UFC 6 winner Oleg Taktarov, in an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, commented on the updated pound-for-pound ranking of the best UFC fighters regardless of weight class.
"UFC is an entertaining show built to make money. For Dana White it’s important that his fighters are popular with the English‑speaking audience. Knowing English and having a good image are important factors. Ilia Topuria is so popular in the States because he speaks English and puts on exciting fights. Merab Dvalishvili is interesting to viewers. You can see how he works to win over people who follow the UFC. He even took Nina Drama to Georgia," Taktarov said.
But only true MMA experts can fully appreciate Islam Makhachev’s work. I like his tactics and courage, but that goes together with insane leg control, wrestling mastery and excellent striking technique, which Javier Mendez clearly takes pride in. Whether we should be proud of the current rankings or whether they signal the decline of the UFC and the fact that the show will eventually be forgotten – only time will tell.
The updated P4P top 10 includes Iliya Topuria, Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili, Islam Makhachev and Aleksandar Rakić. Magomed Ankalaev is also in the top 10, but there is not a single representative from the USA.
