Rankings
Pound For Pound Rankings
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.
Upcoming Fight: vs Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier | Jul 02, 2022 – UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
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.
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.
Upcoming Fight: vs Max “Blessed” Holloway | Jul 02, 2022 – UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
Volkanovski soundly defeated Chan Sung Jung via TKO, and now has three defenses of his undisputed featherweight title.
Oliveira, despite missing the official championship weight limit, put on a championship to defeat Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
Johnson competed in a hybrid muay thai/MMA match vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon and submitted him in the second round.
Miocic apologized for deviating from the gameplan against the dangerous Francis Ngannou, a mistake that cost him the UFC heavyweight title.
Freire recaptures the Bellator featherweight title for the third time, as he defeats the previously undefeated McKee, now evening their rivalry to 1-1.
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.
Bader dominated his opponent from start to finish utilizing his main strengths, wrestling and ground and pound.
Upcoming Fight: vs Kai “Don’t Blink” Kara-France | Jul 30, 2022 – UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 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.
Poirier was incredibly disappointed after failing to win the UFC lightweight title but would still seem to have big fights ahead, should he choose.
Upcoming Fight: vs Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski | Jul 02, 2022 – UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
Holloway has hinted at some big things on the horizon that don’t necessarily revolve around getting another crack at Alexander Volkanovski.
Upcoming Fight: vs Jiri “Denisa” Prochazka | Jun 11, 2022 – UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka
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.
Sterling unified his undisputed bantamweight title when he defeated interim champion, Petr Yan.
Honorable Mentions
Robert Whittaker
Win
23
Loss
6
Draw
0
The 31-year-old former middleweight champion has solidified himself as the clear No. 2 in the division, as he and Adesanya are simply above the competition.
USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 24: Ketlen Vieira enters top 5 at women’s bantamweight
The women’s bantamweight division was shaken up after a controversial split decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 206.
Ketlen Vieira squeaked by Holly Holm after five rounds of back-and-forth action, claiming a split decision victory over the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion. The fight was incredibly close, with both women having their moments throughout the fight. However, when it was all said and done and the scores were read, the result did not sit well with many, including Holm, who thought her work in the clinch sealed the win. Vieira’s strikes appeared more impactful when in space, earning her the nod on two of the three judges’ scorecards. After the win, she moves up to claim the No. 4 spot in this week’s rankings update while Holm falls behind her at No. 5.
The co-main event saw a Fight of the Night battle between Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio. This one was another intense fight that was so close the judges had trouble agreeing on who won after 15 minutes of non-stop action. Ultimately, Pereira was awarded the victory via split decision, and now claims an honorable mention spot at welterweight.
Tabatha Ricci was also in action on the main card at Saturday’s event, and she picked up a unanimous decision win over Polyana Viana. For her efforts, she enters the honorable mentions at strawweight, replacing Viana.
Check out the full updated rankings in the pull-down lists above following UFC Fight Night 206.
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.