The UFC currently has no American-born champions except Kayla Harrison, and former pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev believes U.S. dominance in the sport could diminish further as the promotion continues to sign more fighters from the Caucasus regions.At present, there is no American representation in men's top 10 pound-for-pound rankings of the UFC, with the No.12 Max Holloway as the highest-ranked U.S. fighter on the list. Meanwhile, the entire top 4 is occupied by fighters hailing from the Caucasus regions.The No.1-ranked Ilia Topuria is of Georgian descent, No.2 Makhachev is from Dagestan, No.3 Merab Dvalishvili represents Georgia, although he is a naturalized U.S. citizen, and No.4 Khamzat Chimaev was born in Chechnya.During an interview with Ushatayka's Islam Babadzhanov, the former lightweight champion was asked about his thoughts on America's declining dominance in the sport, and Makhachev was quick to answer, saying:"They just started signing more of our guys, that's the reason... Well, if they keep signing, I'm 100% sure there will be more champions [from the Caucasus]."Makhachev added:"Our guys live for this sport. In the USA, for example, they don't worry even if they competed bad, but behind our guys, there is a family, the whole city, the whole Republic. And he feels this responsibility, and goes out with full responsibility and wins. [H/T @ChampRDS on X]"Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below:Islam Makhachev sees Ilia Topuria's P4P No.1 spot as UFC's marketing ployWhile Islam Makhachev thinks highly of fighters from the Caucasus regions, he firmly believes the new lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, overtaking him on the pound-for-pound list is merely a marketing ploy.For context, 'El Matador' captured the No.1 spot on the list after he KOd Charles Oliveira to win the 155-pound strap at UFC 317, pushing Machachev, who had vacated the belt to pursue his double championship dreams, to second place.The Dagestani, however, believes the new ranking is UFC's strategy to build more interest around an eventual clash between the two fighters. During a media interaction at UFC Abu Dhabi, he said:"Well, it's marketing. They're doing it on purpose to promote this fight... So they do it right, and we'll be fighting for the #1 spot in the rankings. [H/T @ChampRDS on X]"