DECEMBER 2022
In deciding where to rank fighters, the 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 bouts. The level of competition is always considered, activity is important and MMA math only plays a small part in the process.
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
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dB rankings 1. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 2. Islam Makhachev (C) 3. Leon Edwards (C) 4. Kamaru Usman 5. Alex Pereira (C) 6. Israel Adesanya 7. Charles Oliveira 8. Aljamain Sterling (C) 9. Francis Ngannou (C) 10. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) 11. Brandon Moreno (IC) 12. Jiri Prochazka (C) 13. Robert Whittaker 14. Glover Teixeira 15. Dustin Poirier |
UFC rankings 1. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 2. Islam Makhachev (C) 3. Leon Edwards (C) 4. Kamaru Usman 5. Francis Ngannou (C) 6. Israel Adesanya 7. Charles Oliveira 8. Alex Pereira (C) 9. Aljamain Sterling (C) 10. Jiri Prochazka 11. Dustin Poirier 12. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) 13. Jon Jones 14. Max Holloway 15. Brandon Moreno (IC) |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Upset losses by Adesanya and Usman made the P4P movement a lot more interesting in the second half of the year. Come February, Volkanovski and Makhachev will meet to settle the No. 1 spot. However, seven of the fighters ranked by the UFC fought only once, or in Jones’ case not at all, in 2022; we need to see the best fighting more frequently if we’re truly going to know who’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the land.
FLYWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo IC: Brandon Moreno 2. Alexandre Pantoja 3. Kai Kara France 4. Matheus Nicolau +3 5. Manel Kape +4 6. Brandon Royval -2 7. Alex Perez -2 8. Amir Albazi +3 9. Matt Schnell -3 10. David Dvorak -2 11. Tim Elliott -1 12. Sumudaerji 13. Jeff Molina 14. Tagir Ulanbekov 15. Muhammad Mokaev |
UFC rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo IC: Brandon Moreno 2. Alexandre Pantoja 3. Kai Kara France 4. Brandon Royal 5. Matheus Nicolau +1 6. Alex Perez -1 7. Amir Albazi +1 8. Matt Schnell -1 9. Manel Kape +3 10. David Dvorak -1 11. Tim Elliott -1 12. Sumudaerji -1 13. Jeff Molina 14. Muhammad Mokaev 15. Tagir Ulanbekov |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: It seems like years since we weren’t looking forward to a Figueiredo vs. Moreno scrap, and No. 4 finally comes around in January. Unfortunately, that also means we haven’t seen any other contenders arise and claim a title shot. Expect Nicolau, Kape and Albazi to make strong moves to the top in the coming year.
BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Marlon Vera 2. Merab Dvalishvili 3. Sean O’Malley 4. Petr Yan 5. Cory Sandhagen +1 6. Rob Font +1 7. Yadong Song +1 8. Ricky Simon +1 9. Dominick Cruz +1 10. Adrian Yanez +1 11. Umar Nurmagomedov +1 12. Chris Gutierrez +1 13. Jack Shore +1 14. Said Nurmagomedov * 15. Pedro Munhoz |
UFC rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Sean O’Malley 2. Petr Yan +1 3. Merab Dvalishvili -1 4. Marlon Vera 5. Cory Sandhagen +1 6. Rob Font +1 7. Dominick Cruz +1 8. Yadong Song +1 9. Pedro Munhoz +1 10. Ricky Simon +1 11. Umar Nurmagomedov +1 12. Chris Gutierrez +1 13. Adrian Yanez +1 14. Jack Shore 15. Said Nurmagomedov * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: T.J. Dillashaw (retired)
X: Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar and Dillashaw called it a career in 2022, and Cruz can’t be too far behind them. Still, BW remains the deepest and most compelling weight class in the UFC, with anyone in the top 15 capable of beating anyone else on any given Saturday. Sterling should get an interesting test in returning former champ Henry Cejudo in March, with the winner getting a bigger-money matchup with O’Malley. Meanwhile, Vera and Sandhagen meet in February to perhaps decide who gets to call next after that.
