Jon Jones Finally Gets Toppled Off Top Spot by Islam Makhachev on UFC’s Latest P4P Rankings

For a long time, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé, Islam Makhachev, had only one dream. He wanted to earn the top spot in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Moreover, he was still in the second spot after defeating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. However, now he has toppled Jon Jones and sits at the top of the P4P list.

Jon Jones has had only one fight in 2023. It was his return after three years, where he defeated Ciryl Gane to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. This led the UFC to put him in the top spot of the p4p rankings. But now he has been overtaken by the lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. let’s take a look at that front.

Islam Makhachev overtakes Jon Jones in the P4P rankings

The reigning lightweight champion recently took shots at Jon Jones since the UFC placed him in the 1st rank of the men’s P4p list. He mentioned that ‘Bones’ did not beat any fighter who was placed in the P4P ranking and felt as if it was wrong. Makhachev said, “This is bullsh*t, brother. How can Jon Jones be No.1?” However, now the tables have turned, and he has overtaken the heavyweight champion to earn the top spot.

The UFC recently updated their P4P rankings and put Islam Makhachev in the top spot, followed by Jones Jones and then Alexander Volkanovski. The Dagestan native has finally achieved the only feat he cared about since becoming champion in 2022. It remains to be seen how long he can maintain that spot. Moreover, after his UFC 294 win, there are speculations that Makhachev may fight former champion Charles Oliveira in a rematch.

Is Charles Oliveira Makhachev’s next opponent?

‘Do Bronxs’ was the original opponent for Islam Makhachev’s UFC 294 title defense. However, the Brazilian pulled out after suffering an injury in his last training session in Brazil before heading to Dubai. This opened the door for Alexander Volkanovski, but he failed to capture the lightweight title for a second time. Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira mentioned after UFC Sao Paulo that he was planning to fight Makhachev somewhere in January 2024.

Oliveria said, “That’s the timeline. January maybe. But who knows?” However, it does not look like that fight is going to happen in early 2024. Dana White recently announced three major title fights for the first three pay-per-views of 2024. As such, there were no signs of either Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev fighting till March next year. It is a matter of time before White announces the date for their rematch.

Read More: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev: Will the Rematch Take Place at 2024? Ex-UFC Champ Reveals Possible Time and Date

Now that Islam Makhachev has earned what he wanted all along, fans are waiting to see what his next step will be. He’s fought some of the best fighters in the lightweight division and it may not be long before we see him fighting for the welterweight strap. We will have to wait and see what Makhachev decides to do in the days and months to come….

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