Dricus du Plessis sends Ilia Topuria an imminent warning about his status as the UFC’s pound-for-pound king

Dricus du Plessis expects to be P4P No. 1 after his UFC 319 performance

The pound-for-pound rankings are always a major topic of discourse in the UFC, with opinions frequently divided when it comes to who sits on the throne.

The most recent big movement came after UFC 317, when newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria passed Islam Makhachev to become the top P4P fighter in the promotion.

Du Plessis, meanwhile, is tied with fellow UFC titleholder Alexandre Pantoja at No. 4. Despite his impressive reign and undefeated run, the South African remains below Makhachev and bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili, in addition to Topuria.

But while speaking to the MMA Guru ahead of UFC 319, Du Plessis warned ‘El Matador’ to expect that to change in the coming days.

“Absolutely,” Du Plessis said when asked if he believes a win at UFC 319 could ascend him to the P4P throne.

“As of right now, I 100 percent agree with Ilia being at the top of that list.

“But after this fight — and if I give the performance that I believe that I am going to and that I know I can and the way I prepared for — I am definitely going to that spot,” Du Plessis added.

Dricus du Plessis’ potential stint as UFC’s P4P king could also be short-lived

If Du Plessis does beat Chimaev and get rewarded with a P4P crowning in the next rankings update, one UFC legend does not believe the South African will stay there for long.

Following the shake-up at the top of the ladder earlier in the summer, Daniel Cormier tipped Makhachev to re-pass Topuria if he takes the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena.

“He (Topuria) is the number one pound-for-pound fighter today,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “But if Islam is able to beat Jack Della Maddalena, it flips again and Islam goes back to number one.

“Only because of this, (his) fighting style will then be proven to go up to the next weight class. Islam will have done everything Topuria has done at a heavier weight. Four title defenses at 155, and then the new champion at welterweight.

“So yes, I agree, he (Topuria) is pound-for-pound number one today,” Cormier continued. “But I think the moment Islam is able to win, he then goes back to pound-for-pound number one.”

Makhachev is expected to challenge Della Maddalena at the Madison Square Garden-held UFC 322 event in November.