David Brown’s UFC rankings with Xplainations

Image
Body

In deciding how to rank, I look at head-to-head matchups first, then fights over the last few years, giving more credence to recent ones. The level of competition is considered, and MMA math only plays a small part in the process.


MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

 

dB rankings

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (C)

2. Jon Jones

3. Israel Adesanya (C)

4. Kamaru Usman (C)

5. Stipe Miocic (C)

6. Alexander Volkanovski (C)

7. Deiveson Figueiredo (C)

8. Petr Yan (C)

9. Jan Blachowicz (C)

10. Robert Whittaker

11. Dustin Poirier

12. Max Holloway

13. Francis Ngannou

14. Justin Gaethje

15. Colby Covington

 

UFC rankings

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (C)

2. Jon Jones

3. Israel Adesanya (C)

4. Stipe Miocic (C)

5. Kamaru Usman (C)

6. Alexander Volkanovski (C)

7. Dustin Poirier

8. Max Holloway

9. Deiveson Figueiredo (C)

10. Petr Yan (C)

11. Justin Gaethje

12. Conor McGregor

13. Robert Whittaker

14. Francis Ngannou

15. Jan Blachowicz (C)


X: Debating pound-for-pound rankings is a waste of time, but Blachowicz – champion of a premier division, even though Jones is still the best LHW in the world – should be ranked above non-champs like Holloway, who is 1-3 in his last four. McGregor doesn’t deserve a P4P slot since he only has one win since 2016, while Covington has stomped everyone not named Usman.
FLYWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO

1. Brandon Moreno

2. Askar Askarov

3. Joseph Benavidez

4. Alex Perez

5. Brandon Royval

6. Alexandre Pantoja

7. Kai Kara France

8. Matt Schnell

9. Rogerio Bontorin

10. David Dvorak

11. Tim Elliott

12. Raulian Paiva

13. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

14. Tyson Nam

15. Tagir Ulanbekov

 

UFC rankings

Champion: DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO

1. Brandon Moreno

2. Joseph Benavidez

3. Askar Askarov

4. Alex Perez

5. Alexandre Pantoja

6. Brandon Royval

7. Rogerio Bontorin

8. Kai Kara France

9. Matt Schnell

10. Raulian Paiva

11. David Dvorak

12. Tim Elliott

13. Tyson Nam

14. Jordan Espinosa

15. Amir Albazi

 

X: Small differences until you get the bottom. Espinosa (15-8) has lost 3 of 4, only beating an unranked fighter. Meanwhile, Zhumagulov had four solid wins in a row before losing a decision to Paiva, including being the only fighter to defeat Ulanbekov (13-1).


BANTAMWEIGHT

 

dB rankings

Champion: PETR YAN

1. Aljamain Sterling

2. Cory Sandhagen

3. Jose Aldo

4. Frankie Edgar

5. Rob Font

6. Marlon Moraes 

7. Pedro Munhoz

8. Cody Garbrandt

9. Jimmie Rivera

10. Cody Stamann

11. Raphael Assuncao

12. Casey Kenney

13. Merab Dvalishvili

14. Song Yadong

15. Marlon Vera

 

UFC rankings

Champion: PETR YAN

1. Aljamain Sterling

2. Cory Sandhagen

3. Cody Garbrandt

4. Frankie Edgar

5. Rob Font

6. Jose Aldo

7. Marlon Moraes 

8. Pedro Munhoz

9. Jimmie Rivera

10. Raphael Assuncao

11. Dominick Cruz

12. Merab Dvalishvili

13. Cody Stamann

14. Song Yadong

15. Marlon Vera


X: This weight class starts a trend of some voters treating the rankings like a lifetime achievement award instead of a snapshot of who really deserves the number today. Former champ Garbrandt is over-ranked based on his resume, considering he has only one win since 2016 and was knocked out by Munhoz just last year. With two clear wins over him, Aldo has earned a higher spot than Edgar. Another former champ, Cruz, doesn’t deserve a slot since his last win was in 2016.
FEATHERWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI

