MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Who will dethrone Islam Makhachev?

Welcome to the latest update to the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound rankings, where every month our esteemed panel sort through the noise to answer one question: Who are the best overall male and female MMA fighters in the world?

Let’s take a look at how things stand as the dust settles from UFC 302.

If you come at the king, you best not miss.

Yes, Islam Makhachev once again reigns supreme as MMA Fighting’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter after fending off a hellacious effort from Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Makhachev’s fifth-round submission of Poirier bolsters a résumé that is fast becoming one of the greatest the lightweight division has ever seen. Makhachev’s 14-fight win streak is not only the longest in the history of the UFC’s 155-pound division, it’s also the third-longest win streak by any UFC athlete ever, regardless of weight class. In addition, Makhachev is now tied with four other champions — B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, and Khabib Nurmagomedov — atop the list of most consecutive UFC lightweight title defenses ever.

Not bad for a fighter who was long disregarded in Nurmagomedov’s shadow.

As for the rest of UFC 302, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland was the night’s other big winner, rebounding from his title loss to Dricus du Plessis with a five-round decision win over Paulo Costa. For his handiwork, Strickland jumps up three spots on this month’s list, settling in at No. 14 after what may be his only bout in a long while.

Looking forward, UFC 303 is lacking any fights of pound-for-pound relevance, but things do heat up a week prior when No. 19 Khamzat Chimaev and former champ Robert Whittaker face off in a potential middleweight No. 1 contender’s bout on June 22 at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier, No. 13 Patchy Mix def. Magomed Magomedov, No. 17 (tied) Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 19 Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker (UFC Fight Night, June 22)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Merab Dvalishvili (5), Anatoly Malykhin (2), Patricio Pitbull (2), Kamaru Usman (2), Johnny Eblen (1), Justin Gaethje (1), A.J. McKee (1), Belal Muhammad (1), Usman Nurmagomedov (1), Dustin Poirier (1), Jiri Prochazka (1)

That sound you hear among the women’s pound-for-pound ranks? Tumbleweeds.

Yes, it’s been a bit of a dead period for the top women in MMA since UFC 300, though at least the bottom half of our list starts to get back into action in June. Three of the seven athletes on the low end of our top 20 take on unranked foes over the next four weeks, starting with No. 13 Liz Carmouche and No. 19 Taila Santos returning against Kana Watanabe and Jena Bishop, respectively, at PFL’s next show on June 13, and culminating with No. 16 Mayra Bueno Silva’s attempt to fend off Macy Chiasson on June 29 at UFC 303.

That may not prompt the same type of excitement we saw among both the men’s and women’s ranks earlier this year, but something is certainly better than nothing.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): N/A

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 13 Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe (PFL 4, June 13), No. 16 Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson (UFC 303, June 29), No. 19 Taila Santos vs. Jena Bishop (PFL 4, June 13)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Virna Jandiroba (2), Natalia Silva (2), Marina Rodriguez (2), Irene Aldana (1), Holly Holm (1), Lauren Murphy (1), Ketlen Vieira (1)

Lastly, a refresher on some ground rules:

• The seven-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Shaun Al-Shatti, Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin and Jed Meshew.
• Updates to the rankings will be completed following every UFC pay-per-view. Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout.
• Should a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will decide whether that fighter should immediately be removed from the rankings or maintain their position until further notice (let’s put it this way: we’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings a lot quicker than the UFC did).

As a reminder, the notion of pound-for-pound supremacy is always going to inherently be subjective. When you’re debating whether someone like Justin Gaethje should be ranked above someone like Max Holloway, there is no true right answer. In other words: It’s not serious business, folks.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.