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dB rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski 1. Max Holloway 2. Josh Emmett 3. Arnold Allen 4. Yair Rodriguez 5. Brian Ortega 6. Calvin Kattar 7. Chan Sung Jung 8. Gigi Chikadze 9. Ilia Topuria +5 10. Movsar Evloev 11. Bryce Mitchell -2 12. Sodiq Yusuff -1 13. Dan Ige -1 14. Edson Barboza -1 15. Jonathan Pearce * |
UFC rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski 1. Max Holloway 2. Yair Rodriguez 3. Brian Ortega 4. Arnold Allen 5. Josh Emmett 6. Chan Sung Jung 7. Calvin Kattar 8. Giga Chikadze 9. Ilia Topuria +5 10. Movsar Evloev 11. Bryce Mitchell -2 12. Sodiq Yusuff -1 13. Dan Ige -1 14. Edson Barboza -1 15. Alex Caceres |
* New entrant into rankings
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Damon Jackson
Out of UFC rankings: None
X: With Volkanovski and Holloway clogging the top of the rankings with their trilogy, all won by the Aussie, most of the movement has been in the bottom half of the rankings. Rodriguez and Emmett meet for the interim FW belt in February, leaving Allen out in the cold. The undefeated Topuria and Evloev seem poised to make an upward move. However, as noted in other weight classes, too many fighters at 145 pounds – like Rodriguez, Ortega, Allen and Jung – don’t fight often enough to grab ahold of the public’s attention.
LIGHTWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Islam Makhachev 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Beneil Dariush 3. Dustin Poirier 4. Justin Gaethje 5. Michael Chandler 6. Rafael Fiziev 7. Mateusz Gamrot 8. Arman Tsarukyan 9. Damir Ismagulov 10. Jalin Turner +1 11. Dan Hooker +2 12. Grant Dawson 13. Renato Moicano +1 14. Drew Dober * 15. Guram Kutateladze |
UFC rankings C: Islam Makhachev +4 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Dustin Poirier 3. Justin Gaethje 4. Beneil Dariush 5. Michael Chandler 6. Rafael Fiziev 7. Mateusz Gamrot +1 8. Rafael dos Anjos -1 9. Arman Tsarukyan 10. Jalin Turner 11. Dan Hooker 12. Damir Ismagulov 12. Renato Moicano 14. Drew Dober * 15. Grant Dawson * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Rafael dos Anjos (moved to WW)
Out of UFC rankings: Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson
X: Makhachev is The Man after his wipeout of the high-flying Oliveira, and Tsarukyan showed he is a man on a mission by controlling Ismagulov. But, yet again, the top of 155 pounds is taken up by fighters – including Poirier, Gaethje and Dariush – who don’t get in the Octagon enough. As a result, new contenders like Fiziev, Gamrot and Turner are stuck fighting down in the rankings, making it tougher to jump up.
WELTERWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Leon Edwards 1. Kamaru Usman 2. Belal Muhammad 3. Colby Covington 4. Khamzat Chimaev 5. Gilbert Burns 6. Shavkat Rakmonov 7. Stephen Thompson +1 8. Sean Brady -1 9. Geoff Neal 10. Vicente Luque 11. Michael Chiesa 12. Neil Magny 13. Jorge Masvidal 14. Michel Pereira 15. Jack Della Maddalena |
UFC rankings C: Leon Edwards 1. Kamaru Usman 2. Colby Covington 3. Khamzat Chimaev 4. Belal Muhammad 5. Gilbert Burns 6. Stephen Thompson 7. Geoff Neal 8. Sean Brady 9. Vicente Luque 10. Shavkat Rakmonov 11. Jorge Masvidal 12. Neil Magny 13. Michael Chiesa 14. Michel Pereira 15. Jingliang Li * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: None
Out of UFC rankings: Daniel Rodriguez
X: Thompson and Kevin Holland made December a month to remember with a barnburner of a scrap that showed Wonderboy still has karate skills to pay the bills. The proposed Edwards-Usman rematch has Chimaev and Muhammad left behind, making that a compelling No. 1 contender fight, though it hasn’t been booked. Rakmonov looks like a future champion if he can find a relevant opponent. But if Usman is hurt and Masvidal gets yet another title shot coming off a loss, then merit no longer matters in mixed martial arts.
