The pound-for-pound rankings have sparked many debates regarding who sits at the top. UFC CEO Dana White remains undeterred in his pick since he never fails to remind people that he thinks it’s Jon Jones. On the other side, the actual fighter who’s ranked #1 in the rankings, Islam Makhachev, has also been backed that he rightfully deserves that spot. However, lightweight rival Arman Tsarukyan doesn’t think so and seems to be in agreement with the head honcho of the UFC.

“No, he [Makhachev doesn’t deserve it [P4P no.1 status]. I agree [with White] the no.1 pound-for-pound is Jon Jones because he’s a legend and he’s still fighting,” Arman Tsarukyan told ‘MMA Junkie’. When it comes to the pound-for-pound rankings, certain sections of the MMA community have raised the question about being active, and that’s why Makhachev has an edge over Jones.

Similarly, when it comes to Jon Jones, Tsarukyan believes beating Stipe Miocic next month will ultimately end all those doubts, and ‘Bones’ will unquestionably reclaim his spot as the best P4P fighter, echoing the same sentiment as Dana White. “We’ll see next month. He’s fighting and if he beats Stipe Miocic, you gotta be no.1 pound-for-pound,” Arman Tsarukyan added.

Meanwhile, Dana White believes that the drama with the rankings is all because of the media. Claiming that he “can’t take it anymore,” the UFC CEO claims to fix the whole situation and for that, he’s been in talks with some of the company’s executives. Let’s take a look at that front.

Dana White is looking for a “solution” to the rankings dilemma

Dana White feels there’s some level of incompetence going on when it comes to handling the rankings and asserted that he’s had enough of what people who don’t know the business like he does have to say. For that, he recently sat down for a meeting with people who have claimed that they have the perfect fix for the 55-year-old. If White feels like this idea works, he’s sure that the media won’t have much influence on how fighters are ranked in the promotion.

“I have to figure out a solution. Tomorrow, I have a meeting with a group of people who are coming to me saying they have a solution to this problem, and God, I hope they are right. The media will no longer control the rankings in the UFC,” Dana White stated during the recent Contender Series presser. He also believes that it’s unfair for the fighters to be judged by people regarding their rankings when they’ve given all they can inside the Octagon.

Well, this isn’t the first time that the P4P rankings have come under scrutiny. There was a similar issue when Jon Jones got suspended in 2015 for his plethora of legal issues, at a time when he was champion and the #1 P4P fighter. He lost his championship and his P4P status thereafter, following which Demetrious Johnson took over his position and already had 8 flyweight title defenses by the time McGregor won the lightweight belt in 2016. For some reason, the Irishman unseated Johnson in the rankings despite never defending either of his belts.

Interestingly, Dana White also believed that Conor McGregor was indeed the best fighter in the world as he claimed that the level of competition matters, and at that time, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was beating ‘tomato cans’ in his respective division.

It is safe to say that the rating system has always been shady since its inception in 2013. What do you have to say about Arman Tsarukyan siding with Dana White? Who do you have as your P4P #1 fighter in the name? Drop your comments below.