The UFC is residence to a few of the finest blended martial artists on the planet, so it’s no shock that followers usually debate how the elite fighters evaluate to at least one one other.
Alongside its weekly-updated rankings for every weight class, the UFC has its personal pound-for-pound rankings, containing 15 names – as with every checklist for each division.
Here, The Independent has constructed its personal high 10, pound-for-pound rankings for males’s UFC fighters, to be up to date month-to-month.
While there is no such thing as a actual science to assembling lists comparable to this, numerous components have been thought of in making the rankings, together with every fighter’s general document, current document, stage of exercise and calibre of opposition.
Before diving into the highest 10, listed here are a few honourable mentions:
Colby Covington (17-3, welterweight)
The former interim welterweight title holder is among the finest 170lbers on the planet, behind Kamaru Usman and possibly additionally champion Leon Edwards. Usman retained his belt towards Covington twice within the final three years earlier than shedding it to Edwards in August. Covington responded to the latter of these losses by simply outpointing friend-turned-rival Jorge Masvidal in March. He has been out and in of the highest 10 and is presently out on account of a 12 months of inactivity with out harm (so far as we all know).
Stipe Miocic (20-4, heavyweight)
The consensus heavyweight GOAT, the part-time firefighter holds the document for many profitable title defences within the division – the toughest weight class at which to place collectively a sustained run. The American surrendered the belt to Francis Ngannou and the French-Cameroonian’s freakish knockout energy in March 2021, however previous to that achieved back-to-back wins towards one of many biggest ever in Daniel Cormier. The veteran, 40, additionally holds a call victory over Ngannou, plus wins towards extra UFC champions in Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski. However, he has dropped out of our high 10 on account of two years of inactivity.
Top 10
10. Brandon Moreno (20-6-2, flyweight champion)
The Mexican has two attracts in his final 9 outings however was in any case unbeaten in three-and-a-half-years till dropping the flyweight title again to Deiveson Figueiredo in 2022, which noticed him briefly exit this checklist. In his earlier bout, Moreno gained the belt with a surprising submission of the extremely harmful Brazilian in June 2021, after outstriking him for the very best a part of two rounds. The pair’s trilogy bout at the beginning of 2022 was nearly as shut as their preliminary attract December 2020. A fourth conflict came about at UFC 283, with Moreno dominating Figueiredo to settle the rivalry for good, unifying the flyweight title after profitable the interim belt final July. That win additionally introduced him again into our high 10.
9. Aljamain Sterling (22-3, bantamweight champion)
The Jamaican-American was mocked by some followers after profitable the bantamweight title by way of disqualification in 2021, when Petr Yan landed an unlawful knee. Amid neck surgical procedure, Sterling needed to wait greater than a 12 months for his rematch with the Russian. With many predicting that Sterling would obtain the loss that he regarded on the right track to endure in his first assembly with Yan, he silenced some doubters and irked others by profitable a slim determination towards his rival in April. That outcome made it seven straight wins for the grappling specialist and noticed Sterling enter our honourable mentions. He then stopped former champion TJ Dillashaw by way of TKO in October, although the American was battling a dislocated shoulder all through the bout, and has since entered our rankings.
8. Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1 No Contest; light-weight)
The American has solely two defeats within the final six years – coming towards the best light-weight of all time in Khabib Nurmagomedov and top-of-the-line lively lightweights proper now in Charles Oliveira. The “Diamond” holds eight wins towards six totally different former world champions of the game, having overwhelmed Conor McGregor twice in 2021 earlier than most lately submitting Michael Chandler to enhance that tally.
7. Leon Edwards (20-3, 1 No Contest; welterweight champion)
Edwards grew to become Britain’s second ever UFC champion with a surprising, last-gasp knockout of Usman in August. After taking down the Nigerian-American – one thing no fighter had ever accomplished within the UFC – in Round 1, Edwards frequently rose to his toes amid an onslaught of grappling strain from the champion over the following few frames, conserving himself within the combat. Then, with a minute left on the clock, Edwards knocked Usman out chilly with an ideal head kick to take his gold, beating the person who outpointed him seven years earlier.
Since that 2015 loss to Usman, 31-year-old Edwards has gone unbeaten and gained 10 fights in a row, culminating in his title victory. He has endured luckless spells through the years, seeing fights towards high contenders fall by means of on quite a few events, however finally he didn’t must show his high quality towards any of them; he did so towards Usman in spectacular trend to enter our high 10. He additionally holds win towards ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos and fan favourites Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone.
6. Robert Whittaker (24-6, middleweight)
The Australian has tasted defeat simply twice within the final eight years. Both of these losses got here towards the outstanding Israel Adesanya, with Whittaker shedding the middleweight belt to his rival by TKO in 2019 earlier than dropping a debatable determination to the “Last Stylebender” final February. Between these bouts, the “Reaper” earned three straight wins towards elite competitors, and his earlier run to the belt noticed him efficiently navigate a murderers’ row of opponents that’s nearly incomprehensible. He bounced again from his second loss to Adesanya with a masterful factors win towards Marvin Vettori.