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dB rankings C: Alex Pereira 1. Israel Adesanya 2. Robert Whittaker 3. Jared Cannonier +1 4. Marvin Vettori +1 5. Paulo Costa -2 6. Derek Brunson 7. Sean Strickland 8. Andre Muniz +1 9. Roman Dolidze +6 10. Jack Hermansson -2 11. Dricus Du Plessis +2 12. Nassourdine Imavov -2 13. Chris Curtis * 14. Darren Till -3 15. Kelvin Gastelum -3 |
UFC rankings C: Alex Pereira 1. Israel Adesanya 2. Robert Whittaker 3. Jared Cannonier 4. Marvin Vettori 5. Derek Brunson 6. Paulo Costa 7. Sean Strickland 8. Roman Dolidze * 9. Jack Hermansson -1 10. Dricus Du Plessis +3 11. Andre Muniz -1 12. Nassourdine Imavov 13. Kelvin Gastelum -2 14. Chris Curtis +1 15. Darren Till -6 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Brad Tavares
X: It’s great to see fighters like Muniz, Dolidze and Imavov making a case for a new blood takeover at MW, as ranked standards like Gastelum, Till and Tavares are in decline. Pereira and Adesanya will likely rematch, and with no clear-cut No. 1 contender, any dominating win could boost someone into a title shot.
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dB rankings C: Vacant 1. Jiri Prochazka -1 2. Glover Teixeira -1 3. Magomed Ankalaev -1 4. Jan Blachowicz -1 5. Aleksandar Rakic -1 6. Anthony Smith -1 7. Nikita Krylov -1 8. Volkan Oezdemir -1 9. Paul Craig -1 10. Jamahal Hill -1 11. Johnny Walker -1 12. Ryan Spann -1 13. Azamat Murakanov * 14. Khalil Rountree Jr. -1 15. Dustin Jacoby -1 |
UFC rankings C: Vacant 1. Jiri Prochazka -1 2. Glover Teixeira -1 3. Magomed Ankalaev 4. Jan Blachowicz -2 5. Aleksandar Rakic -1 6. Anthony Smith -1 7. Jamahal Hill -1 8. Nikita Krylov -1 9. Paul Craig -1 10. Volkan Oezdemir -1 11. Ryan Spann -1 12. Johnny Walker -1 13. Dominick Reyes -1 14. Jimmy Crute 15. Khalil Rountree Jr. -2 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Dominick Reyes
Out of UFC rankings: Dustin Jacoby
X: Prochazka vacating the belt – on request – and the weird draw in Ankalaev vs. Blachowicz gives former champ Teixeira one more shot at picking up the LHW title. He’ll have a clear edge on the ground against Hill, but on the feet either of them could take it. Not sure anyone knows who might be up next at 205 pounds, which means Ankalaev and Blachowicz almost have to rematch with Rakic still recovering from an injury.
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dB rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Ciryl Gane 2. Curtis Blaydes 3. Sergei Pavlovich +3 4. Stipe Miocic -1 5. Tai Tuivasa -1 6. Tom Aspinall -1 7. Derrick Lewis 8. Alexander Volkov 9. Jairzinho Rozenstruik +2 10. Marcin Tybura -1 11. Alexandr Romanov -1 12. Serghei Spivac +1 13. Blagoy Ivanov +1 14. Marcos Rogerio de Lima +1 15. Jailton Almeida * |
UFC rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Ciryl Gane 2. Stipe Miocic 3. Sergei Pavlovich -2 4. Curtis Blaydes -1 5. Tai Tuivasa -1 6. Tom Aspinall 7. Derrick Lewis 8. Alexander Volkov 9. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 10. Marcin Tybura 11. Chris Daukaus 12. Serghei Spivac 13. Alexandr Romanov 14. Shamil Abdurakhimov +1 15. Blagoy Ivanov -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Chris Daukaus
Out of UFC rankings: None
X: How the other voters still have Daukaus ranked, much less at No. 11, despite getting sparked thrice in a row is a mystery. There are better options; De Lima has won three of four against solid competition, while Almeida has won 12 fights in a row and gets a chance to prove himself next month against Abdurakhimov. The contract battle and injury timeout for Ngannou made 2022 the fourth year in a row in which the HW championship was only on the line once. Hopefully that changes next year, with Jones ready to return.
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dB rankings 1. Amanda Nunes (C) 2. Valentina Shevchenko (C) 3. Rose Namajunas 4. Weili Zhang 5. Julianna Pena 6. Jessica Andrade 7. Amanda Lemos 8. Taila Santos 9. Manon Fiorot 10. Carla Esparza 11. Marina Rodriquez 12. Katlyn Chookagian 13. Lauren Murphy 14. Ketlen Viera 15. Holly Holm |
UFC rankings 1. Amanda Nunes (C) 2. Valentina Shevchenko (C) 3. Weili Zhang (C) 4. Julianna Pena 5. Rose Namajunas 6. Carla Esparza 7. Jessica Andrade 8. Marina Rodriquez 9. Amanda Lemos 10. Holly Holm 11. Ketlen Viera 12. Taila Santos 13. Manon Fiorot +1 14. Katlyn Chookagian -1 15. Xiaonan Yan |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: The top P4P women fighters last year were still at the top in 2023. Zhang beat the since retired Joanna Champion in a rematch, then clobbered Esparza to reclaim the belt. She stills has two losses to Namajunas, who rumor has it might be bound for the 125-pound division anyway. Nunes, Shevchenko, Pena, Namajunas, Andrade and Holm only fought once this year, a trend that hopefully changes – and soon.
