Long live the King, the King will soon...be relegated to the #2 (or #3) spot.
Movlid Khaybulaev recently took over the top spot in the Featherweight rankings, but he won't be there for long. The winner of Saturday's match between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez will be the new champion, as Volkanovski returns from Lightweight where he ranks #3.
How did he end up on top? Just a few months ago Khaybulaev was a very distant #3 in the division.
Featherweight - 145 lb. limit - rankings for February, 2023
| Jan 2023 |
Feb 2023 |
Fighter | WC | Rating | Rated Record | Org | January results; •February schedule |
| 1 | 1 | Alexander Volkanovski | FW | 65.12 | 15-0-0 | UFC |  •2/11 vs. #1 LW Islam Makhachev [for LW title] |
| 2 | 2 | Patricio Freire | FW | 54.64 | 22-5-0 | Bell | |
| 3 | 3 | Movlid Khaybulaev | FW | 31.39 | 8-0-1 | PFL | --last rated win -15 months. |
But later that month, Volkanovski fought at Lightweight against Islam Makhachev. Because SportsRatings only ranks fighters in one weight class, that meant former #2 Patricio Freire moved into the top slot at Featherweight. And last month, when Freire fought at Bantamweight against Sergio Pettis, Khaybulaev inherited the crown in our July rankings, becoming the first PFL fighter to hold a divisional title in our rankings.
Featherweight - 145 lb. limit - rankings for July, 2023
| June Rank |
July Rank |
Fighter | WC | Rating | Rated Record | Org | June results; •July schedule |
| 2 | 1 | Movlid Khaybulaev | FW | 31.40 | 10-0-1 | PFL | Beat #185 Tyler Diamond [new FW champion] |
| 6 | 2 | Ilia Topuria | FW | 30.50 | 9-0-0 | UFC | Beat #10 Josh Emmett |
| 3 | 3 | Movsar Evloev | FW | 30.16 | 12-0-0 | UFC |
Khaybulaev didn't have to do much in order to secure the top spot once the others were gone—he just had to not lose to two competitors who are outside the top 100 in the Featherweight division, Ryoji Kudo in April and Tyler Diamond in June.
This shows the advantages and disadvantages of being in an organization other than the UFC. The risks aren't as great but neither are the rewards. Khaybulaev had little chance of losing against these opponents, but gained almost nothing, and only the odd circumstances of two key fighters bailing the division put him at the top—and then, only just barely. #2 Ilia Topuria came within a hair's breadth of landing at the #1 spot, with another UFC fighter Movsar Evloev just behind.
In fact, it took another unusual occurrence—the PED suspension of Daniel Pineda—or Khaybulaev wouldn't have seen the top spot. In 2019, Movlid was stopped in less than a minute by a barrage of punches from Pineda. The stoppage was controversial for being a bit quick, and in the end it was declared a No Contest after Pineda's testosterone levels tested too high. This also meant that Khaybulaev's only loss was wiped from his record.
Without that change, Khaybulaev would now rank #3 behind Topuria and Evloev. That's how hard it is to get to #1 in an organization outside the UFC. It's a bit more likely in Bellator, which in addition to Freire's short reign at Featherweight currently boasts Vadim Nemkov as Light Heavyweight champ. In both those cases, though, key fighters (Volkanovski and Jon Jones) left the weight class to allow the Bellator fighter to slip into the top spot.
Alas, Khaybulaev is not likely to hold the top spot much longer. On July 8, Volkanovski returns to the Featherweight divsion, fighting #6 Featherweight Yair Rodriguez. Whoever wins that fight will take over the top spot, bumping Movlid to #2 (or to #3 if Yair is the winner, with Volkanovski settling at #2).
Movlid's prospects for recapturing the crown are poor as well. His next fight against Gabriel Braga (unranked in the FW top 100) won't help much; if he wins he'll face the winner of #12 Bubba Jenkins and #13 Jesus Pinedo, a result that will gain him solid points but not enough to be #1 again. Probably the only way he can hold onto the top spot is for the Volk-Yair fight to end in a No Contest, or be called off in the next few days.
That doesn't seem likely, but his route to the top was pretty unconventional. Maybe lightning will strike twice? If not, Khaybulaev will have to be content with a chance at winning PFL's $1 million tournament prize, a feat he accomplished in 2021.
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