MMA World Power Index: Eight countries represented at UFC 317

MMA is simply a existent illustration of an planetary sport. Between its 2 premier promotions -- the UFC and the PFL -- determination are 10 countries represented among the 17 divisional champions.

That doesn't travel adjacent to accounting for the astir 100 different location countries of fighters connected the rosters of some organizations. With 26 fighters from 8 nations capping disconnected the UFC's International Fight Week astatine UFC 317 successful Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena connected Saturday (10 p.m. ET connected ESPN+ PPV; prelims astatine 8 p.m. ET connected ESPN), ESPN acceptable retired to find which countries basal retired from the rest.

Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim, Dre Waters, Carlos Contreras Legaspi, James Regan, Ian Parker, Alecia Hamm and Marcus Vanderberg analyzed the existent scenery of MMA to fertile the 10 countries with the strongest beingness successful MMA. The voting criteria were based connected 4 factors: existent champions, ranked fighters crossed each divisions successful the UFC and the PFL, imaginable pipeline (fighters who are rising contenders and aboriginal stars) and the full fig of fighters represented successful apical promotions successful MMA.

1. United States

UFC/PFL champions: 1 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 3 | 2024 ranking: 1

The United States presently boasts lone 1 UFC champion, but it remains the starring powerhouse of mixed martial arts. At immoderate fixed time, astir fractional of the UFC's roster is from the U.S.

The country's stables did instrumentality a large deed this month, however, arsenic erstwhile UFC airy heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones announced his status from competition. Jones was the person of the athletics for years. His departure leaves recently crowned women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison arsenic the lone American UFC champion. While the U.S. is simply a small airy connected belts astatine the moment, determination is ever an tremendous harvest of endowment coming done the pipeline. -- Okamoto

2. Russia

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Islam Makhachev becomes astir decorated lightweight UFC combatant ever

Islam Makhachev becomes the archetypal idiosyncratic successful the UFC to support the lightweight rubric 4 times successful a triumph implicit Renato Moicano.

UFC/PFL champions: 5 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 6 | 2024 ranking: 3

Talk astir a storied MMA history. This federation has agelong been location to legends, from Fedor Emelianenko to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both erstwhile champions and all-time greats are retired now, but the sport's existent pound-for-pound No. 1 is Islam Makhachev, who has agreed to surrender his UFC lightweight rubric to prosecute the welterweight belt. Makhachev's (and Nurmagomedov's) portion of Russia is Dagestan, wherever airy heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev besides hails from. Khamzat Chimaev, from neighboring Chechnya, is booked to situation for the middleweight rubric successful August.

Several different Russians are contenders for UFC gold, including erstwhile bantamweight loop holder Petr Yan. Umar Nurmagomedov, relative of Khabib, vied for that aforesaid 135-pound loop earlier this year, and Umar's brother, Usman, was the Bellator bantamweight champion until that promotion was absorbed by the PFL. Two of Emelianenko's protégés, airy heavyweight Vadim Nemkov and heavyweight Valentin Moldavsky, besides held Bellator titles earlier joining the PFL roster. Four of the PFL's 2024 champions are Russian natives: Denis Goltsov, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Shamil Musaev and Timur Khizriev.

There's nary denying that Russia continues to marque a memorable interaction connected MMA. -- Wagenheim

3. Brazil

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Alexandre Pantoja celebrates aft Round 2 triumph implicit Kai Asakura

Alexandre Pantoja retains the flyweight rubric aft a rear-naked choke submission of Kai Asakura successful the main lawsuit of UFC 310.

UFC/PFL champions: 1 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 20 | 2024 ranking: 2

MMA volition everlastingly hint its roots done Brazil, the location of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the Gracie family, specifically Rorion Gracie, 1 of the co-founders of the UFC successful 1993.

The state is synonymous with not lone UFC champions but immoderate of the astir ascendant and beloved UFC champs of each time, including Anderson Silva, José Aldo, Amanda Nunes and Charles Oliveira. Brazil offers plentifulness of endowment and plentifulness of prima power. Currently, the country's lone UFC champion is flyweight Alexandre Pantoja, who volition support his loop successful the UFC 317 co-main lawsuit against Kai Kara-France. Pantoja hasn't grasped superstardom yet -- thing that's peculiarly hard to bash successful his value people -- but helium has proved his dominance. The 35-year-old has successfully defended his rubric 3 times crossed the past 18 months.