5. Charles Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC; light-weight)
The Brazilian’s 2010 debut within the UFC gave option to an inconsistent document with quite a few failed weight-cuts alongside the best way, however the former featherweight then turned his profession round (save for a half-a-pound weight-miss in spring). An 11-fight win streak over 5 years noticed Oliveira declare the light-weight title vacated by the retired Khabib, retain it late final 12 months, then submit Justin Gaethje in May – someday after being stripped of the belt for the afore-mentioned weight-miss. That most up-to-date win prolonged Oliveira’s information for many finishes (19) and most submissions (16) in UFC historical past and positioned him as No 1 contender as he regarded to regain the gold. However, he was submitted by Makhachev in October because the Russian adopted in his pal Khabib’s footsteps by profitable the 155lbs title.
4. Israel Adesanya (23-2, middleweight)
One of probably the most thrilling fighters to look at within the historical past of the game. The former kickboxer routinely produces hanging masterclasses towards his opponents, merely proving too slick and too intelligent for his competitors. Adesanya has confronted a who’s-who of 185lbers, knocking out numerous them and shedding to only one. The “Last Stylebender” suffered his first defeat in professional MMA in 2021, however there was even benefit in that because the Nigerian-born New Zealander moved up a weight class to problem then-champion Jan Blachowicz for the light-heavyweight title.
He then started to “lap the opposition” – a time period that can come up once more under – with back-to-back rematch wins towards Vettori and Whittaker previous to his determination victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. Adesanya then suffered simply his second MMA defeat – and first at middleweight – in shedding the title to outdated foe Alex Pereira in November. Pereira, who twice beat Adesanya in kickboxing bouts throughout 2016 and 2017, stopped the Kiwi within the closing spherical to dethrone “Stylebender” on the finish of an exciting encounter. The pair will conflict once more in April.
3. Kamaru Usman (20-2, welterweight)
In 2021, Usman was arguably the very best blended martial artist on this planet, not to mention the UFC. The Nigerian-American is probably probably the most scientific wrestler within the promotion and has added knockout energy to his sport. In 2021, Usman prolonged his unbeaten run to 9 years, his 19-fight win streak together with a dominant title win in 2019 and 5 profitable defences earlier than he dropped the title with a late knockout defeat by Edwards in August.
Despite that loss to a person he outpointed in 2015, Usman retains the No 2 spot right here. Also of nice benefit is the 35-year-old’s exercise, and previous to his title loss the “Nigerian Nightmare” was “lapping the opposition” in his personal phrases, having overwhelmed nearly each divisional contender of observe a minimum of as soon as – a few of them twice. In truth, he was on the verge a second factors victory over Edwards till the Briton produced one of many biggest KOs in UFC historical past.
Usman was our No 1 right here till UFC 276 in July, the place a sure smaller champion overtook him. But we’ll get to that shortly…
2. Islam Makhachev (24-1, light-weight champion)
Some used to query the Russian’s credentials, given an absence of top-tier opponents on his document, although that was arguably on account of highly-ranked fighters’ tentativeness to threat their spots towards a harmful up-and-comer. Others accused Makhachev of benefiting from his connection to Khabib – his childhood pal and now considered one of Makhachev’s coaches. Regardless, the 31-year-old banished any doubt in October when he submitted Oliveira – the fighter with probably the most submission wins in UFC historical past – to win the vacant light-weight title, suggesting that he would have accomplished the identical to most contenders at 155lbs.
Makhachev then made it 12 wins in a row by outpointing Alexander Volkanovski in February, matching the Australian’s document streak for an lively fighter whereas retaining his title towards the featherweight champion in a really shut contest. In advance of that combat, many prompt {that a} Makhachev win would make him the brand new pound-for-pound No 1, nonetheless…
1. Alexander Volkanovski (25-2, featherweight champion)
After struggling the only defeat of his skilled profession in 2013, Volkanovski gained a surprising 22 fights in a row. In truth, his solely professional loss got here towards a welterweight champion, till this February.
Seven of the Australian’s final eight fights have pitted him towards ‘elite’ fighters, and in 2022 Volkanovski placed on a clinic towards fan favorite Chan Sung Jung earlier than producing a masterclass to outpoint Max Holloway for the third time, leaving little question about his superiority over the person he dethroned in 2019. In doing so, the 34-year-old enhanced his personal declare to be labelled the 145lbs GOAT. He even holds a win towards the opposite standout contender for that title – Jose Aldo – in addition to Chad Mendes and Brian Ortega.
Volkanovski is as dynamic, composed and properly rounded as they arrive. He had the prospect to verify his standing as pound-for-pound king when he challenged light-weight champion Makhachev on residence turf in February, in a bid to turn into simply the fifth ever dual-weight UFC champion, and – though he narrowly misplaced on factors – he stays our No 1.
That is as a result of beautiful efficiency produced by the Aussie in that combat, with Volkanovski dropping Makhachev twice, neutralising the Russian in most of the grappling exchanges, and arguably profitable the bout regardless of a big measurement drawback. Keeping Volkanovski at No 1 could also be a controversial name, however it’s one which we stand by.