David Brown’s UFC rankings with Xplainations updated for 12.23.21

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In deciding where to rank fighters, I look at head-to-head matchups first, then results over the last three years, giving more credence to recent bouts. The level of competition is always considered, even outside the UFC, activity is important and MMA math plays a small part in the process.

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

dB rankings

1. Kamaru Usman (C)

2. Francis Ngannou (C)

3. Alexander Volkanovski (C)

4. Israel Adesanya (C)

5. Max Holloway +1

6. Charles Oliveira (C) +2

7. Ciryl Gane (IC)

8. Robert Whittaker +1

9. Brandon Moreno (C) +1

10. Petr Yan (IC) +1

11. Aljamain Sterling (C) +1

12. Glover Teixeira (C) +1

13. Stipe Miocic +1

14. Colby Covington +1

15. Dustin Poirier -10

UFC rankings

1. Kamaru Usman (C)

2. Alexander Volkanovski (C)

3. Israel Adesanya (C)

4. Francis Ngannou (C)

5. Charles Oliveira (C) +3

6. Jon Jones

7. Max Holloway

8. Dustin Poirier -3

9. Stipe Miocic

10. Brandon Moreno (C)

11. Petr Yan (IC)

12. Glover Teixeira (C)

13. Robert Whittaker

14. Jan Blachowicz

15. Ciryl Gane (IC)

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

X: Poirier’s upset loss to Oliveira resulted in lots of movement in the P4P rankings this month, none of which are worth debating. I removed Jones last month because he hasn’t fought since February 2020.

FLYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Brandon Moreno

1. Askar Askarov

2. Deiveson Figueiredo

3. Alexandre Pantoja +1

4. Brandon Royval +1

5. Kai Kara France +1

6. Alex Perez -3

7. David Dvorak

8. Rogerio Bontorin

9. Matheus Nicolau

10. Manel Kape *

11. Tim Elliott -1

12. Matt Schnell -1

13. Amir Albazi -1

14. Su Mudaerji -1

15. Tagir Ulanbekov

UFC rankings

C: Brandon Moreno

1. Deiveson Figueiredo

2. Askar Askarov

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Alex Perez

5. Brandon Royval

6. Kai Kara France

7. Rogerio Bontorin

8. Matheus Nicolau

9. Matt Schnell

10. David Dvorak

11. Amir Albazi +2

12. Tim Elliott -1

13. Su Mudaerji -1

14. Manel Kape *

15. Tagir Ulanbekov -1
 

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Zhalgas Zhumagulov

Out of UFC rankings: Tyson Nam

X: France may have stolen what was left of Cody Garbrandt’s soul, but he’s still a win or two away from a title shot due to his loss to Royval. Kape is finally starting to show why there was so much hype behind him before joining the UFC. And who isn’t looking forward to Moreno-Figueiredo 3: This Time It’s Personal?

BANTAMWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Aljamain Sterling

IC: Petr Yan

2. T.J. Dillashaw

3. Cory Sandhagen

4. Jose Aldo +1

5. Rob Font -1

6. Merab Dvalishvili

7. Marlon Vera

8. Dominick Cruz +4

9. Marlon Moraes -1

10. Frankie Edgar -1

11. Pedro Munhoz -1

12. Ricky Simon +2

13. Yadong Song *

14. Sean O’Malley *

15. Jack Shore

UFC rankings

C: Aljamain Sterling

IC: Petr Yan

2. T.J. Dillashaw

3. Jose Aldo +2

4. Cory Sandhagen -1

5. Rob Font -1

6. Merab Dvalishvili

7. Dominick Cruz +3

8. Marlon Vera +3

9. Marlon Moraes

10. Pedro Munhoz -2

11. Frankie Edgar +1

12. Sean O’Malley *

13. Ricky Simon *

14. Yadong Song +1

15. Raphael Assuncao -2

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Cody Garbrandt (moved to FW), Raphael Assuncao

Out of UFC rankings: Cody Garbrandt (moved to FW), Cody Stamann

X: BW is such a shark tank that this month I say goodbye to two stalwarts of the division since the rankings began in Cody Garbrandt, who moved to FW and promptly got knocked out again; and Raphael Assuncao, who has lost four in a row in increasingly non-competitive fashion. Besides Shore, you could easily rank a few other fighters above Assuncao at this sad point. Meanwhile, Aldo continues to defy time with his greatness, while Cruz showed he still has something left in the tank.

FEATHERWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Alexander Volkanovski

1. Max Holloway

2. Brian Ortega

3. Yair Rodriguez

4. Chan Sung Jung

5. Arnold Allen

6. Gigi Chikadze

7. Calvin Kattar

8. Josh Emmett

9. Dan Ige

10. Edson Barboza

11. Sodiq Yusuff

12. Bryce Mitchell

13. Movsar Evloev

14. Shane Burgos

15. Ilia Topuria

UFC rankings

C: Alexander Volkanovski

1. Max Holloway

2. Brian Ortega

3. Yair Rodriguez

4. Chan Sung Jung

5. Calvin Kattar

6. Josh Emmett +1

7. Arnold Allen -1

8. Giga Chikadze

9. Dan Ige

10. Edson Barboza

11. Bryce Mitchell

12. Sodiq Yusuff

13. Movsar Evloev

14. Shane Burgos

15. Alex Caceres

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

X: Not much to discuss this month, with Emmett’s win over Ige the only rankings highlight. Kattar vs. Chikadze next month may produce a No. 1 contender if the “Giga Kick” is in full effect. And when are we ever going to find out how good Allen is? Fighting on a once-a-year schedule is keeping him in contender limbo. Unfortunately, multiple fighters at the top of the FW division have been too inactive in recent years, something I hope changes in 2022.

LIGHTWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Charles Oliveira

1. Dustin Poirier

2. Justin Gaethje

3. Islam Makhachev

4. Beneil Dariush

5. Michael Chandler

6. Tony Ferguson

7. Rafael dos Anjos

8. Dan Hooker

9. Conor McGregor

10. Gregor Gillespie

11. Arman Tsarukyan

12. Rafael Fiziev +2

12. Brad Riddell

13. Mateusz Gamrot *

14. Damir Ismagulov *

15. Brad Riddell -3

UFC rankings

C: Charles Oliveira

1. Justin Gaethje +1

2. Dustin Poirier -1

3. Beneil Dariush

4. Islam Makhachev

5. Michael Chandler

6. Rafael dos Anjos

7. Tony Ferguson

8. Dan Hooker

9. Conor McGregor

10. Gregor Gillespie

11. Rafael Fiziev +3

12. Mateusz Gamrot *

13. Arman Tsarukyan

14. Brad Riddell -2

15. Diego Ferreira -4

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Diego Ferreira

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Thiago Moises

X: Oliveira is my kind of champion, the guy experts in two divisions called a quitter and gave up on, only for him to work hard and eventually become just as lethal on the feet as he is on the ground, as he showed versus Poirier (who should still be ranked above Gaethje based on, you know, beating him). While Ferreira has lost three in a row – including to the then-unranked Gamrot – Ismagulov already has two wins over previously ranked fighters Moises and Joel Alvarez. The Matrix-like Fiziev continues his fast climb to the top after losing his first UFC bout; standing in his way are several fighters who have been relatively inactive. Gaethje gets the next chance at the LW belt, but the No. 1 contender after that will likely come from the Dariush-Makhachev bout in March. And just say no to a McGregor title shot.

WELTERWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Kamaru Usman

1. Colby Covington

2. Gilbert Burns

3. Leon Edwards

4. Vicente Luque +1

5. Belal Muhammad +5

6. Stephen Thompson -2

7. Jorge Masvidal -1

8. Sean Brady +4

9. Michael Chiesa -2

10. Neil Magny -2

11. Geoff Neal +2

12. Khamzat Chimaev -1

13. Li Jingliang

14. Santiago Ponzinibbio

15. Muslim Saikhov

UFC rankings

C: Kamaru Usman

1. Colby Covington

2. Gilbert Burns

3. Leon Edwards

4. Vicente Luque

5. Belal Muhammad +4

6. Jorge Masvidal +1

7. Stephen Thompson -2

8. Neil Magny

9. Sean Brady +5

10. Michael Chiesa -4

11. Khamzat Chimaev -1

12. Geoff Neal -1

13. Li Jingliang -1

14. Santiago Ponzinibbio -1

15. Muslim Salikhov

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

X: Wonderboy’s chance of another WW title shot may have come to an end after Muhammad mauled him on the mat, giving us a real chance to Remember the Name. The undefeated Brady looks like the real deal; I’d love to see him and Luque light it up. Chimaev vs. Magny is the perfect next step up for the phenom. And one day, maybe, Edwards will finally receive some love from the masses.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Israel Adesanya

