UFC rankings are viewed by many fight fans as a listing of the very best fighters in each major division in mixed martial arts. However, which competitors get ranked and where is always a source of much debate. Ringside Intel is here to further the subjective discourse with our rundown of the top fighters in the UFC.
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This space will be your one-stop shop for the top 10 in the UFC rankings, from the men’s flyweight division to the women’s pound-for-pound list. Scroll down and feast your eyes on the latest rankings.
Men’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings
Twelve straight victories are part of why UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is at the top of our current pound-for-pound UFC rankings. However, it is also how dominant he has been, and his back-to-back wins over fellow P4P fighters Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski that place him head and shoulders above any other fighters in the promotion right now.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Islam Makhachev | 24-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Alexander Volkanovski | 23-2 | L-W-W | ||
| #3 | Israel Adesanya | 24-2 | W-L-W | ||
| #4 | Jon Jones | 27-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #5 | Leon Edwards | 21-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #6 | Aljamain Sterling | 23-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #7 | Kamaru Usman | 20-3 | L-L-W | ||
| #8 | Charles Oliveira | 33-9 | L-W-W | ||
| #9 | Brandon Moreno | 21-6 | W-W-L | ||
| #10 | Max Holloway | 24-7 | W-L-W |
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UFC flyweight rankings
While Demetrious Johnson will remain fans’ choice as the best flyweight fighter ever, Mexican star Brandon Moreno has firmly placed himself as the undisputed No. 2 of all time. His series with Deiveson Figueiredo is the best in division history and he got the better of it by going 2-1-1 in the four-fight set. He is back in July to defend his title and place as the flyweight king.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Brandon Moreno | 21-6-2 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Alexandre Pantoja | 25-5 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Brandon Royval | 15-6 | W-W-W | ||
| #4 | Amir Albazi | 17-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #5 | Matheus Nicolau | 19-4-1 | L-W-W | ||
| #6 | Kai Kara-France | 24-11 | L-L-W | ||
| #7 | Manel Kape | 18-6 | W-W-W | ||
| #8 | Matt Schnell | 16-7 | L-W-L | ||
| #9 | David Divorak | 20-5 | L-L-W | ||
| #10 | Tim Elliott | 20-12-1 | W-W-W |
UFC bantamweight rankings
If there was any doubt that Aljamain Sterling was the best bantamweight in the world, he put those to rest at UFC 288. While he didn’t finish former two-division king Henry Cejudo, he defeated him cleanly and defended his belt against a former 135-pound champion for a second straight fight. Now, he gets an even bigger spotlight when he defends his belt against uber-popular striker Sean O’Malley next.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Aljamain Sterling | 23-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Merab Dvalishvili | 16-4 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Cory Sandhagen | 15-4 | W-W-L | ||
| #4 | Marlon Vera | 20-7-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #5 | Sean O’Malley | 16-1-1 | W-NC-W | ||
| #6 | Rob Font | 20-6 | W-L-W | ||
| #7 | Petr Yan | 16-5 | L-L-W | ||
| #8 | Yadong Son | 20-7 | W-L-W | ||
| #9 | Umar Nurmagomedov | 16-0 | W-W-W | ||
| #10 | Ricky Simon | 20-4 | L-W-W |
UFC featherweight rankings
While Alexander Volkanovski failed in his bid to become a champ-champ, he still remains the best featherweight fighter of all time. Three wins over division legend Max Holloway and outclassing MMA great Jose Aldo will make any resume bulletproof. In his return, he will look to defend his thrown against gifted Mexican striker, and interim champion, Yair Rodriguez.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Alexander Volkanovski | 25-2 | L-W-W | ||
| #2 | Yair Rodriguez | 16-3 | W-W-L | ||
| #3 | Max Holloway | 24-7 | W-L-W | ||
| #4 | Arnold Allen | 19-2 | L-W-W | ||
| #5 | Brian Ortega | 15-3 | L-L-W | ||
| #6 | Josh Emmett | 18-3 | L-W-W | ||
| #7 | Chan Sung Jung | 23-7 | W-L-W | ||
| #8 | Calvin Kattar | 23-7 | L-L-W | ||
| #9 | Ilia Topuria | 13-0 | W-W-W | ||
| #10 | Giga Chikadze | 14-3 | L-W-W |
What are MMA rankings?
MMA rankings are just like rankings for boxers of NFL teams. It is a list of the best fighters in a particular weight class or overall in the sport of mixed martial arts.