1. Max Holloway

2. Brian Ortega

3. Zabit Magomedsharipov

4. Yair Rodriguez

5. Chan Sung Jung

6. Calvin Kattar

7. Arnold Allen

8. Jeremy Stephens

9. Josh Emmett

10. Shane Burgos

11. Sodiq Yusuff

12. Dan Inge

13. Edson Barboza

14. Bryce Mitchell

15. Ryan Hall

 

UFC rankings

Champion: ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI

1. Max Holloway

2. Brian Ortega

3. Zabit Magomedsharipov

4. Yair Rodriguez

5. Chan Sung Jung

6. Calvin Kattar

7. Josh Emmett

8. Jeremy Stephens

9. Arnold Allen

10. Sodiq Yusuff

11. Dan Ige

12. Shane Burgos

13. Ryan Hall

14. Bryce Mitchell

15. Edson Barboza

X: Not many differences here, but Stephens should be ranked above Emmett because he KO’d him in 2018.


LIGHTWEIGHT

 

dB rankings

Champion: KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV

1. Dustin Poirier

2. Justin Gaethje

3. Charles Oliveira

4. Tony Ferguson

5. Dan Hooker

6. Rafael dos Anjos

7. Paul Felder

8. Diego Ferreira

9. Conor McGregor

10. Michael Chandler

11. Al Iaquinta

12. Kevin Lee

13. Beneil Dariush

14. Drew Dober

15. Islam Makhachev

 

UFC rankings

Champion: KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV

1. Justin Gaethje

2. Dustin Poirier

3. Charles Oliveira

4. Conor McGregor

5. Tony Ferguson

6. Dan Hooker

7. Rafael dos Anjos

8. Paul Felder

9. Diego Ferreira

10. Al Iaquinta

11. Kevin Lee

12. Beneil Dariush

13. Islam Makhachev

14. Gregor Gillespie

15. Drew Dober

X: Not sure why Poirier isn’t ranked above Gaethje since he knocked him out in 2019. McGregor’s last win at LW was in 2016; though he deserves credit for giving Khabid a good fight and making Cerrone look silly at WW, No. 4 is too high. Gillespie hasn’t won a fight in two years and has been inactive. Meanwhile, Chandler has won 8 of his last 10, and in his last fight was the first person to KO former UFC champ Ben Henderson, clearly making him one of the top 15 in the world despite not plying his trade in the UFC.


WELTERWEIGHT

 

dB rankings

Champion: KAMARU USMAN

1. Colby Covington

2. Gilbert Burns

3. Leon Edwards

4. Tyron Woodley

5. Stephen Thompson

6. Demian Maia

7. Jorge Masvidal

8. Michael Chiesa

9. Vicente Luque

10. Neil Magny

11. Geoff Neal

12. Belal Muhammad

13. James Krause

14. *Anthony Pettis

15. Sean Brady

* Miguel Baeza

 

UFC rankings

Champion: KAMARU USMAN

1. Colby Covington

2. Gilbert Burns

3. Leon Edwards

4. Jorge Masvidal

5. Stephen Thompson

6. Tyron Woodley

7. Demian Maia

8. Michael Chiesa

9. Neil Magny

10. Vicente Luque

11. Geoff Neal

12. *Anthony Pettis

13. Belal Muhammad

14. Robbie Lawler

15. Khamzat Chimaev


X: Masvidal is ranked lower because he has losses to the two fighters directly in front of him, and his two most recent wins are against fighters (Askren and Diaz) no long even eligible to be ranked. Lawler is 0-4 since 2017, which is why I picked the surging Krause, who has won nine in a row at LW/WW when not moonlighting at MW, and Brady (13-0) over him. Pettis was ranked before he signed with the PFL, which accounts for the asterisk. In his place I would have chosen Baeza, who is 10-0 and coming off back-to-back impressive stoppage wins. Results against good competition, not hype, are what should earn a spot in the rankings, which is why Chimaev is not in my top 15.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: ISRAEL ADESANYA

