Welcome to the latest update to the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound rankings, where every month our esteemed panel sort through the noise to answer one question: Who are the best overall male and female MMA fighters in the world?

Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev defeated a pair of legendary opponents in unexpected ways at UFC 308, plus Bellator champion Cris Cyborg shined in her PFL debut, so let’s take a look at how the charts were shaken up at the end of October.

Advertisement

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Advertisement

Ilia Topuria just turned the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world debate into a three-horse race.

For much of the past year, Islam Makhachev has been the man to beat with the ever-active Alex Pereira breathing down his neck. Few expected Topuria to put on such a commanding performance against Max Holloway that he would have to be mentioned alongside those names. When Topuria blew the doors off at UFC 308, becoming the first fighter ever to score a knockout of Holloway, it’s now inconceivable to have the discussion without him.

Topuria leaps over Pereira to claim the No. 2 spot on the list, with one panelist going as far as to mark him down at No. 1. The case for Topuria? How about an undefeated record with finishes of two of the greatest fighters of all time? He was the first to defeat Alexander Volkanovski in a 145-pound bout and, as mentioned, the only fighter to put Holloway away with strikes.

Keep in mind, Holloway has been in there with Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Yair Rodriguez, Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, and Jeremy Stephens, a list of opponents who have authored some of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history. None of them could do what Topuria did.

Add in featherweight being an absurdly deep division and you can see how Topuria’s resounding title defense has him leading Fighter of the Year talk—and possibly the Pound-for-Pound list next year.

Also of note, you may have noticed the return of one Mr. Khamzat Chimaev to our rankings. Not only does Chimaev have a number next to his name again, he flies in at No. 13 ahead of former UFC champions Sean Strickland, Sean O’Malley, and Charles Oliveira. Chimaev is still yet to even book a title shot, but when you force a frantic tap from Robert Whittaker—who had only been submitted once before—you’re going to get people’s attention again.

And let’s not forget Francis Ngannou is also back, though his knockout of PFL heavyweight tournament champion Renan Ferreira didn’t convince everyone he deserves to be back on the pound-for-pound list. We were all over the place here, with one panelist having “The Predator” as high as No. 6 and two others leaving him off completely. It might not be fair, but if he can’t work with PFL to bring in at least a couple of big-name opponents to face him, we might not see Ngannou get close to the top of the charts again.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Ilia Topuria vs. No. 9 (tied) Max Holloway

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 4 Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura (UFC 310, Dec. 7), No. 5 Belal Muhammad vs. No. 18 Shavkat Rakhmonov (UFC 310, Dec. 7), No. 17 Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (UFC, 309, Nov. 16), No. 19 (tied) Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev (UFC 310, Dec. 7)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Israel Adesanya (4), Anatoly Malykhin (3), Kyoji Horiguchi (2), Patricio Pitbull (2), Robert Whittaker (2), Magomed Ankalaev (1), Johnny Eblen (1), Usman Nurmagomedov (1), Kamaru Usman (1)

Falling out of the rankings (previous ranking shown): No. 19 Israel Adesanya, No. 20 Patricio Pitbull (20)

Cris Cyborg has nothing left to prove to anyone. That didn’t stop her from reminding everyone she’s still as good as any woman alive when it comes to cagefighting.

In her PFL debut, Cyborg went five hard rounds with league darling Larissa Pacheco and came out on top with a convincing decision win, putting to rest the notion it was time for her to pass the torch. There may come a day when Cyborg and Pacheco square off again with Pacheco getting the upper hand next time, but that day is yet to arrive.

Cyborg snapped Pacheco’s three-year, 10-fight win streak, and improved her own ridiculous record to 28-2 (1 NC). One of her losses was to Amanda Nunes, and even if Cyborg never surpasses Nunes on the all-time list, the fact she’s still racking up wins and claiming a top-5 Pound-for-Pound spot well after Nunes’ retirement is a unique accomplishment on its own.

