Merab Dvalishvili excluded himself when ranking the top 3 pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC.
The UFC’s pound-for-pound conversation wasn’t what it was a year or two ago, with newer champions like Ilia Topuria, Dricus du Plessis and Dvalishvili atop the rankings, just behind the #1 seed Islam Makhachev.
However, not everybody agrees with the pound-for-pound rankings—certainly not flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who was ranked #9 before his fourth successful title defense against Kai Kara-France at UFC 317.
No longer the champion after vacating his belt, Makhachev still holds on to the #1 spot while the new lightweight champion Topuria is ranked #2 and Dvalishvili is #3 in the rankings.
If Dvalishvili had it his way, the pound-for-pound rankings would look drastically different.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Merab Dvalishvili ranks Ilia Topuria as pound-for-pound best fighter in UFC
Despite the fact he has 6 wins over former world champions and hasn’t lost in seven years, Dvalishvili doesn’t consider himself to be the pound-for-pound best.
When asked for his personal rankings, Dvalishvili would have to go with his Georgian teammate Topuria following his second title win last weekend.
Topuria finished former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira in a couple of minutes at UFC 317, and prior to that, he KO’ed Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in back-to-back title fights at featherweight.
“Right now, I will say Ilia. Number one,” Dvalishvili said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Who does this? I mean, he’s undefeated and how he wins the last three fights and [he’s a] two division champion.
In the same interview, Dvalishvili said he had to stop sparring with Topuria because of his power.
“Number two, Islam,” Dvalishvili continued.
“I will say number three, Pantoja…”
“You’re too humble,” Ariel Helwani responded to Dvalishvili leaving himself out of the top 3.
“Number four is good,” Dvalishvili replied.
“I have to be [humble] because I don’t wanna overlook my opponents.”
Merab gives us his current P4P rankings:
1. Ilia Topuria
2. Islam Makhachev
3. Alexandre Pantoja
4. Merab Dvalishvili
What a legend, this guy. pic.twitter.com/NPISMLrfRd
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 30, 2025
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“So much respect to him for being honest! That’s the exact order I have it in too,” a fan wrote on X.
“This is actually the correct list. I had Merab at 3, but if he says Pantoja is, then that’s what it is,” another fan said of Dvalishvili’s ranking.
Merab Dvalishvili says the UFC is letting him choose next fight
Speaking of opponents, Dvalishvili is apparently getting ‘dibs’ on his third-straight title defense.
Dvalishvili has defended his title twice against the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley and is already being considered as one of the greatest bantamweights of all time. ‘The Machine’ will look to fight again closer to October and November, he told Ariel Helwani.
Dvalishvili is currently eyeing #4-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen for his next fight, one that he gets to choose.
“This is the first time the UFC called me,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie.
“When I was in Georgia, and said, ‘Go enjoy your country, have a great time, and when you come to Las Vegas, let’s go to dinner and choose who you want to fight and when you want to fight’…
“This is the first time (it happened),” Dvalishvili said, adding Sandhagen is the ‘most deserving’ to fight him.
Sandhagen has won four out of his last five fights and his last win is a second-round TKO of former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in May.