1. Robert Whittaker

2. Paulo Costa

3. Jared Cannonier

4. Marvin Vettori

5. Jack Hermansson

6. Darren Till

7. Kelvin Gastelum

8. Derek Brunson

9. Uriah Hall

10. Kevin Holland

11. Jacare Souza

12. Chris Weidman

13. Omari Akhmedov

14, Edmen Shahbazyan

15. Ian Heinisch

 

UFC rankings

Champion: ISRAEL ADESANYA

1. Robert Whittaker

2. Paulo Costa

3. Jared Cannonier

4. Darren Till

5. Marvin Vettori

6. Jack Hermansson

7. Derek Brunson

8. Kelvin Gastelum

9. Uriah Hall

10. Kevin Holland

11. Chris Weidman

12, Edmen Shahbazyan

13. Omari Akhmedov

14, Brad Tavares

15. Ian Heinisch


X: Despite his recent KO loss, Jacare still deserves to be ranked at MW since he KO’d Weidman in 2018 and has only lost to top contenders since then. Meanwhile, Tavares is 0-2 in that same time.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: JAN BLACHOWICZ

1. Glover Teixeira

2. Thiago Santos

3. Dominick Reyes

4. Jiri Prochazka

5. Aleksandar Rakic

6. Anthony Smith

7. Volkan Oezdemir

8. Nikita Krylov

9. Johnny Walker

10. Magomed Ankalaev

11. Misha Cirkunov

12. Jimmy Crute

13. Ryan Spann

14. Paul Craig

15. Jamahal Hill

 

UFC rankings

Champion: JAN BLACHOWICZ

1. Glover Teixeira

2. Thiago Santos

3. Dominick Reyes

4. Aleksandar Rakic

5. Jiri Prochazka

6. Anthony Smith

7. Volkan Oezdemir

8. Nikita Krylov

9. Johnny Walker

10. Misha Cirkunov

11. Magomed Ankalaev

12. Jimmy Crute

13. Ryan Spann

14. Paul Craig

15. Jamahal Hill


X: Pretty straightforward rankings at LHW, though it still feels weird not seeing Jones at the top.
HEAVYWEIGHT
 
 

dB rankings

Champion: STIPE MIOCIC

1. Francis Ngannou

2. Curtis Blaydes

3. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

4. Derrick Lewis

5. Alistair Overeem

6. Alexander Volkov

7. Ciryl Gane

8. Augusto Sakai

9. Shamil Abdurakhimov

10. Walt Harris

11. Aleksei Oleinik

12. Marcin Tybura

13. Sergei Pavlovich

14. Junior dos Santos

15. Blagoy Ivanov

 

UFC rankings

Champion: STIPE MIOCIC

1. Francis Ngannou

2. Curtis Blaydes

3. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

4. Derrick Lewis

5. Alistair Overeem

6. Alexander Volkov

7. Ciryl Gane

8. Shamil Abdurakhimov

9. Augusto Sakai

10. Aleksei Oleinik

11. Junior dos Santos

12. Walt Harris

13. Blagoy Ivanov

14. Sergei Pavlovich

15. Marcin Tybyra


X: Pretty straightforward rankings at HW, too, though Dos Santos is a bit high coming off four consecutive TKO losses and Tybura deserves more credit for his four-fight win streak.
WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
 

dB rankings

1. Amanda Nunes

2. Valentina Shevchenko

3. Weili Zhang

4. Rose Namajunas

5. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

6. Jessica Andrade

7. Germaine De Randamie

8. Holly Holm

9. Aspen Ladd

10. Katlyn Chookagian

11. Jennifer Maia

12. Lauren Murphy

13. Cynthia Calvillo

14. Yan Xiaonan

15. Joanne Calderwood

 

