Ilia Topuria is officially recognized as the top fighter in the UFC after his devastating knockout win at UFC 317.
The Georgian fighter walked into the octagon on Saturday with the chance to become a two-weight champion, having vacated the UFC Featherweight title months earlier.
Ilia Topuria took on Charles Oliveira for the UFC Lightweight championship, but the fight didn’t even get past the first round.
Topuria viciously knocked out Oliveira after just two and a half minutes, a thunderous right hand sending the former champion flailing to the floor, and he was unconscious before he hit the canvas.
That win made Topuria the new UFC Lightweight champion, but also anointed him as the top fighter in all of the UFC.
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Ilia Topuria overtook Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili in the Pound-for-Pound rankings
At just 28 years old, Topuria is recognized as the top fighter in the UFC as he climbs up the rankings to become the top Pound-for-Pound fighter in the entire promotion.
He extended his undefeated streak to 17-0 with the win over Oliveira to become a two-weight champion.
As reported by John Morgan on X (formerly known as Twitter), his big win at UFC 317 helped Topuria to leapfrog both Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili to become the #1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in the UFC.
He also noted that Alexandre Pantoja jumped up to fifth place, following his third-round submission victory over Kai Kara-France at that same event.
Morgan wrote: “Ilia Topuria is officially the UFC’s new No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. @Topuriailia moves up two spots to take the top position, ahead of Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili, in the rankings update following #UFC317.
“Alexandre @PantojaMMA also bumps up four spots to No. 5.”
It is hard to argue with his status as the top Pound-for-Pound fighter in the UFC, given the names who have tried and failed to beat “La Leyenda” in the Octagon.
Ilia Topuria has knocked out some of the top fighters in the world en route to being #1 Pound-for-Pound
Topuria thoroughly deserves his place atop the UFC rankings after an incredible five-year run since his UFC debut.
He debuted in the promotion with a victory over Youssef Zalal in 2020, before racking up impressive KO wins over Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, and Jai Herbert.
His submission win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282 showed a different side to the knockout artist, and his dominant performance over Josh Emmett the following year proved that again.
| Opponent | Event | Date | Method |
| Charles Oliveira | UFC 317 | June 28, 2025 | Knockout |
| Max Holloway | UFC 308 | October 26, 2024 | Knockout |
| Alexander Volkanovski | UFC 298 | February 17, 2024 | Knockout |
| Josh Emmett | UFC on ABC: Emmett vs Topuria | June 24, 2023 | Unanimous Decision |
| Bryce Mitchell | UFC 282 | December 10, 2022 | Submission |
| Jai Herbert | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | March 19, 2022 | Knockout |
| Ryan Hall | UFC 264 | July 10, 2021 | Knockout |
| Damon Jackson | UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori | December 5, 2020 | Knockout |
| Youssef Zalal | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | October 11, 2020 | Unanimous Decision |
However, Topuria’s last three wins show his incredible credentials. The Georgian knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to claim the UFC Featherweight belt, a title he had won once in a third-round knockout win over Max Holloway.
Still undefeated, Topuria vacated his belt for a shot at the Lightweight title, which he won in just 157 seconds by leaving Oliveira unconscious on the canvas in an impressive win.