When people talk about an athlete being one of one, they’re talking about Cyborg.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 7 Cris Cyborg def. No. 6 Larissa Pacheco

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 8 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 10 Rose Namajunas (UFC Edmonton, Nov. 2), No. 11 Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci (UFC Macau, Nov. 23), No. 15 (tied) Taila Santos vs. Dakota Ditcheva (PFL 2024 Championships, Nov. 29)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Maycee Barber (2), Irene Aldana (1), Macy Chiasson (1), Dakota Ditcheva (1), Norma Dumont (1), Amanda Lemos (1), Marina Rodriguez (1), Mayra Bueno Silva (1), Ketlen Vieira (1)

Lastly, a refresher on some ground rules:

• The six-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin and Jed Meshew.
• Updates to the rankings will be completed following every UFC pay-per-view. Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout.
• Should a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will decide whether that fighter should immediately be removed from the rankings or maintain their position until further notice (let’s put it this way: we’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings a lot quicker than the UFC did).

As a reminder, the notion of pound-for-pound supremacy is always going to inherently be subjective. When you’re debating whether someone like Sean Strickland should be ranked above someone like Charles Oliveira, there is no true right answer. In other words: It’s not serious business, folks.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.

ABU DHABI – Ibo Aslan beat Rafael Cerqueira with a first-round TKO Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look inside the fight with Aslan, who despite one of the fastest finishes in the UFC this year was denied recognition with a post-fight bonus award.

Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira

Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira, UFC 308 (via UFC)

Result: Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:51
Updated records: Aslan (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Cerqueira (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: All 14 of Aslan’s wins have been by knockout.

Aslan on the fight’s key moment

Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira, UFC 308 (©Craig Kidwell, special to MMA Junkie)

“Like always, I go inside the cage, I knock my opponent out, and I come out. This is, for me, something normal – not special. ”

Aslan on his family being there to see him fight

“I was in the camp for three months. I didn’t see my family. As soon as my mother (got to the airport), she hugged me. She gave me the energy. She gave me the motivation. If there was an ox in front of me, I would take it down. It doesn’t matter to me. My mother came to watch me fight for the first time in 10 years. She was very motivated, so I was very confident.”

Aslan on what he wants next

Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira, UFC 308 (©Craig Kidwell, special to MMA Junkie)

Advertisement

“The UFC knows already I am the future rising star. This is just the beginning. I don’t want to rush. Every opponent, everything has its time and step, step, step – then become champion. (Alex Pereira) is a great champion. I like him. I wish him all the best. I don’t know (if I hit harder than him). I don’t know. We must see this in the cage.

“I am ready (to fight often). I have no injuries, nothing. I don’t feel like I fought tonight. My warmup was longer than my fight. I’ll take tomorrow rest, and Monday I start again with training.”

To hear more from Aslan, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Kade Ruotolo quite frankly doesn’t need MMA.

For someone raking in dough in the world of grappling, including a $1 million prize pocketed at 2024 ADCC World Championship, the drive clearly isn’t about the money.

Initially, Ruotolo (1-0) couldn’t answer the question of “Why get punched in the head when you don’t have to?”

It took him a little while to figure it out, but ahead of his second pro bout Nov. 8 at ONE Championship 169 in Bangkok, Ruotolo has an answer.

“At the beginning of the year, I was really, almost –not lost, but I didn’t exactly understand what I wanted to be known for as far as legacy goes,” Ruotolo told MMA Junkie. “I was sitting back thinking, and it’s actually when I found God and started going to church a bit. It really helped me as far as clarity goes. I realize I’m not just trying to become the best at jiu-jitsu. I really decided I wanted to become one of the best martial artists of all time.”

Ruotolo, 21, and his twin brother Tye are grappling prodigies who began training at three. At age 18, Ruotolo was awarded a black belt by Andre Galvao. In 2022 at age 19, he became the youngest person to ever win an ADCC championship.

