Jones has still not yet fought interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall remains a potential major stain to his legacy as UFC continues to enable “Bones” without stripping him of the belt.
7. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion
Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: 7
A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power.
8. Magomed Ankalaev — Light heavyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 7
The native of Dagestan, Russia, finally got his shot at Alex Pereira’s 205-pound title at UFC 313 in March and Ankalev delivered a strong and technical performance to take the title. He also extended his unbeaten streak to an impressive 14 fights. Even though Ankalaev went 0-for-12 on takedown attempts against Pereira, he showed a well-rounded game by pressuring his opponent and landing the cleaner strikes without making a crucial mistake.
9. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight
Record: 12-3 | Previous ranking: No. 9
The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger finally welcomed the well-rounded game and grappling threat of top contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. The result brought an end to Pereira’s historic run as 205-pound champion, which included three title defenses in a UFC record of just 176 days in 2024. Expect “Poatan” to secure an immediate rematch as any future talks of moving up to heavyweight need to be shelved in order to look to avenge his title defeat.
10. Jack Della Maddalena — Welterweight champion
Record: 24-4, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 10
Despite a 14-month layoff and close victories in his previous three fights, the Australian slugger became the class of the 170-pound division with his hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Della Maddalena showed elite boxing and footwork yet it was his takedown defense and improvements on the ground which played the biggest role in JDM conquering such a deep division.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Khamzat Chimaev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Tom Aspinall, Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Belal Muhammad
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Record: 24-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
The future Hall of Famer only continued to cement her legacy even further at UFC 315 in May when she outpointed the red-hot Manon Fiorot over five rounds. The 37-year-old Shevchenko, who improved her UFC record for title wins by a female with 10, also achieved her eighth title defense by making the championship adjustments when it mattered most. A superfight against strawweight queen Zhang Weili could be on tap to close 2025.
2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion
Record: 25-3 | Previous ranking: No. 2
Zhang improved to 10-0 in the UFC against everyone not named Rose Namajunas when she dominated unbeaten Tatiana Suarez over five rounds at UFC 312 in February. At 35, Zhang only continues to round out her game while teasing aspirations of moving up to 125 pounds and attempting to become a two-division champion. Could a superfight against Valentina Shevchenko be in her future?
3. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight champion
Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: 3
Despite enduring an insane cut to make championship weight of 135 pounds, Harrison dominated two-time champion Juianna Pena at UFC 316 in June to capture the women’s bantamweight title. A showdown against former champion (and former teammate) Amanda Nunes appears to be next as MMA’s female G.O.A.T. returns to the sport at age 37. Either way, Harrison’s inspirational story of persevering provided a true feel-good moment.
4. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Record: 12-2 | Previous ranking: 5
The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. Fiorot rebounded from a disastrous first round in which her nose was battered to rely on her size and clinch work against Shevchenko in a close chess match that felt like it could’ve been scored either way.
5. Natalia Silva — Flyweight
Record: 19-5-1 | Previous ranking: NR
Unbeaten in seven trips to the Octagon, Silva earned a decision in May at UFC 315 against former champion Alexa Grasso to put the 28-year-old native of Brazil in position for a possible title shot. The dynamic striker has won 13 fights in a row overall since a 2017 loss on the regional scene to Marina Rodriguez and remains a difficult test for any flyweight given her speed, feints and accurate strikes.
Dropped out: Julianna Pena
Just missed: Virna Jandiroba, Erin Blanchfield, Pena, Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez
