Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision in the UFC 324 main event last Saturday, claiming the interim lightweight championship for the second time and ascending to #1 in the lightweight rankings. This bumped Arman Tsarukyan to #2, with Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway dropping to #3 and #4. Gaethje is now positioned as the next challenger for undisputed champion Ilia Topuria upon his return. The rankings update, the first of 2026, reflects UFC 324's outcomes after the promotion's new Paramount partnership debut. This sets up a high-stakes unification bout in lightweight, one of the deepest divisions.
Reports emerged this week that Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision in the UFC 324 main event last Saturday, claiming the interim lightweight championship for a second time and jumping to the top spot in the 155-pound rankings. The update has not been officially confirmed, and the full divisional reshuffle should be treated as unverified.
According to the report, the win positions Gaethje as the frontrunner to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Ilia Topuria in a future unification bout. Topuria, ranked number one pound-for-pound at just 29 years old, carries a 17-1 record and represents Spain's Climent Club. The Georgian-born Spaniard averages 4.81 significant strikes per minute and has shown well-rounded ability, averaging nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes.
The reported reshuffle pushes Arman Tsarukyan to number two, while Charles Oliveira falls to third and Max Holloway drops to fourth. Oliveira, the 36-year-old Brazilian out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima, holds a 37-11 record and remains one of the division's most dangerous threats, averaging 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes alongside 2.22 takedowns in the same window. Holloway, now listed at lightweight after his move up from featherweight, brings a 27-9 record and a relentless output of 7.2 significant strikes per minute, the highest volume among the fighters named in this update, though his 69-inch reach is a potential disadvantage at the heavier weight class.
Why it matters
- A Gaethje-Topuria unification fight would pit the interim champion against the sport's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter
- Oliveira and Holloway both remain within striking distance of a title shot at third and fourth respectively
- The lightweight division, widely considered one of the UFC's deepest, now has clearer shape heading into 2026
- This ranking update marks the first of 2026 and the first under the UFC's new Paramount partnership