Over the remainder of this year, respective Brazilian women could get a changeable astatine joining Pantoja astatine the top, including Virna Jandiroba, Natalia Silva and Nunes, who is expected to travel retired of retirement. Generally speaking, Sao Paulo's Fighting Nerds gym, which boasts Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy and Carlos Prates, is arguably the hottest campy successful the world. -- Okamoto

4. Georgia

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Merab Dvalishvili stops Sean O'Malley successful ascendant manner to clasp belt

Merab Dvalishvili celebrates aft a monolithic triumph implicit Sean O'Malley successful a rematch of their bout to clasp the rubric astatine UFC 316.

UFC/PFL champions: 1 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 3 | 2024 ranking: 7

Georgia is astir fractional the size of the authorities of New York. But this tiny state has a immense beingness successful the UFC, with 1 existent champion and different large who precocious vacated a rubric to prosecute a antithetic one. The reigning titlist is men's bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, a prima successful the athletics due to the fact that of his relentless warring skills and his quirky, crowd-pleasing personality. He's No. 3 successful ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings, close down countryman Ilia Topuria, the undefeated erstwhile featherweight champ who volition spell for lightweight golden astatine UFC 317.

Middleweight Roman Dolidze besides is ranked by ESPN. Featherweight Giga Chikadze is connected a spot of a skid, losing 2 of his past 3 bouts, but his fights ever connection power-packed excitement. Before the atrocious spell, Chikadze punctuated a nine-fight winning streak with 3 consecutive knockouts. -- Wagenheim

5. Australia

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Alexander Volkanovski wins featherweight rubric for 2nd time

Alexander Volkanovski defeats Diego Lopes via unanimous determination to go a two-time featherweight champion successful the UFC.

UFC/PFL champions: 2 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 4 | 2024 ranking: 4

Considering its comparatively abbreviated past successful MMA, Australia has much than its just stock of elite endowment and memorable moments successful the sport.

Whether talking astir the past oregon the existent authorities of Aussie MMA, each treatment begins with Alexander Volkanovski. The two-time featherweight champion has solidified himself arsenic 1 of the top 145-pound fighters of each clip and 1 of the champion to ever vie successful the sport. In April, helium made UFC past by becoming the archetypal combatant implicit 35 years aged to triumph a rubric astatine 145 pounds oregon lower. Volkanovski grew annoyed astatine that storyline arsenic it played out, but it is undeniably a monolithic achievement. In May, Jack Della Maddalena upset Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title to articulation Volkanovski successful Australian gold.

It is rather a feat for Australia to output aggregate UFC champions simultaneously, particularly successful 2 of the deepest value classes successful the UFC. And Della Maddalena has a blockbuster combat up of him, arsenic helium is expected to look Makhachev earlier year's end. -- Okamoto

6. England

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'What now?!' Paddy Pimblett celebrates aft dominating win

Paddy Pimblett surrounds Michael Chandler with a flurry of discourtesy and celebrates successful electrical manner successful the co-main lawsuit of UFC 314.

UFC/PFL champions: 2 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 7 | 2024 ranking: 6

Heavyweight is the glamor part successful combat sports, and England is location to the champion heavyweight successful the world. Tom Aspinall was precocious promoted from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion and No. 1 successful the ESPN heavyweight rankings.

The different champ from England is PFL women's flyweight Dakota Ditcheva, who is 14-0 and riding a streak of 9 finishes successful a row, with each but 2 coming successful the archetypal round. Then there's erstwhile UFC welterweight titlist Leon Edwards, who remains a contender. Lerone Murphy and Arnold Allen are featherweight rubric hopefuls.

England besides mightiness pb each nations successful personality, with lightweight Paddy Pimblett and welterweight Michael "Venom" Page arsenic mouthy arsenic they are flashy. -- Wagenheim

7. Mexico

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Daniel Zellhuber, Esteban Ribovics enactment connected epic Round 3 successful Sphere

Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber get the fans connected their feet successful 1 of the champion rounds of the twelvemonth astatine UFC 306.

UFC/PFL champions: 0 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 5 | 2024 ranking: 5

It's astir apt lone a substance of clip earlier Mexico's beingness successful MMA grows to a overmuch higher ranking connected this list. The state dropped 2 slots from past year's database due to the fact that it presently lacks a champion. But fixed its proximity to the U.S. (where astir UFC events instrumentality place), the UFC's efforts to grow to Mexico and the interaction of erstwhile champs specified arsenic Brandon Moreno, Alexa Grasso and Yair Rodriguez, Mexico is trending up.

