UFC Rankings Review: Ilia Topuria Moves Up to No. 5 at Featherweight

It might be an understatement to say the UFC has some questionable rankings. You would expect rankings to be questionable as they are subjective; however, in this column, I will point out rankings that I think are glaring mistakes. I will also analyze significant movement in the rankings that I agree with.

Editorial Commentary by Peter Parsons

Ilia Topuria defeated Josh Emmett in the UFC Jacksonville main event on ABC on Saturday. With the win, Topuria took Emmett’s No. 5 ranking. Should Topuria have moved up higher in the UFC rankings after Saturday’s victory?

Ilia Topuria ranked No. 5 in UFC featherweight division

In my opinion, Topuria should have moved up to No. 3 ahead of Brian Ortega after his “Fight of the Night” victory on Saturday. There’s an argument that No. 4 ranked Arnold Allen could be ranked ahead of Topuria, but it’s clear that Topuria should be ranked ahead of Ortega.

The Spaniard by way of Georgia is now 14-0 overall and 6-0 in the UFC since making his UFC debut in October of 2020. Meanwhile, Ortega has not won a fight since October of 2020, the month Topuria made his UFC debut.

Brian Ortega’s recent UFC record

Ortega last defeated “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in a five-round decision in a main event of a UFC Fight Night. Yes, the Californian has faced nothing but top-level opposition in his last few fights, but he hasn’t been active. Ortega’s previous win before The Korean Zombie was against Frankie Edgar in 2018.

Ortega’s recent losses have come against the top three UFC featherweights in Yair Rodriguez, Alexander Volkanovski, and Max Holloway. The Volkanovski and Holloway fights were title fights where he showed tremendous toughness. The Rodriguez fight was a top contender fight where Ortega suffered a freak shoulder injury.

UFC highlights of Brian Ortega’s loss to Alexander Volkanovski

Ilia Topuria’s recent UFC record

Topuria is coming off a very dominant victory over the previously No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett that saw one judge scored the fight 50-42. Topuria broke into the top 10 when he beat the previous No. 9 ranked Bryce Mitchell.

The 26-year-old has had all tough fights since entering the Octagon, including his short notice debut against Youssef Zalal who was 3-0 in the UFC at the time. He followed up the Zalal win with KO victories over Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall and Jai Herbert. The Herbert fight was at lightweight.

Why Topuria should be ranked ahead of Ortega in UFC featherweight division

Interestingly, both Topuria and Ortega started their pro careers at 14-0 and 6-0 in the UFC. Ortega was 14-0 when he first fought for the title against Max Holloway. Ortega impressed with all finishes in the UFC before his Holloway fight – most notably submission victories over Renato Moicano and Cub Swanson, and TKO victories over Clay Guida and Frankie Edgar.

Undoubtedly, Brian Ortega is one of the best and he gave the champ Alexander Volkanovski his toughest challenge at featherweight; however, he has only fought three times in the last four years. Meanwhile, Topuria has been active recently, defeating top opposition.

I’ve mentioned before in this column that often we see fighters take their opponents rankings in the UFC. Topuria took Emmett’s No. 5 ranking just as he previously took Bryce Mitchell’s No. 9 ranking. I think this happens too often without consideration of ranking a fighter higher.

There are some great featherweight match-ups coming up (see below) including the title fight between Yair Rodriguez and Alexander Volkanovski. It looks like Topuria could be in line for the next title shot if the pound-for-pound great Volkanovski defends his crown against Rodriguez.

Upcoming Notable UFC Featherweight Fights

Jul 8 – (C) Alexander Volkanovski vs. (IC) Yair Rodriguez

Jul 22 – Joshua Culibao vs. Lerone Murphy

Jul 22 – Nathaniel Wood vs. Andre Fili

Aug 5 – Damon Jackson vs. Billy Quarantillo

Aug 12 – Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu

Aug 26 – (2) Max Holloway vs. (8) Chan Sung Jung

My Perspective on the UFC Rankings

My rankings would look different than any other writer or fan who follows the sport closely. This is to be expected, as rankings are subjective. Rankings should be based primarily on results and not perceived potential or popularity.

Some people think rankings do not matter. Rankings do matter. They matter when it comes to matchmaking. They matter when it comes to contract negotiations.