1. Robert Whittaker

2. Derek Brunson

3. Marvin Vettori

4. Paulo Costa

5. Jared Cannonier

6. Jack Hermansson

7. Sean Strickland

8. Uriah Hall

9. Brad Tavares

10. Chris Weidman

11. Darren Till

12. Kelvin Gastelum

13. Andre Muniz +1

14. Nassourdine Imavov +1

15. Bruno Silva *

UFC rankings

C: Israel Adesanya

1. Robert Whittaker

2. Marvin Vettori

3. Jared Cannonier

4. Derek Brunson

5. Paulo Costa

6. Jack Hermansson

7. Sean Strickland

8. Darren Till

9. Uriah Hall

10. Kelvin Gastelum

11. Brad Taveras

12. Nassourdine Imavov

13. Andre Muniz *

14. Kevin Holland -2

15. Chris Weidman -1
* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Brendan Allen

Out of UFC rankings: None

X: Welcome back, Muniz, and for the first time Silva to the MW rankings; finishing goes a long way toward establishing a fighter’s upward mobility. This division desperately needs someone from the middle-of-the-pack group of Till, Hall, Gastelum and Taveras to have a breakout year.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Glover Teixeira

1. Jan Blachowicz

2. Jiri Prochazka

3. Magomed Ankalaev

4. Aleksandar Rakic

5. Thiago Santos

6. Anthony Smith

7. Dominick Reyes

8. Volkan Oezdemir

9. Nikita Krylov

10. Johnny Walker

11. Ryan Spann

12. Jamahal Hill +2

13. Jim Crute -1

14. Paul Craig -1

15. Dustin Jacoby

UFC rankings

C: Glover Teixeira

1. Jan Blachowicz

2. Jiri Prochazka

3. Aleksandar Rakic

4. Anthony Smith

5. Thiago Santos

6. Magomed Ankalaev

7. Dominick Reyes

8. Volkan Oezdemir

9. Nikita Krylov

10. Johnny Walker

11. Paul Craig

12. Jamahal Hill +2

13. Ryan Spann -1

14. Jim Crute -1

15. Ion Cutelaba

Out of dB/UFC rankings: None

X: Little movement this month, though Hill is starting to put his game together. Looking forward to seeing Teixeira defend his belt against Prochazka’s awkward style.

HEAVYWEIGHT
 

dB rankings

C: Francis Ngannou

IC: Ciryl Gane

2. Stipe Miocic

3. Derrick Lewis

4. Curtis Blaydes

5. Alexander Volkov

6. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

7. Tom Aspinall +3

8. Alexandr Romanov +3

9. Chris Daukaus -2

10. Shamil Abdurakhimov +2

11. Marcin Tybura -2

12. Walt Harris +2

13. Serghei Spivac +2

14. Tai Tuivasa *

15. Augusto Sakai -7

UFC rankings

C: Francis Ngannou

IC: Ciryl Gane

2. Stipe Miocic

3. Derrick Lewis

4. Curtis Blaydes

5. Alexander Volkov

6. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

7. Chris Daukaus

8. Shamil Abdurakhimov

9. Marcin Tybura

10. Tom Aspinall

11. Tai Tuivasa *

12. Augusto Sakai -2

13. Blagoy Ivanov -1

14. Walt Harris -1

15. Sergei Pavlovich -1

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Sergei Pavlovich

Out of UFC rankings: Serghei Spivac

X: The Black Beast is the man. Tuivasa showed he’s more than a shoey or three. I removed Pavlovich form the rankings because he hasn’t fought since October 2019; meanwhile, Spivac beat Tuivasa that same month, showing he deserves to be ranked instead. Ngannou vs. Gane next month should be the HW fight of the decade. I’d still prefer to see Jones finally make his 265-pound debut against the consolidated winner, rather than trotting out Miocic into a title fight again after another long layoff.

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

dB rankings

1. Valentina Shevchenko +1

2. Julianna Pena +12

3. Amanda Nunes -2

4. Rose Namajunas -1

5. Zhang Weili -1

6. Jessica Andrade -1

7. Carla Esparza -1

8. Marina Rodriquez -1

9. Holly Holm

10. Katlyn Chookagian

11. Lauren Murphy

12. Jennifer Maia

13. Raquel Pennington *

14. Irene Aldana -1

15. Norma Dumont

UFC rankings

1. Valentina Shevchenko +1

2. Rose Namajunas +1

3. Amanda Nunes -2

4. Julianna Pena +8

5. Zhang Weili -1

6. Jessica Andrade -1

7. Holly Holm -1

8. Carla Esparza

9. Marina Rodriquez +1

10. Katlyn Chookagian -1

11. Yan Xiaonan

12. Irene Aldana *

13. Lauren Murphy

14. Mackenzie Dern +1

15. Aspen Ladd -1

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Germaine De Randamie (removed by UFC for inactivity)

X: Pena joins Matt Serra and De Randamie as the most unlikeliest of UFC champions, turning the P4P rankings upside down. Her rematch with Nunes will be one of the hottest bouts of 2022.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Rose Namajunas

