The UFC heavyweight rankings are one of the most popular lists in the sport. Despite the big guys not being the quickest and most technical, the weight class remains a favorite. Because of the consistent knockouts that come from the most powerful fighters in the sport. However, unlike generations past, the current crop of elite heavyweights are some of the most talented that the industry has ever seen.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at where the best of the best land in the official Ringside Intel UFC heavyweight rankings.
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10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-5)
While “Bigi Boy” may never fight for a UFC title one day, he has remained a top 15-level heavyweight throughout his UFC career. After a round that saw him lose five of eight, he has gotten back on track in 2024 and has scored back-to-back wins that get him back in our top 10.
9. Derrick Lewis (28-12)
A three-fight losing streak knocked Derrick Lewis out of the top 10 for the first time in a few years. However, He has won two of his last three. And moved his UFC knockout record to 23 with a nasty victory in May. While he may never get a title shot again, his scary power is still elite and returns him to the rankings of the 10 best heavyweights in the world.
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8. Serghei Spivac (17-5)
After losing two of his first three in the organization, Sergey Spivac rounded into a very talented competitor in the UFC heavyweight division. He received the biggest opportunity of his career with a main event matchup against Ciryl Gane in France. Unfortunately, he was unable to overcome the Frenchman and saw his win streak end.
He showed his elite talent by bouncing back with a dominant submission win over Marcin Tybura in August. But he couldn’t start a new win streak when he came up short again, this time to submission ace Jailton Almeida.
7. Sergei Pavlovich (18-3)
Sergei Pavlovich has been an absolute crushing machine during much of his UFC career. After a loss to Alistair Overeem in his debut, he reeled off six straight wins and all of those victories came by way of a devastating knockout. Unfortunately, he is now in the midst of his first losing skid after being knocked out by Tom Aspinall last year. And then suffering a frustrating decision loss to Alexander Volkov in June.
6. Jailton Almeida (22-3)
Jailton Almeida seemed the next big thing in the heavyweight division. Even before he competed in a 2021 edition of The Contender Series, the Brazilian won eight straight, all by finishes. However, reality finally set in at UFC 299 when his vaunted grappling failed him and led to a definitive loss to Curtis Blaydes. In one moment his likely title hopes for 2024 were dashed.
But he has bounced back from that setback with a pair of first-round submission wins. The most recent coming aginst Sergei Spivac at UFC 311. The Brazilian has quickly gotten himself back into title contention to start 2025.
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5. Curtis Blaydes (18-4)
While there have been some very tough losses in the career of Curtis Blaydes, he has remained a top-five level heavyweight for much of the last half-decade. At UFC 299, he had an opportunity to finally right his big-fight wrongs and did so in a major way when he handed Jailton Almeida his first loss in the Octagon.
The win moved “Razor” in a UFC 304 title fight against Tom Aspinall. Unfortunately, his big fight curse returned and after a strong start suffered a TKO loss in Round 1. Where he goes next is unclear.
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4. Alexander Volkov (38-11)
Alexander Volkov has been a top-level MMA heavyweight for a long time. While he has been unable to earn a UFC title shot, he has remained a stalwart of the top 10 for years. He seemed to be one win away from a long sought-after championship opportunity after he moved his win streak to four straight when he scored an impressive victory over former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich in June.
And to many who watched UFC 310, he scored that victory against Ciryl Gane. However, the judges did not score it his way and he suffered a crushing defeat to the Frenchman. Nevertheless, he holds on to his spot in our latest rankings.
3. Ciryl Gane (13-2)
Ciryl Gane is a fantastic athlete and the most technical heavyweight MMA striker in the world. It is why he is consistently in the title discussion. However, his wrestling deficiencies continue to be a problem and they showed up again at UFC 310. Russian Alexander Volkvo gave him a lot of trouble in the grappling department and it is why many felt he lost that fight. However, the judges saw it differently, and “Bon Gamin” escaped with a shocking win in December.
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2. Tom Aspinall (14-3)
Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. While the current title he holds is an interim belt, with all due respect to lineal champion Jon Jones, Aspinall has beaten many of the best fighters in the division for the last three years instead of a great win in one fight.
His lone defeat in the company came after he tore knee ligaments against Curtis Blaydes. He definitively avenged that at UFC 304 when he handed “Razor” a Round 1 TKO loss. The win solidified his case to be considered the best heavyweight on Earth.
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1. Jon Jones (28-1)
Well, after dominating the light heavyweight division for just over a decade, it did not take long for Jon Jones to usurp control at heavyweight. At UFC 285 the MMA legend jumped into the division for the first time and needed less than three minutes to beat former interim champion Ciryl Gane and become the new division king.
In his long-awaited follow-up at UFC 309, he needed three rounds to make his first successful defense of the title. But over those near ly 15 minutes he showed he was levels above division icon Stipe Miocic and stopped him with a vicious body kick. Hate it or love it, Jones is the best heavyweight in the world.
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