MMA gives him the opportunity to learn and grow. He thinks that potential is much more limited in grappling.

“In order to be one of the best martial artists of all time, you’ve got to do it all: jiu-jitsu, wrestling, MMA, striking, wrestling, boxing, all these martial arts,” Ruotolo said. “That’s really my goal. My coach Erik Paulson, he’s a true martial artist. He knows everything, every kind of Jeet Kune Do, jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling. He knows it all. I want to be like him. He’s a big inspiration for me.

“That’s the goal: to become a full martial artist. I feel like in jiu-jitsu, I’ve gotten to the top of the mountain in the most humble way possible. My brother and I pretty much accomplished everything you can in jiu-jitsu. So with that being said, the next big mountain is MMA. It’s obviously a huge mountain to climb with a lot of scraps along the way, but that’s where I want to be.”

In June, Ruotolo made his MMA debut when he quickly disposed of Blake Cooper (2-2) with a rear-naked choke submission at the 3:20 mark of Round 1. Ruotolo was pleased with the performance, but wishes he could’ve shown off more of his other skills outside of grappling.

This time around, Ruotolo faces Ahmed Mujtaba (10-4) and hopes to display some striking, though will be seeking the win over all else, of course. From there, it’ll be time to heal some injuries, like the one that forced him out of a September grappling match vs. Mikey Musemeci.

“I’ve talked to two people about the same injury and they gave me two completely different types of advice – complete opposites,” Ruotolo said. “One person goes, ‘No, get the surgery now because if you don’t get it now, it’s going to tear all the way through.’ Then someone told me, ‘No, don’t do surgery. Do stem cells and just let it heal naturally. The surgery, you’re out for a year, right?’ I’m kind of torn, in between. I’ve got two torn labrums at the moment, in each hip. I’ve just got to figure that out. Right now, I’m more leaning toward (that) I don’t want to take a year off. That’s not really an option for me. I’m more so in the ‘just try to recover it.’”

If rest and recovery goes well, Ruotolo hopes to have a big 2025 with three MMA fights as well as the major grappling tournaments. With just one MMA bout under his belt, Ruotolo thinks it’s inevitable he makes a massive impact in the world of fighting.

“To be entirely honest with you, in the most humble way possible, I’m a very mentally strong person,” Ruotolo said. “If you were to take the champion in the division and tell me, ‘If you were to fight him tomorrow, how would you do?’ I feel like I’d get the ‘W.’ But it’s not really so much about skyrocketing straight to the top as much as it is gaining those experiences. For me and my coaches, that’s one thing they’re really big on. They really want me to have as many experiences as possible before I really do get the belt. I’m definitely obviously really green when it comes up to the MMA world.

“There’s a lot of variables and a lot of things to learn. Every day I’m learning so much. That’s why I love it so much. It’s been a long time since I’ve learned something every single day. It’s just refreshing. With that being said, our coaches are just really big on experience and that’s the goal. Really anyone aside from the champ, and we’ll get there eventually.”

Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has joined Serie A club Genoa on a free transfer.

The 34-year-old had been without a club since departing Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor this summer.

Balotelli, who has 36 Italy caps, returns to playing in his home country more than three years after leaving Monza.

Part of Manchester City’s title winning squad in 2012, Balotelli joins a struggling Genoa side who sit in the relegation positions.

Genoa, managed by Alberto Gilardino, are 18th after taking six points from their opening nine games.

Balotelli made headlines for his behaviour on and off the pitch during his time in the Premier League.

At Manchester City that included a training-ground bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini, and he famously revealed a ‘why always me?’ T-shirt after scoring in a 6-1 demolition of rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Balotelli scored 30 goals in two and a half years with the Blues, helping the club win a first league title since 1968.

After a first, brief stint at AC Milan, an unsuccessful move to Liverpool in 2014 followed, which led to a loan back to the San Siro.

Since then, Balotelli has played across Europe for a number of clubs, including French sides Nice and Marseille, and Italian clubs Brescia and Monza.

