Kayla Harrison and Merab Dvalishvili are strongly pursuing the top spot in the Pound-for-Pound rankings.
It might sound cliché, but there`s no better way to describe the impact of the statements made by bantamweight champions Kayla Harrison and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 on Saturday. Harrison ascended to a prominent position, while Dvalishvili maintained his firm grip on dominance. Both were already leading their divisions in our rankings prior to these latest victories, and they have now significantly strengthened their arguments for claiming the No. 1 position on the Pound-for-Pound charts.
While most observers would agree that more work is still needed to reach the absolute summit, this latest update to the MMA Fighting rankings sees both Harrison and Dvalishvili climb into the top 3 (with Dvalishvili sharing his spot with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja). Interestingly, they face contrasting challenges as they look to move further up the list.
For Harrison, a superfight with a returning Amanda Nunes is already scheduled. However, should she overcome that formidable challenge, there are limited truly intriguing opponents remaining at 135 pounds. Amanda Nunes previously reached the No. 1 spot based on a legendary win streak and the advantage of competing in both bantamweight and featherweight championship bouts in the UFC. Harrison, on the other hand, may not feel compelled to remain at the weight class long enough to mount a serious challenge for Pound-for-Pound supremacy against fighters like Zhang Weili or Valentina Shevchenko.
Conversely, Dvalishvili sits just below Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria on the men`s list and has appeared nearly unbeatable for the past seven years. Despite this dominance, he competes in one of MMA`s deepest divisions. Even if he defeats the likely No. 1 contender, Cory Sandhagen, in his next defense, it feels almost inevitable that a highly talented bantamweight contender will eventually emerge to challenge his reign.
Considering these factors, the question remains: Will we ultimately see either Kayla Harrison or Merab Dvalishvili reach the coveted No. 1 position on a Pound-for-Pound list?