1. Zhang Weili

2. Carla Esparza

3. Marina Rodriguez

4. Amanda Ribas

5. Mackenzie Dern

6. Yan Xiaonan

7. Nina Nunes +1

8. Tecia Torres +1

9. Michelle Waterson +1

10. Amanda Lemos +1

11. Virna Jandiroba +1

12. Angela Hill +1

13. Ariane Carnelossi +1

14. Luana Pinheiro *

15. Brianna Van Buren

UFC rankings

C: Rose Namajunas

1. Zhang Weili

2. Carla Esparza

3. Marina Rodriguez

4. Yan Xiaonan

5. Mackenzie Dern

6. Nina Nunes

7. Tecia Torres +1

8. Michelle Waterson +1

9. Amanda Ribas +1

10. Amanda Lemos +1

11. Virna Jandiroba *

12. Angela Hill

13. Jessica Penne +1

14. Brianna Van Buren +1

15. Luana Pinheiro *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Claudia Gadelha (retired)

X: Saying goodbye to Gadelha, who gave us two great fights with Joanna Champion before calling it a career due to concussion symptoms. Hill lost by split-decision again, which is as predictable as M. Night Shyamalan trying to trick us into feeling something. Namajunas-Esparza 2 is the next title fight, and deservedly so, as Rose deserves a chance to get that one back since she was only 2-1 at the time.

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Valentina Shevchenko

1. Jessica Andrade

2. Katlyn Chookagian

3. Lauren Murphy

4. Jennifer Maia

5. Talia Santos +4

6. Joanne Wood

7. Jessica Eye

8. Viviane Araujo

9. Alexa Grasso +1

10. Roxanne Modafferi +1

11. Andrea Lee +1

12. Cynthia Calvillo -7

13. Casey O’Neill +2

14. Erin Blanchfield *

15. Melissa Gatto *

UFC rankings

C: Valentina Shevchenko

1. Jessica Andrade

2. Katlyn Chookagian

3. Lauren Murphy

4. Jennifer Maia

5. Talia Santos +4

6. Viviane Araujo +1

7. Joanne Wood -1

7. Viviane Araujo

8. Andrea Lee +4

9. Jessica Eye -1

10. Cynthia Calvillo -5

11. Alexa Grasso -1

12. Roxanne Modafferi -1

13. Maycee Barber

14. Manon Fiorot

15. Casey O’Neill

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB rankings: Maycee Barber, Miranda Maverick

Out of UFC rankings: None

X: Promising prospects Cavillo, Barber and Maverick have stumbled, giving the new crop of contenders a chance to rise up. O’Neill, Blanchfield, Gatto and Fioret are the next generation at WFLW, though they all need to beat some of the fighters above them to be considered serious. That gives someone like Santos a chance to become Shevchenko’s next victim.

 

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

dB rankings

C: Julianna Pena +5

1. Amanda Nunes -1

2. Holly Holm

3. Raquel Pennington

4. Irene Aldana

5. Aspen Ladd +1

6. Yana Kunitskaya +1

7. Ketlen Vieira +1

8. Miesha Tate +1

9. Sara McMann +1

10. Lina Lansberg +1

11. Macy Chiasson +1

12. Julia Avila +1

13. Pannie Kianzad +1

14. Karol Rosa +1

15. Jessica-Rose Clark *

UFC rankings

C: Julianna Pena +4

1. Amanda Nunes -1

2. Holly Holm

3. Irene Aldana

4. Aspen Ladd +1

5. Ketlen Vieira +2

6. Yana Kunitskaya

7. Raquel Pennington +2

8. Miesha Tate

9. Sara McMann +1

10. Macy Chiasson +1

11. Lina Lansberg +1

12. Pannie Kianzad +1

13. Karol Rosa +1

14. Julia Avila +1

15. Norma Dumont *

* New entrant into rankings

Out of dB/UFC rankings: Germaine De Randamie (removed by UFC for inactivity)

X: I’ve never seen someone win a belt based primarily on self-belief and toughness, but damn if Pena didn’t do just that. It would be interesting to see either Pena or Tate drop to 125. A Dumont vs. Holm scrap at 145 makes sense, though the WFW division rests on Nunes continuing to fight.

WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
 

Champion: Amanda Nunes

No divisional rankings.

  

IMPORTANT UPCOMING FIGHTS FOR RANKINGS

Jan. 15 – UFC on ESPN 32

Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze

Brandon Royval vs. Rogerio Bontorin

Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia

Michel Pereira vs. Muslim Salikhov

 

Jan. 22 – UFC 270

Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane for HW title

Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo for FLW title

Movsar Evloev vs. Ilia Topuria

Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann

Viviane Araujo vs. Alexa Grasso

 

Updated rankings for January will be posted after UFC 270. Until then, enjoy the fights.

 

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