Ilia Topuria has ascended to the pinnacle of the UFC's men's pound-for-pound rankings for the first time following his emphatic win for the vacant lightweight title. The Georgian-Spaniard showcased his dominance by knocking out Charles Oliveira in a ruthless fashion at UFC 317 in Las Vegas on Saturday, marking his place as the promotion's 10th two-division champion.

At 28 years old, Topuria replaces former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at the top of the rankings. Makhachev relinquished the belt to move up to welterweight, paving the way for Topuria's rise. With an impeccable record of 17 wins, Topuria vacated his featherweight title earlier this year to pursue the lightweight division.

Britain's Paddy Pimblett, who confronted Topuria inside the octagon after his victory over Oliveira, has seen a dip in the lightweight rankings, falling from eighth to 10th. The tension between Topuria and Pimblett escalated when Topuria shoved Pimblett, sparking rumors of a potential title bout between the two. Their rivalry dates back over three years, stemming from an incident where Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria during a confrontation at a London hotel.

Both fighters have expressed their desire for the bout, but contenders like second-ranked Arman Tsarukyan of Armenia and fourth-ranked Justin Gaethje of America are also in the mix. Meanwhile, Britain's Tom Aspinall, recently upgraded to undisputed heavyweight champion following Jon Jones' retirement, holds the ninth spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.

In other developments, Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja moved up to fifth after successfully defending his flyweight belt for the fourth time against New Zealand's Kai Kara-France on Saturday.

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