The large 3 of Moreno, Grasso and Rodriguez are inactive precise dangerous. Moreno is the No. 2-ranked challenger astatine flyweight. Grasso is connected a two-fight skid, but she is lone 31 years old. And Rodriguez is connected the cusp of a rubric changeable against featherweight champion Volkanovski.

The bigger propulsion for Mexico, though, is simply a larger measurement of UFC-caliber athletes. The state has 2 talented young contenders successful 26-year-old strawweight Yazmin Jauregui and 25-year-old lightweight Daniel Zellhuber. As much youthful prospects trickle into the sport's apical promotions, Mexican MMA volition found an adjacent greater presence. -- Okamoto

8. China

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Zhang Weili dominates her mode to clasp rubric successful co-main event

Zhang Weili wins via unanimous determination implicit Tatiana Suarez successful a one-sided triumph successful Sydney astatine UFC 312.

UFC/PFL champions: 1 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 3 | 2024 ranking: 9

UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is the champion combatant successful women's MMA, and that unsocial makes China a unit successful the sport. She is successful her 2nd reign with the belt, but she could soon driblet it to determination up and situation for the flyweight title. Zhang has won 5 bouts successful a row, and 1 of those victories was past year's rubric defence against countrywoman Yan Xiaonan, who is No. 3 successful the ESPN strawweight rankings.

The different ranked combatant from China is men's bantamweight Song Yadong, whose astir caller triumph came against erstwhile two-division champion Henry Cejudo.

Six years aft the UFC opened its largest show institute to day successful Shanghai, China is gathering connected its beingness successful MMA. -- Wagenheim

9. Nigeria

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Kamaru Usman returns to UFC with ascendant triumph implicit Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman climbs his mode up the rankings with a large determination triumph implicit Joaquin Buckley successful the main lawsuit of UFC Fight Night.

UFC/PFL champions: 1 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 3 | 2024 ranking: 8

Nigeria's ranking is unsocial due to the fact that portion 2 of the champion UFC champions of each clip -- middleweight Israel Adesanya and welterweight Kamaru Usman -- were calved there, they some genuinely recovered their MMA callings elsewhere (in New Zealand and the U.S., respectively). Nigeria isn't known to person a accordant beingness successful the MMA world, but the athletes this state has contributed to the athletics are world-class.

However, a caller people of endowment needs to look soon. Adesanya has mislaid 4 of his past 5 bouts, and though helium inactive seems determined to constitute 1 much section successful his storied career, it is person to its extremity than its beginning. The aforesaid tin beryllium said astir Usman, who turned backmost the timepiece successful a large mode successful June by defeating bare up-and-coming welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley. Usman has goals to recapture his rubric and adjacent determination up successful weight, but astatine 38, helium has nary clip to waste.

The PFL plans to big its archetypal Africa enlargement lawsuit connected July 19 successful Cape Town, South Africa. Currently, 1 Nigerian combatant is booked connected the card, undefeated strawweight Juliet Ukah. It volition beryllium intriguing to spot what the promotion's 3rd planetary league does for the athletics successful African countries. -- Okamoto

10. New Zealand

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Carlos Ulberg needs conscionable 12 seconds to decorativeness Alonzo Menifield

Carlos Ulberg finishes Alonzo Menifield successful conscionable 12 seconds astatine UFC Fight Night.

UFC/PFL champions: 0 | ESPN-ranked fighters: 3 | 2024 ranking: NR

The lone existent UFC champion associated with New Zealand is Volkanovski. He is billed retired of Australia, wherever helium was born, but helium trains astatine City Kickboxing successful Auckland, New Zealand. That gym could adhd a 2nd champ this weekend, erstwhile Kara-France challenges Pantoja for the men's flyweight loop astatine UFC 317. And speaking of City Kickboxing and championships, let's not hide Adesanya; the erstwhile middleweight king remains a prima of the sport.

City Kickboxing is besides the location gym to Carlos Ulberg, a rising contender astatine airy heavyweight who has won 8 consecutive fights, and Auckland autochthonal Dan Hooker, who has won 3 successful a enactment to rejuvenate his lightweight career. Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker lives successful Australia, but helium was calved successful New Zealand. And Whittaker precocious has traveled to City Kickboxing to bid with Adesanya, the antheral who erstwhile dethroned him. -- Wagenheim