UFC rankings

1. Amanda Nunes

2. Valentina Shevchenko

3. Weili Zhang

4. Rose Namajunas

5. Jessica Andrade

6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

7. Germaine De Randamie

8. Holly Holm

9. Aspen Ladd

10. Katlyn Chookagian

11. Nina Ansaroff

12. Yan Xiaonan

13. Cynthia Calvillo

14. Claudia Gadelha

15. Julianna Pena


X: Debating pound-for-pound rankings is a waste of time for women fighters, too, but having Calvillo in P4P and not Murphy, even though Murphy is ranked higher at 125, is plain dumb. Also, Jedrzejczyk has a clear win over Andrade and should be ranked above her.
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: WEILI ZHANG

1. Rose Namajunas

2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

3. Yan Xiaonan

4. Nina Ansaroff

5. Claudia Gadelha

6. Carla Esparza

7. Marina Rodriguez

8. Michelle Waterson

9. Amanda Ribas

10. Mackenzie Dern

11. Tecia Torres

12. Virna Jandiroba

13. Angela Hill

14. Brianna Van Buren

15. Livinha Souza

 

UFC rankings

Champion: WEILI ZHANG

1. Rose Namajunas

2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

3. Yan Xiaonan

4. Carla Esparza

5. Nina Ansaroff

6. Claudia Gadelha

7. Michelle Waterson

8. Marina Rodriguez

9. Tecia Torres

9. Amanda Ribas

11. Mackenzie Dern

12. Angela Hill

13. Virna Jandiroba

14. Felice Herrig

15. Livinha Souza


X: Mild differences here, particularly at the bottom, though Gadelha does have a split-decision win over Esparza. More indefensible is having Herrig ranked, as she has lost three in a row since her last win in 2017 and is recovering from multiple surgeries. Meanwhile, Van Buren has won six of seven, including an eye-opening victory over former Invicta champ Souza.
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO

1. Jessica Andrade

2. Katlyn Chookagian

3. Jennifer Maia

4. Lauren Murphy

5. Cynthia Calvillo

6. Joanne Calderwood

7. Jessica Eye

8. Viviane Araujo

9. Roxanne Modafferi

10. Andrea Lee

11. Antonina Shevchenko

12. Montana De La Rosa

13. Maycee Barber

14. Talia Santos

15. Alexa Grasso

 

UFC rankings

Champion: VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO

1. Jessica Andrade

2. Katlyn Chookagian

3. Lauren Murphy

4. Jennifer Maia

5. Cynthia Calvillo

6. Jessica Eye

7. Joanne Calderwood

8. Roxanne Modafferi

9. Viviane Araujo

10. Maycee Barber

11. Andrea Lee

12. Alexis Davis

13. Talia Santos

14. Antonina Shevchenko

15. Montana De La Rosa


X: Davis (19-10) has had a fine career, but she is 0-3 since her last win in 2017 and has been inactive, while Grasso (12-3) was impressive in her UFC debut at FLW last year.
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

Champion: AMANDA NUNES

1. Germaine de Randamie

2. Holly Holm

3. Aspen Ladd

4. Raquel Pennington

5. Irene Aldana

6. Ketlen Vieira

7. Yana Kunitskaya

8. Julianna Pena

9. Marion Reneau

10. Sara McMann

11. Lina Lansberg

12. Macy Chiasson

13. Pannie Kianzad

14. Sijara Eubanks

15. Julia Avila

 

UFC rankings

Champion: AMANDA NUNES

1. Germaine de Randamie

2. Holly Holm

3. Aspen Ladd

4. Raquel Pennington

5. Irene Aldana

6. Ketlen Vieira

7. Julianna Pena

8. Yana Kunitskaya

9. Sara McMann

10. Marion Reneau

11. Lina Lansberg

12. Macy Chiasson

13. Pannie Kianzad

14. Sijara Eubanks

15. Julia Avila


X: Not too much to debate here, other than McMann being ranked directly above the last person to beat her in Reneau.
WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
 

Champion: AMANDA NUNES

No divisional rankings.

 

 

For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or contact him on Twitter @daviddbstroh.