A member of the Italy squad that finished as runners-up at Euro 2012, Balotelli has not played for his country since 2018.

A pair of title contenders are going to be very happy to hear Dana White’s comments after UFC 308.

Starting with undefeated bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov, who has been anxiously awaiting word on his title shot against Merab Dvalishvili amid calls from the champion for an immediate rematch with Sean O’Malley. While Dvalishvili made claims that Nurmagomedov was “scared” and didn’t deserve a title shot, the UFC CEO seems to disagree.

When asked about Dvalishvili’s comments, White cemented Nurmagomedov as the No. 1 contender while stating “absolutely” that’s the fight the UFC wants next.

As far as Dvalishvili hinting at other options, most notably his constant calls for a second fight against O’Malley, White also shut that down by answering “Umar” when addressing immediate plans for the bantamweight title.

White also dealt with the recent rumors that Nurmagomedov was actually working towards a fight against Song Yadong after learning that Dvalishvili wouldn’t be ready to compete again until March. That month represents the start of Ramadan and Nurmagomedov has stated that he doesn’t want to compete during the holy month when Muslims fast from dawn until sunset every day.

“Did we announce it?” White said about Nurmagomedov vs. Song. “Then no [it’s not official].”

A few weight classes higher, White also responded to inquiries about Magomed Ankalaev finally earning his long awaited title shot against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

On Saturday, Ankalaev extended his unbeaten streak to 13 straight with a unanimous decision win over Aleksandar Rakic. Ankalaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz previously told MMA Fighting that as long as the Russian handled his business at UFC 308, then he expected a title shot would be next.

Now White is backing up those plans after watching Ankalaev’s performance on Saturday.

“He looked good,” White said about Ankalaev. “He absolutely looked great. I would have to say yes [he gets his title shot].”

With Ankalaev and Nurmagomedov in place as challengers, Pereira and Dvalishvili can respectively start planning for the future once the UFC schedule starts coming together for 2025.

ABU DHABI – Farid Basharat has big plans for 2025 following his UFC 308 win.

After Basharat (13-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated a heavy Victor Hugo on Saturday at Etihad Arena, he called for a fight against one of the consensus greatest fighters of all time.

“Beginning of 2025, I want ‘The King of Rio,’ Jose Aldo,” Basharat told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conferencfe. “We could do it in Brazil, America, London, Saudi, wherever. It doesn’t matter. He wins, he proves he belongs with this new generation. I win, he passes me the torch. Let’s see. Generations collide. I’ve been watching him since I was 11 or 12. I think it’s the perfect fight that makes sense.”

Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) most recently competed Oct. 5 at UFC 307 and lost a controversial split decision against Mario Bautista. After the fight, Bautista found himself under fire from many viewers that criticized his wall-and-stall-heavy approach.

Basharat recognizes the possibility a grindy attack might be the easiest route to victory. But if Basharat ever fights Aldo, he said he doesn’t want that to be the path he takes.

“If I’m being completely honest, I think he won,” Basharat said. “I thought Jose won. But at the same time, how many times has Jose lost like that now where he kind of rests along the cage? Because it’s Jose, everybody loves him so much and they give him the benefit of the doubt. But you can’t just rest on the cage like that and expect to get the benefit of the doubt just because you’re a legend. I think he won. Yeah, he needs to do a little bit more sometimes.

“… I’ definitely try to approach it differently. You never really want to win like that essentially. But at the same time, he has proven to have sure holes there. But that’s not really my style to just lay and pray, lean on somebody along the cage. I’ll take you down and I’ll keep you down, but I’m not just going to lay and pray on you along the cage and keep on you. I’m going to get you down. I’m going to stick and move. I’m going to kick you. Ultimately, I feel like at this stage of my career and this stage of Jose’s career, I have the advantages in most places. Besides experience and maybe power, I think I’m better than him everywhere.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.