David Brown’s UFC rankings with Xplainations updated for 10.27.23

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OCTOBER 2023

In deciding where to rank fighters, actual results are most important, not how I personally feel about the fighters or who I think would win hypothetical matchups. I examine head-to-head bouts first, then primarily results over the last three years, giving more credence to recent ones. The level of competition is always considered, activity is important and MMA math only plays a small part in the process. I make my votes public in the spirit of openness and transparency.

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

dB rankings

1. Islam Makhachev (C) +1

2. Alexander Volkanovski (C) -1

3. Jon Jones (C)

4. Leon Edwards (C)

5. Charles Oliveira +2

6. Alexandre Pantoja (C) +6

7. Sean O’Malley (C) *

8. Sean Strickland (C) *

9. Israel Adesanya -4

10. Kamaru Usman -2

11. Jamahal Hill (C) -2

12. Sergei Pavlovich -1

13. Jiri Prochazka -3

14. Alex Pereira -1

15. Aljamain Sterling -9

UFC rankings

1. Jon Jones (C)

2. Islam Makhachev (C) +1

3. Alexander Volkanovski (C) -1

4. Leon Edwards (C)

5. Charles Oliveira +2

6. Sean O’Malley (C) *

7. Sean Strickland (C) *

8. Israel Adesanya -3

9. Alexandre Pantoja (C)

10. Alex Pereira

11. Aljamain Sterling -5

12. Max Holloway

13. Kamaru Usman -5

14. Jiri Prochazka -4

15. Jamahal Hill (C) -1

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Brandon Moreno, Dricus Du Plessis

Out of UFC rankings: Justin Gaethje, Brandon Moreno

X: While Makhachev was able to finish Volkanovski in the first round, that doesn’t take any shine away from how badass it was for the FW champ to take a LW title fight on 12 days’ notice. Usman’s loss to Chimaev on short notice doesn’t hurt him much, either, and I think the latter still needs another win at MW before joining the P4P ranks. O’Malley’s sweet KO of Sterling brought all of his Sugary promise to light, but he’ll have a tough time keeping the belt since BW is lined with killers throughout the top 15. Strickland beating Adesanya – and barely working up a sweat while doing it – may be the biggest upset in the UFC since a LW named Matt Serra shocked the world against WW champ Georges St. Pierre.

FLYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Alexandre Pantoja

1. Brandon Moreno

2. Deiveson Figueiredo

3. Brandon Royval

4. Amir Albazi

5. Kai Kara France

6. Matheus Nicolau

7. Manel Kape

8. Alex Perez

9. Muhammad Mokaev +2

10. Tim Elliott

11. Matt Schnell -2

12. Steve Erceg

13. Cody Durden +1

14. Tagir Ulanbekov -1

15. David Dvorak

UFC rankings

C: Alexandre Pantoja

1. Brandon Moreno

2. Deiveson Figueiredo

3. Amir Albazi

4. Brandon Royal

5. Kai Kara France

6. Matheus Nicolau

7. Alex Perez

8. Manel Kape +1

9. Matt Schnell -1

10. Muhammad Mokaev +1

11. Tim Elliott -1

12. Sumudaerji

13. Tagir Ulanbekov

14. Steve Erceg

15. David Dvorak
 

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

 

X: Flyweights continue to not see much action, with Mokaev’s late submission of Elliott the biggest fight over the last few months in this weight class. If all of his opponents hadn’t dropped out, the hard-charging Kape might be facing Pantoja next. And Cody Durden is right; he does deserve to be ranked. Since Mudaerji last won in January 2021 – he hasn’t even fought since July 2022 – Durden is 5-1, only losing to Mokaev. To be fair, I wish there was more consistency in the UFC rankings on removing fighters due to inactivity or weight changes; more about that in the women’s flyweight segment.

