Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya failed to win the title back at UFC 305 against Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya took some time off the sport to allow his body to recover from the constant beating he had been taking. Despite staying out of action, Adesanya was given the nod ahead of Sean Strickland for a title match against Du Plessis. But ‘The Last Stylebender’ failed to capitalize on the opportunity given to him.

His performance forced many experts to believe that this might be the beginning of the end for ‘The Last Stylebender.’ It now seems that Adesanya’s UFC 305 loss has affected the P4P ranking list as well. Let us take a closer look at his current rankings.

Israel Adesanya is no longer a part of the P4P list as revealed by the latest post

The ‘P4P’ list is designed to highlight the best fighters in the world without taking into consideration their weight class. In August, in a P4P ranking update shared on X by John Morgan, it was mentioned that “DDP” moves up five positions to No. 6 spot on P4P list. Israel Adesanya falls to No. 15.” However, in the latest update posted by Freak.MMA on their Instagram page, Israel Adesanya no longer finds himself a place on the list. The post read as P4P rankings update: “Israel Adesanya is no longer on the list.  Aljamain Sterling enters the top 15. Belal Muhammad and Sean O’Malley are tied at the 6th place.” 

Adesanya is currently on a two-fight losing streak, which might have hampered his ranking on the list.  He first failed to defend his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 and lost the fight via decision. Many felt that ‘The Last Stylebender’ would be able to win back the belt at UFC 305. However, ‘Stillknocks’ not only won the fight but also ended their longtime rivalry. Going by the list, the current welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, has also jumped in his rankings after clinching the title at UFC 304, where he defeated former champion Leon Edwards. Muhammad is tied with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley at the sixth spot.

‘Suga’ will now have the opportunity to enter the top 5 as he is gearing up for his clash against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. This will be the 29-year-old’s second title defense in 2024, and he seems geared up for the challenge. O’Malley will face ‘The Machine’ for the first time in his career, and many feel that the Georgian’s wrestling skills might just be too much for him to handle. But what does the champion feel about it? Let us find out.

Sean O’Malley is unfazed by the hype surrounding his challenger at UFC 306

Current Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is, without a doubt, one of the most elite strikers in the division. His movement and distance management inside the Octagon are second to none. Regardless, his next opponent is slightly different from most fighters he has faced to date in his career. Merab Dvalishvili is currently on a ten-fight winning streak and is one of the most intense grapplers the sport has ever seen. The 33-year-old is relentless with his pressure, and his conditioning is second to none. Can O’Malley handle such kind of pressure?

Well, the champion does respect his opponent a lot but is hardly bothered by the hype surrounding him. O’Malley sat down for a chat with ‘TMZ Sports’ on their YouTube channel to give an insight into his mindset before the clash. Just like most of his interviews, ‘Suga’ was full of confidence before his fight and had no hesitation in saying, “I would say stylistically I am a nightmare matchup for Merab.” There is no doubt that O’Malley has a style that can cause a lot of trouble to any fighters in the division. But the challenger has made it clear that he would take the fight to the ground as much as he can.

Will the champion be able to find the right moment to knock his opponent out? Or will we see a new champion at UFC 306? Let us know about it in the comments below.