UFC 316 headliner Sean O’Malley thinks the pound-for-pound mountain has more than one man at the summit.
Not many debates consistently stir the discussion in mixed martial arts and the UFC quite like the pound-for-pound debate.
The conversation in recent years has largely centered on the claims of both Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones. Despite the Dagestani’s lengthy and dominant lightweight rule, Dana White picked Jones over Makhachev.
That was until UFC 311 in January, when White made a U-turn in Makhachev’s favor after his win over Renato Moicano.
And with ‘Bones’ defending the heavyweight title just once in over two years and currently flirting with retirement, Makhachev’s status as P4P king has long looked secure.
Not according to O’Malley, though.
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Sean O’Malley puts Ilia Topuria level with Islam Makhachev in the UFC’s P4P debate
O’Malley recently made an appearance on MightyCast, the podcast hosted by UFC and ONE Championship legend Demetrious Johnson.
In addition to previewing O’Malley’s UFC 316 rematch against Merab Dvalishvili, the pair discussed a number of other prominent topics in the MMA space.
That included Makhachev’s impending welterweight switch, which has led to accusations that the Dagestani actively avoided a clash for the lightweight belt against the undefeated Ilia Topuria.
O’Malley has been linked to Topuria himself in the past, and ‘Sugar’ is evidently extremely high on the Spaniard, whom he sees as level with Makhachev in the P4P race.
“I was just picturing Ilia going up to fight Islam,” O’Malley said. “That was kind of the fight I wanted to see. That was a big fight feel for me. That was huge.
“Both those guys are number one and one, both tied I think for pound-for-pound best in the world.”
Ilia Topuria sits two places below Islam Makhachev in the official UFC P4P rankings
Before Topuria reaches one of his goals of becoming the undisputed P4P king, the former featherweight champion must first surpass Jon Jones to reach second place.
‘El Matador’ cemented a spot inside the top three courtesy of his brutal two-fight run in 2024, which saw him knock Alexander Volkanovski out to become UFC featherweight champion and sleep Max Holloway in his first defense.
But that controversially hasn’t elevated him above Jones, whose sole heavyweight title defense since beating Ciryl Gane in 2023 came against the now-retired Stipe Miocic in November 2024.
| Position | Name | Champion | Weight Class |
| 1 | Islam Makhachev | Yes | Lightweight |
| 2 | Jon Jones | Yes | Heavyweight |
| 3 | Ilia Topuria | No | Featherweight |
| 4 | Merab Dvalishvili | Yes | Bantamweight |
| 5 | Dricus du Plessis | Yes | Middleweight |
| 6 | Magomed Ankalaev | Yes | Light Heavyweight |
| 7 | Alexander Volkanovski | Yes | Featherweight |
| 8 | Alex Pereira | No | Light Heavyweight |
| 9 | Jack Della Maddalena | Yes | Welterweight |
| 10 | Alexandre Pantoja | Yes | Flyweight |
Topuria could boost his chances of climbing further up the P4P ladder at UFC 317 on June 28, when he headlines International Fight Week in competition for the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev, meanwhile, is expected to have the chance to increase his grip on the crown when he challenges for Jack Della Maddalena’s welterweight title later this year.