 

BANTAMWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Sean O’Malley +2

1. Aljamain Sterling -1

2. Merab Dvalishvili -1

3. Henry Cejudo

4. Petr Yan

5. Cory Sandhagen

6. Marlon Vera

7. Rob Font

8. Song Yadong

9. Ricky Simon

10. Dominick Cruz

11. Jonathan Martinez +4

12. Chris Gutierrez +2

13. Umar Nurmagomedov -2

14. Pedro Munhoz -1

15. Said Nurmagomedov *

UFC rankings

C: Sean O’Malley +2

1. Aljamain Sterling -1

2. Merab Dvalishvili -1

3. Henry Cejudo

4. Cory Sandhagen

5. Petr Yan

6. Marlon Vera

7. Song Yadong +1

8. Rob Font -1

9. Dominick Cruz

10. Pedro Munhoz

11. Jonathan Martinez +2

12. Umar Nurmagomedov -1

13. Ricky Simon -1

14. Chris Gutierrez +1

15. Said Nurmagomedov *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Adrian Yanez

X: The UFC’s funnest weight class got even funner when O’Malley took Sterling to the woodshed. Alas, his desire to get back his loss to Vera, a thin winner over Munhoz, may leave Sterling and Dvalishvili both out in the New York cold. Martinez – winner of six straight – was dynamite against Yanez, I refused to punish Font for stepping up on short notice against Sandhagen and a battle of unrelated Nurmagomedovs in Said vs. Usman surely can’t be too far down the road.

 

dB rankings

C: Alexander Volkanovski

1. Max Holloway

2. Ilia Topuria +1

3. Arnold Allen +1

4. Yair Rodriguez -2

5. Brian Ortega

6. Josh Emmett

7. Calvin Kattar

8. Gigi Chikadze +1

9. Movsar Evloev +1

10. Dan Ige +3

11. Edson Barboza +3

12. Sodiq Yusuf

13. Bryce Mitchell -2

14. Alex Caceres +1

15. Lerone Murphy *

UFC rankings

C: Alexander Volkanovski

1. Max Holloway

2. Yair Rodriguez

3. Brian Ortega

4. Arnold Allen

5. Ilia Topuria

6. Josh Emmett

7. Calvin Kattar

8. Giga Chikadze +1

9. Movsar Evloev +1

10. Bryce Mitchell +2

11. Edson Barboza +3

12. Sodiq Yusuff -1

13. Dan Ige

14. Lerone Murphy *

15. Alex Caceres

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Chan Sung Jung (retired)

X: Volkanovski deserves nothing but love for taking on Makhachev again, and he seems determined to defend his FW belt against Topuria in January. You have to love an active champ, even if he needs time off after being TKO’d. Congratulations to the “Korean Zombie” for getting the absolute most out of his relatively short fighting career. Nice to see Barboza doing Barboza-like things again versus good competition in Yusuff and Billy Quarantillo. Note: I messed up here, as I was supposed to have Mitchell ranked after Evloev at 10 but apparently screwed it up. Will fix with next rankings.

LIGHTWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Islam Makhachev

1. Charles Oliveira

2. Justin Gaethje

3. Dustin Poirier

4. Beneil Dariush

5. Mateusz Gamrot +2

6. Rafael Fiziev -1

7. Arman Tsarukyan +1

8. Michael Chandler -2

9. Dan Hooker +1

10. Jalin Turner +1

11. Renato Moicano +1

12. Benoit Saint Denis *

13. Matt Frevola +1

14. Drew Dober *

15. Bobby Green *

UFC rankings

C: Islam Makhachev

1. Charles Oliveira

2. Justin Gaethje

3. Dustin Poirier

4. Beneil Dariush

5. Michael Chandler

6. Mateusz Gamrot +1

7. Rafael Fiziev -1

8. Arman Tsarukyan

9. Dan Hooker +1

10. Rafael dos Anjos -1

11. Jalin Turner +1

12. Bobby Green *

13. Renato Moicano

14. Matt Frevola

15. Drew Dober *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Grant Dawson, Joel Alvarez, Thiago Moises

Out of UFC rankings: Grant Dawson, Diego Ferreira

X: As a founding member of the Drew Dober fan club, it was good to see him chucking bombs again, enough to return to the top 15. Saint Denis isn’t getting as much love as he deserves after four straight finishes against tough guys at LW, but his upcoming scrap with Frevola could change that. It’s nice to finally have a reason to rank fan favorite and colorful character Bobby Green, who may or may not smoke 15 blunts a day, but he was still too fast and too strong for Dawson. The other rankers, however, seemed to forget that Dober knocked Green out just two fights ago and should be higher.

WELTERWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Leon Edwards

1. Belal Muhammad

2. Kamaru Usman

3. Colby Covington +1

4. Gilbert Burns +1

5. Shavkat Rakmonov +1

6. Stephen Thompson +1

7. Geoff Neal +2

8. Vicente Luque +2

9. Ian Garry +2

10. Sean Brady -2

11. Jack Della Maddalena +3

12. Kevin Holland +1

13. Rinat Fakhretdinov +2

14. Neil Magny -2

15. Randy Brown *

UFC rankings

C: Leon Edwards

1. Kamaru Usman

2. Belal Muhammad +1

3. Colby Covington -1

4. Gilbert Burns +1

5. Shavkat Rakmonov +1

6. Stephen Thompson +1

7. Geoff Neal +1

8. Sean Brady +1

9. Vicente Luque +1

10. Ian Garry +3

11. Jack Della Maddalena +3

12. Kevin Holland

13. Neil Magny -2

14. Michael Chiesa +1

15. Rinat Fakhretdinov *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Khamzat Chimaev (moved to middleweight)

X: Covington used Tyron Woodley’s tried-and-true “wait ‘em out” approach to getting a title shot after an 18-month absence, but his reward is facing Edwards at the peak of his powers. Rakmonov could lay claim to next up to fight for the belt if he gets past Wonderboy in December, when Garry can also make a run to the top with a win over Luque. While “Rude Boy” may not be getting many votes from other panelists, Brown has won seven of his last nine, only losing to ranked fighters in Luque and Della Maddalena. He deserves to be ranked in the top 15 above Chiesa, whose best win is over Magny in January 2021 but has lost three straight since, while also taking a year-and-a-half off from the Octagon.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Sean Strickland +5

1. Israel Adesanya -1

2. Dricus Du Plessis -1

3. Robert Whittaker -1

4. Khamzat Chimaev *

5. Jared Cannonier -2

6. Marvin Vettori -2

7. Roman Dolidze

8. Paulo Costa -2

9. Jack Hermansson -1

10. Paul Craig

11. Kelvin Gastelum

12. Nassourdine Imavov

13. Chris Curtis

14. Brendan Allen

15. Caio Borralho

UFC rankings

C: Sean Strickland +5

1. Israel Adesanya -1

2. Dricus Du Plessis -1

3. Robert Whittaker -1

4. Jared Cannonier -1

5. Marvin Vettori -1

6. Paulo Costa

7. Roman Dolidze +1

8. Jack Hermansson +1

9. Khamzat Chimaev *

10. Brendan Allen

11. Kelvin Gastelum

12. Nassourdine Imavov

13. Paul Craig

14. Chris Curtis

15. Anthony Hernandez *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Derek Brunson (released)

Out of UFC rankings: Derek Brunson (released), Andre Muniz

X: What more can we say about Strickland, who went from thinking about killing someone in the cage to being world champion? If Chimaev is his first title defense – on second thought, I probably have him ranked higher than he deserves – Du Plessis is getting hosed after shellacking Whitaker. Here’s hoping Adesanya comes back even stronger after taking a well-deserved break. Hernandez has looked good in winning four straight, but Borralho hasn’t lost in his last 14 fights. Meanwhile, the weight-watching world has its eye on Gastelum’s latest attempt to get down to 170 pounds.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Jamahal Hill

1. Jiri Prochazka

2. Alex Pereira +1

3. Magomed Ankalaev -1

4. Jan Blachowicz

5. Aleksandar Rakic

6. Nikita Krylov

7. Johnny Walker

8. Anthony Smith

9. Volkan Oezdemir

10. Ryan Spann

11. Azamat Murakanov

12. Khalil Rountree Jr.

13. Dustin Jacoby

14. Alonzo Menifield

15. Kennedy Nzechukwu

UFC rankings

C: Jamahal Hill

1. Jiri Prochazka

2. Magomed Ankalaev

3. Alex Pereira

4. Jan Blachowicz

5. Aleksandar Rakic

6. Nikita Krylov

7. Johnny Walker

8. Anthony Smith

9. Volkan Oezdemir

10. Ryan Spann

11. Khalil Rountree Jr. +2

12. Azamat Murakanov -1

13. Dominick Reyes -1

14. Alonzo Menifield

15. Dustin Jacoby

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

X: Prochazka vs. Pereira for the soon-to-be vacant belt in two weeks should be a lot of fun, with both fighters using techniques at odd angles not often seen in MMA. Ankalaev got another potential win taken away from him, this time due to an illegal knee he landed on Walker. Meanwhile, Reyes has lost four in a row; his last win was way back in 2019. At the same time, there aren’t many other fighters going on a run and demanding to be placed into the LHW top 15.

HEAVYWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

C: Jon Jones

1. Sergei Pavlovich

2. Curtis Blaydes

3. Ciryl Gane +1

4. Tom Aspinall -1

6. Alexander Volkov +1

6. Stipe Miocic -1

7. Jailton Almeida +1

8. Serghei Spivac -1

9. Marcin Tybura

10. Tai Tuivasa

11. Derrick Lewis

12. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

13. Alexandr Romanov

14. Martin Buday

15. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

UFC rankings

C: Jon Jones

1. Sergei Pavlovich

2. Ciryl Gane

3. Stipe Miocic

4. Tom Aspinall

5. Curtis Blaydes

6. Alexander Volkov +2

7. Serghei Spivac

8. Tai Tuivasa -2

9. Jailton Almeida

10. Derrick Lewis

11. Marcin Tybura

12. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

13. Alexandr Romanov

14. Marcos Rogerio de Lima +1

15. Martin Buday *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: None

Out of UFC rankings: Chris Daukaus (moved to light heavyweight)

X: Not much movement here, and with Jones vs. Miocic off it may stay that way for a while. Pavlovich vs. Aspinall is an incredibly good backup plan, especially on short notice. Volkov is starting to look like a real contender; he has three straight finishes, including a submission of Tuivasa, and in his last 10 fights has only lost to fighters ranked above him. And if Almeida submits Lewis, as many oddsmakers expect, he will be in prime position for a No. 1 contender matchup.

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

dB rankings

1. Zhang Weili (C)

2. Alexa Grasso (C)

3. Valentina Shevchenko

4. Manon Fiorot +6

5. Erin Blanchfield

6. Yan Xiaonan

7. Tatiana Suarez *

8. Rose Namajunas -4

9. Jessica Andrade -2

10. Taila Santos -1

11. Raquel Pennington

12. Julianna Pena +1

13. Amanda Lemos -5

14. Carla Esparza

15. Vacant

UFC rankings

1. Alexa Grasso (C)

2. Zhang Weili (C) +1

3. Valentina Shevchenko -1

4. Julianna Pena +1

5. Erin Blanchfield +2

6. Manon Fiorot +4

7. Carla Esparza -1

8. Rose Namajunas -4

9. Yan Xiaonan

10. Tatiana Suarez +5

11. Taila Santos +1

12. Jessica Andrade -4

13. Raquel Pennington

14. Amanda Lemos -2

15. Mayra Bueno Silva -1

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Mayra Bueno Silva (suspended and removed from eligibility, but still listed on UFC.com)

Out of UFC rankings: None

X: Weili showed why she’s at the of the women’s P4P class with a beatdown of Lemos. Meanwhile, the draw between Grasso and Shevchenko showed there’s only thismuch difference in overall MMA skills between the two. And with Fiord and Blanchfield coming up fast, FLW has easily become the UFC’s most competitive weight class for female fighters.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Zhang Weili

1. Yan Xiaonan

2. Tatiana Suarez +7

3. Jessica Andrade -1

4. Amanda Lemos -1

5. Marina Rodriguez +1

6. Carla Esparza -1

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Virna Jandiroba

9. Luana Pinheiro +2

10. Tabatha Ricci +4

11. Angela Hill +2

12. Loopy Godinez +3

13. Karolina Kowalkiewicz *

14. Loma Lookboonmee *

15. Michelle Waterson-Gomez -3

UFC rankings

C: Zhang Weili

1. Carla Esparza

2. Yan Xiaonan +1

3. Tatiana Suarez +7

4. Amanda Lemos

5. Jessica Andrade

6. Virna Jandiroba

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Marina Rodriguez

9. Luana Pinheiro +3

10. Tabatha Ricci +4

11. Amanda Ribas

12. Angela Hill +3

13. Loopy Godinez *

14. Karolina Kowalkiewicz *

15. Michelle Waterson-Gomez -2

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Rose Namajunas (moved to flyweight), Tecia Torres (pregnancy)

X: Both Xiaonan and Suarez have shown they’re ready for the next title shot after Weili defended her belt. I still don’t known why Ribas is still eligible in this weight class, as she has her third straight FLW fight already lined up; she’s taking up a spot that a fighter like Lookboonmee deserves. Meanwhile, Namajunas was removed from SW rankings after one fight at FLW. Sadly, rematching Rodriguez and Waterson-Gomez showed us what we already knew; the so-called “Karate Hottie” is not a championship contender and should only be put in matchups from here on out against other fun fighters.

