Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev warned that a UFC champion is one win from passing them both to become P4P king

Aljamain Sterling says Merab Dvalishvili should be pound-for-pound number one if he wins again

Taking up the final spot in the pound-for-pound top three is reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

After Dvalishvili submitted Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in their headlining rematch, the Georgian is just one more victory away from equaling his teammate Aljamain Sterling’s record for the most consecutive successful bantamweight title defenses.

And more than just that achievement by defeating Cory Sandhagen in their expected fight later this year, Sterling believes the champ would be undeniable as the P4P king.

“I would say it’s a three-headed race between Ilia, Merab, and Islam,” Sterling told MMA Crazy during International Fight Week.

“I think if (Dvalishvili) just wins one more, I think he’s (number one). I think you can’t deny him, especially if he gets a finish again.

“If you put Merab the same size, pound-for-pound, with any of these guys with his skillset, I think he does the same thing to everybody,” Sterling added.

“You can argue and make the case that he would actually be number one — and should be.”

Daniel Cormier made the same claim about Islam Makhachev

Sterling isn’t the only one touting their friend for the P4P top spot after a potential win later this year.

During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, former two-division champ Daniel Cormier insisted Makhachev must be number one again if he’s able to take the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena.

“He (Topuria) is the number one pound-for-pound fighter today,” Cormier said. “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 added. “But I think the moment Islam is able to win, he then goes back to pound-for-pound number one.”

Should both ‘DC’ and ‘Funk Master’ be right, the pound-for-pound order could be set for a turbulent period of movement, especially if Topuria successfully defends his lightweight title in the coming months.