Rankings
Pound For Pound Rankings
1
Already considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, Jones says he wants to turn his attention to heavyweight and has no intention of returning to 205 pounds.
1
Usman has five consecutive defenses of the UFC’s 170-pound title and is now in the discussion as the greatest welterweight of all time.
1
While he wasn’t completely satisfied with his latest win over Robert Whittaker, Adesanya did notch another title defense and wants to turn around quickly to face Jared Cannonier.
1
Upcoming Fight: vs Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon | Mar 26, 2022 – ONE X
Despite a multitude of distractions and some serious injuries, Ngannou was able to unify the UFC’s heavyweight titles and will now look to work through a contentious contract dispute.
1
Upcoming Fight: vs Chan Sung “The Korean Zombie” Jung | Apr 09, 2022 – UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. ‘Korean Zombie’
After suffering the first knockout loss of his career, Johnson openly contemplated the idea of potentially competing in kickboxing next and ultimately booked himself an intriguing mixed rules matchup.
1
Volkanovski has certainly been tested in his time as UFC champion, but he continues to gut out impressive performances and now owns an incomprehensible 20-fight win streak.
1
Upcoming Fight: vs Patricio “Pitbull” Freire | Apr 15, 2022 – Bellator 277: McKee vs. Pitbull 2
Miocic apologized for deviating from the gameplan against the dangerous Francis Ngannou, a mistake that cost him the UFC heavyweight title.
1
Upcoming Fight: vs Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje | May 07, 2022 – UFC 274
The undefeated Bellator champion looked absolutely incredible in his run through the promotion’s featherweight grand prix and is willing to take on anyone in defense of his new title.
1
Oliveira’s rise to UFC champion may have been unexpected, but he now looks like perhaps the most dangerous matchup in the lightweight division and boasts a 10-fight winning streak.
1
Figueiredo is once again the UFC flyweight champion after a narrow win over Brandon Moreno, and the two may very well be heading towards a fourth consecutive matchup.
1
Upcoming Fight: vs Cheick Kongo | May 06, 2022 – Bellator 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2
Moreno was frustrated in the result of this third fight with Deiveson Figueiredo and is hoping they can rebook the matchup immediately, and he’s willing to make a quick turnaround to do it.
1
At 38, Bader may not have what it takes to bounce between divisions any longer, but he’s the reigning Bellator heavyweight champion after unifying the belts against Cheick Kongo.
1
Poirier was incredibly disappointed after failing to win the UFC lightweight title but would still seem to have big fights ahead, should he choose.
1
Holloway has hinted at some big things on the horizon that don’t necessarily revolve around getting another crack at Alexander Volkanovski.
Teixeira’s final career chapter has been amazing to watch unfold, claiming the UFC light heavyweight title at 42 and adding to the legend of a storied run.
Honorable Mentions
USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 15: Ankalaev, Yadong inch up
With UFC Fight Night 203 and Bellator 276 both in the books, numerous fighters have shifted up or down in their respective divisions.
UFC headline victor Magomed Ankalaev in his first promotional main event scored a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Thiago Santos. The decision wasn’t the prettiest but it was decisive. It moves Ankalev to No. 12 in the light heavyweight division.
With his big knockout win over Marlon Moraes in the co-main event, Song Yadong enters the bantamweight rankings at No. 13. As for Moraes, he drops into unranked status with his fourth-straight knockout defeat.
And if you’re wondering where Jon Jones went, the all-time UFC light heavyweight great has been removed due to inactivity.
Take a look at the full rankings below, ahead of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204 in London.
Ranking Criteria
The rankings take into account a fighter’s wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they’ve been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they’re not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter’s primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, non-titleholders can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won’t be ranked in a new weight class until they’ve had their first fight at that weight.