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Alexa Grasso

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Manon Fiorot +2

3. Erin Blanchfield

4. Talia Santos -2

5. Rose Namajunas *

6. Katlyn Chookagian

7. Maycee Barber

8. Lauren Murphy

9. Tracy Cortez *

10. Amanda Ribas

11. Viviane Araujo

12. Natalia Silva *

13. Casey O’Neill

14. Karine Silva *

15. Andrea Lee -2

UFC rankings

C: Alexa Grasso

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Erin Blanchfield +1

3. Manon Fiorot -1

4. Talia Santos

5. Katlyn Chookagian +1

6. Jessica Andrade -1

7. Lauren Murphy

8. Maycee Barber

9. Viviane Araujo +1

10. Amanda Ribas +1

11. Tracy Cortez +3

12. Natalia Silva *

13. Casey O’Neill -1

14. Karine Silva *

15. Andrea Lee -2

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Jessica Andrade (moved to strawweight) Jennifer Maia (released), Jasmine Jasudavicius

Out of UFC rankings: Jennifer Maia (released), Jasmine Jasudavicius

X: It’s the attack of the Silvas, with two debating in the FLW rankings; even more shocking, my vote is exactly where they ended up. Cortez came back in style; her and Barber have transitioned from pretenders to contenders. And despite not winning her debut at 125 pounds, Namajunas still deserves a spot in the top 15 based on her championship pedigree.

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Vacant

1. Raquel Pennington

2. Julianna Pena +1

3. Ketlen Vieira +1

4. Holly Holm +1

5. Irene Aldana +1

6. Pannie Kianzad +1

7. Karol Rosa +1

8. Yana Santos +1

9. Macy Chiasson +1

10. Julia Avila +1

11. Josiane Nunes +1

12. Tainara Lisboa +1

13. Melissa Dixon *

14. Montserrant Rendon *

15. Vacant

UFC rankings

C. Vacant

1. Julianna Pena

2. Raquel Pennington

3. Mayra Bueno Silva

4. Ketlen Vieira

5. Holly Holm +1

6. Irene Aldana -1

7. Pannie Kianzad

8. Yana Santos

9. Macy Chiasson

9. Karol Rosa

11. Norma Dumont

12. Miesha Tate

13. Julia Avila

14. Josiane Nunes

15. Chelsea Chandler

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Mayra Bueno Silva (suspended and removed from eligibility, but still listed on UFC.com)

Out of UFC rankings: None

X: Are they ever going to book a 135-pound women’s championship fight? Will Silva’s suspension cost her momentum after beating Holm? Will other voters finally remember that Rosa just beat Santos? Can Dumont safely make the cut to 135 pounds and compete? Can Tate still be a relevant factor in the title chase? While there has been a paucity of contenders in this weight class over the last couple years, new blood like Dixon and Rendon could change that soon.

WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT

C: Vacant

No divisional rankings.

UPCOMING FIGHTS TO WATCH

Nov. 4 – UFC Fight Night

Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis

Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

Nov. 11 – UFC 295

Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for LHW title

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall for interim HW title

Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern

Nov. 18 – UFC Fight Night

Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig

Amanada Ribas vs. Luana Pinheiro

Jake Matthews vs. Michael Morales

Dec. 2 – UFC Fight Night

Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze (likely canceled due to injury)

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font

Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum

Dec. 16 – UFC 296

Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington for WW title

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval for FLW title

Shavkat Rakmonov vs. Stephen Thompson

Updated rankings for November and December will be posted before Jan. 1, 2024. I will include then who would be in my top 20 in each weight class should the UFC decide to go in that direction. Until then, enjoy the 5-ounce glove fights.

For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on X @daviddbstroh.