UFC lightweight rankings
Islam Makhachev, like his friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been a dominant force in the UFC lightweight division. He won 10 straight to land a title fight and now has one of the best back-to-back title defenses in weight class history when he defeated former champ Charles Oliveria and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. It is unclear at this time which 155-pound star has what it takes to dethrone the Russian.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Islam Makhachev | 24-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Charles Oliveira | 33-9 | L-W-W | ||
| #3 | Dustin Poirier | 29-7 | W-L-W | ||
| #4 | Justin Gaethje | 24-4 | W-L-W | ||
| #5 | Beniel Dariush | 22-4-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #6 | Michael Chandler | 23-8 | L-W-L | ||
| #7 | Rafael Fiziev | 12-2 | L-W-W | ||
| #8 | Mateusz Gamrot | 22-2 | W-L-W | ||
| #9 | Jalin Turner | 13-6 | L-W-W | ||
| #10 | Renato Moicano | 17-5 | W-L-W |
UFC welterweight rankings
Fight fans were shocked when Leon Edwards shocked welterweight legend Kamaru Usman in the final seconds of their rematch in 2022. They figured it was a fluke and the champ got lazy late. Well, he proved it was no miracle in March when he defeated Usman again and landed bragging rights for their trilogy. Like it or not, “Rocky” is the cream of the UFC rankings crop at 170 pounds.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Leon Edwards | 21-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Belal Muhammad | 26-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Kamaru Usman | 20-3 | L-L-W | ||
| #4 | Khamzat Chimaev | 12-0 | W-W-W | ||
| #5 | Gilbert Burns | 22-6 | L-W-W | ||
| #6 | Shavkat Rakhmonov | 17-0 | W-W-W | ||
| #7 | Colby Covington | 17-3 | W-L-W | ||
| #8 | Stephen Thompson | 17-6-1 | W-L-L | ||
| #9 | Vicente Luque | 21-8-1 | L-L-W | ||
| #10 | Sean Brady | 15-1 | L-W-W |
UFC middleweight rankings
After being on the wrong end of a stunning fifth-round knockout to his career-long boogieman Alex Pereira in 2022, Israel Adesanya scored sweet revenge in April with a destructive second-round knockout of the Brazilian. For a few months he lost his top spot, but “The Last Stylebender” is back at the top of the UFC rankings mountain at middleweight.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Israel Adesanya | 24-2 | W-L-W | ||
| #2 | Alex Pereira | 7-2 | L-W-W | ||
| #3 | Robert Whittaker | 25-6 | W-L-W | ||
| #4 | Jared Cannonier | 16-6 | W-L-W- | ||
| #5 | Marvin Vettori | 19-6-1 | W-L-W | ||
| #6 | Sean Strickland | 26-5 | W-L-L | ||
| #7 | Dricus Du Plessis | 19-2 | W-W-W | ||
| #8 | Paulo Costa | 14-2 | W-L-L | ||
| #9 | Derek Brunson | 23-9 | L-L-W | ||
| #10 | Roman Dolidze | 12-2 | L-W-W |
UFC light heavyweight rankings
While Jiri Prochazka is not the current light heavyweight champion, after relinquishing the title last year, he is still the scariest fighter in the division. New champ Jamahal Hill can make a case for being the best and is expected to get to prove that against “Denisa” at some point in 2023.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Jiri Prochazka | 29-3-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Jamahal Hill | 12-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Magomed Ankalaev | 18-1-1 | D-W-W | ||
| #4 | Jan Blachowicz | 29-9-1 | D-W-L | ||
| #5 | Aleksandar Rakic | 14-3 | L-W-W | ||
| #6 | Johnny Walker | 21-7 | W-W-W | ||
| #7 | Nikita Krylov | 30-9 | W-W-W | ||
| #8 | Anthony Smith | 36-18 | L-L-W | ||
| #9 | Volkan Oezdemir | 18-7 | L-W-L | ||
| #10 | Azamat Murzakanvo | 13-0 | W-W-W |
UFC heavyweight rankings
After three years away, MMA GOAT Jon Jones returned from his self-imposed exile at a new weight and is still the elite fighter he has always been. In dispatching former interim champion Ciryl Gane with such ease in March, he proved moving up in weight has not limited his greatness, and he now has the chance to take his fight legacy to new heights as the heavyweight champion.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Jon Jones | 27-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #2 | Sergei Pavlovich | 18-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Ciryl Gane | 11-2 | L-W-L | ||
| #4 | Curtis Blaydes | 20-3 | L-W-W | ||
| #5 | Alexander Volkov | 36-10 | W-W-L | ||
| #6 | Tom Aspinall | 12-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #7 | Tai Tuivasa | 14-5 | L-L-W | ||
| #8 | Sergey Spivak | 16-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #9 | Marcin Tybura | 24-7 | W-W-L | ||
| #10 | Jairzinho Rozenstruik | 12-4 | W-L-L |
Women’s UFC pound for pound rankings
When it comes to the women’s side of the pound-for-pound UFC rankings, two-division queen Amanda Nunes remains the best in the world. While she stumbled in her 2021 bantamweight defense against Julianna Pena, she avenged that defeat in 2022 and will next look to add another defense to her resume in June.
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Last 3 Results | ||
| #1 | Amanda Nunes | 22-5 | W-L-W | ||
| #2 | Alexa Grasso | 16-3 | W-W-W | ||
| #3 | Valentina Shevchenko | 23-4 | L-W-W | ||
| #4 | Zhang Weili | 23-3 | W-W-L | ||
| #5 | Carla Esparza | 20-7 | L-W-W | ||
| #6 | Rose Namajunas | 12-5 | L-W-W | ||
| #7 | Julianna Pena | 12-5 | L-W-W | ||
| #8 | Yan Xiaonan | 17-3 | W-W-L | ||
| #9 | Erin Blanchfield | 11-1 | W-W-W | ||
| #10 | Jessica Andrade | 24-11 | L-L-W |
Jake Paul Fires Back At Conor McGregor
Did Francis Ngannou retire?
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has not retired from MMA. “The Predator” was actually released from his UFC contract after failed negotiations and hit free agency in 2023. After months of testing his value on the market, Ngannou came to terms on an exclusive deal with the rival MMA company the Professional Fighters League.
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Categorized: MMA Caged Insider