17-1. And They Erased Him
One loss cost Ilia Topuria his title. One rankings list tried to cost him his place among the sport's best — this is the case the other lists make.
Ilia Topuria was 17-0 when he walked into UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, on the South Lawn of the White House. Justin Gaethje stopped him in the fourth round, took the lightweight title, and left him 17-1 — the UFC's No. 1 lightweight contender, but no longer a champion.
Then came the erasure. USA TODAY Sports' inaugural pound-for-pound rankings, dated September 18, 2026, list Gaethje first and Alexander Volkanovski sixth — and Ilia Topuria nowhere. Not ninth, not tenth. Gone.
Every other list checked refuses to go there. The official UFC list has Topuria at No. 5. Sherdog has him at No. 4. Combat Press has him at No. 3. A two-division champion with finishes over Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski does not vanish on one bad night — and this reel lays out the contrast, list by list.
Watch it above. The full column — "One Loss Erased Ilia Topuria From the P4P Top 10 — That's Harsh" — is on Veshap.com.
