π¨ IS ILIA TOPURIA A BIGGER STAR THAN ISLAM MAKHACHEV?! π Islam Makhachev is missing from SportsPro's 2026 list of the world's 150 most marketable athletes, while Ilia Topuria is the HIGHEST-RANKED combat sports star! π Ilia Topuria β #41 Anthony Joshua β #52 Canelo Alvarez β #61 Khamzat Chimaev β #62 Despite suffering his first professional defeat, Topuria remains the ONLY combat sports athlete in the overall Top 50! And his next fight is already getting plenty of attention. π According to @Kalshi Paddy Pimblett currently has a 64% chance of being Ilia Topuria's next opponent!
SportsPro's 2026 ranking of the world's 150 most marketable athletes has Ilia Topuria at No. 41, making him the highest-placed combat sports athlete on the list. Islam Makhachev does not appear on it.
Topuria is the only combat sports athlete in the overall top 50. Behind him in the combat sports group are Anthony Joshua at No. 52, Canelo Alvarez at No. 61 and Khamzat Chimaev at No. 62.
Topuria's placement comes after the first loss of his professional career. He was stopped by Justin Gaethje in the fourth round of a title fight at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, his most recent recorded fight, which left him 17-1. The 29-year-old Spaniard, who fights out of Climent Club, is still ranked No. 1 in the lightweight division and No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. He lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Makhachev, 35, is the reigning welterweight champion at 29-1. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous-decision title win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on August 15. Before that he beat Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision in November 2025 and submitted Renato Moicano in the first round in January 2025. The Russian averages 3.22 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 58 percent of his significant strikes.
Chimaev, 32, sits at No. 62 after a split-decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9, which dropped him to 15-1. He remains the No. 1 middleweight contender and ranks tenth pound-for-pound. His takedown average of 5.29 per 15 minutes is the highest of the three fighters profiled here.
The story also touches on Topuria's next opponent. Citing the prediction market Kalshi, the report puts Paddy Pimblett's chance of being that opponent at 64 percent. That figure is a market estimate, not a matchmaking announcement.
Why it matters
- Marketability rankings reward star power as well as results, and Topuria's spot suggests a loss has not dented his commercial pull.
- Makhachev's absence stands out given his title run, including three straight wins across two divisions in the recorded fights above.
- Topuria is four years younger than Makhachev, 29 to 35, which is part of the long-term commercial picture.
