I don't have a problem with Merab being ranked 2nd, he deserved it, mostly by defeating Umar, who was the toughest possible opponent in the division, the 2nd win against O'Malley was just a cherry on top.
I rewatched the entire fight of Merab VS Umar yesterday and I saw much more things this time. Umar is really very good, it was a very close fight but in the last 2 minutes of round 5, Umar was too tired and exhausted, barely alive but he was very good, he didn't step back. I think it was one of the hardest fight for Merab. I also rewatched Merab VS Sean, first fight and then second fight. In the first fight, Sean was able to fight for the 5 round but in the second fight, he was a walking dead in the 3rd round, he was barely conscious, Merab got him that tired. I also saw an extreme improvement into Merab's striking. Now I would really love to see Merab VS Umar 2, it will be one of the most interesting fight. Merab is only getting better in every aspect and in fight against him, he will be a real beast, a real monster but I'm also sure that Umar will significantly improve because Khabib will personally take this loss and will do everything he can to prepare Umar against Merab. This will be a very interesting fight, one of the best, I'm sure.O'Malley dropped out of the ranking entirely and Tsarukyan is in at the 15th place.
Tsarukyan left me and probably everyone very disappointed.I just watched face-offs and realised how much taller Usman is compared to Buckley. I checked their Wiki stats, and apparently there's a 10cm height difference between them. That makes the x3.0 odds for Usman even more attractive. Although their reach is said to be exactly the same, so not sure if the height itself is actually that much of an advantage. It still could be i.e. when it comes to kicks etc.
Height is a huge advantage in fight. I don't know how to convince a non MMA guy that a short guy like Merab can beat a tall guy like Sean.If Ilia defeats Charles, he could move up to number 3, and Charles could fall off the list. Islam, Merab, and Ilia... It's very difficult to say which one is number 1. I think we'll have to watch the Islam vs. Ilia match to find out...
Both, Ilia and Merab have the potential to be number one but I think that Merab will become N1 from these two but still, everything depends on Makhachev. If he beats JDM, then he will cement it but you know what will be funny? If Ilia beats Charles and then moves up in Welterweight and beats Islam, then I think that Ilia will permanently be the first P4P but Merab's resume is too good too 