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dB rankings C: Weili Zhang 1. Amanda Lemos 2. Rose Namajunas 3. Jessica Andrade 4. Carla Esparza 5. Marina Rodriguez 6. Xiaonan Yan 7. Amanda Ribas 8. Mackenzie Dern 9. Virna Jandiroba 10. Tecia Torres 11. Michelle Waterson-Gomez 12. Luana Pinheiro 13. Angela Hill +2 14. Kanaoko Murata -1 15. Emily Ducote -1 |
UFC rankings C: Zhang Weili 1. Carla Esparza 2. Rose Namajunas 3. Amanda Lemos 4. Jessica Andrade 5. Marina Rodriguez 6. Yan Xiaonan 7. Mackenzie Dern 8. Tecia Torres 9. Amanda Ribas 10. Virna Jandiroba 11. Michelle Waterson-Gomez 12. Angela Hill 13. Luana Pinheiro +1 14. Emily Ducote -1 15. Polyana Viana |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Weili vs. Lemos feels like a fun first defense for the new champ, and you know Andrade would like another crack at her after falling way short in round one of their first fight. Still, not too many fighters are lined in the queue behind them with a resume demanding a title shot, so good matchmaking is needed at SW.
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dB rankings C: Valentina Shevchenko 1. Talia Santos 2. Manon Fiorot 3. Jessica Andrade 4. Katlyn Chookagian 5. Lauren Murphy 6. Alexa Grasso 7. Jennifer Maia 8. Viviane Araujo 9. Casey O’Neill 10. Andrea Lee 11. Tracy Cortez 12. Erin Blanchfield 13. Maycee Barber 14. Miranda Maverick 15. Maryna Moroz |
UFC rankings C: Valentina Shevchenko 1. Manon Fiorot 2. Talia Santos 3. Katlyn Chookagian 4. Lauren Murphy 5. Alexa Grasso 6. Jessica Andrade 7. Viviane Araujo 8. Jennifer Maia 9. Andrea Lee 10. Erin Blanchfield 11. Casey O’Neill 12. Maycee Barber 13. Tracy Cortez 14. Cynthia Calvillo 15. Amanda Ribas |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Alas, Cortez vs. Ribas was canceled, a fight that would have produced another up and comer at 125 pounds. Since Fiorot and Grasso seem intent to fight each other instead of the champ, and with Santos scheduled to fight Blanchfield and Murphy vs. Andrade, there isn’t a clear No. 1 contender for Shevchenko, who also might want to take on Nunes a third time at BW before her sterling career comes to a close.
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Amanda Nunes 1. Julianna Pena 2. Ketlen Vieira 3. Holly Holm 4. Raquel Pennington 5. Irene Aldana 6. Karol Rosa 7. Pannie Kianzad 8. Yana Kunitskaya 9. Macy Chiasson 10. Julia Avila 11. Mayra Bueno Silva 12. Josiane Nunes 13. Stephanie Egger 14. Lina Lansberg 15. Miesha Tate |
UFC rankings C. Amanda Nunes 1. Julianna Pena 2. Ketlen Vieira 3. Holly Holm 4. Irene Aldana 5. Raquel Pennington 6. Yana Kunitskaya 7. Pannie Kianzad 8. Macy Chiasson 9. Karol Rosa 10. Miesha Tate 11. Julia Avila 12. Lina Lansberg 13. Norma Dumont 14. Mayra Bueno Silva 15. Josiane Nunes |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Neither Tate nor Dumont deserve to be ranked at 135 pounds – the former fought at 125 last time out, while the latter can’t make the weight and fights at 145 – but there simply aren’t many alternatives who deserve to be among the top 15 at BW. Nunes-Pena 3: We Couldn’t Think of Anything Else is starting to feel inevitable, though the winner of Vieira vs. Pennington in January may have something to say about that.
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C: Amanda Nunes No divisional rankings. |
UPCOMING FIGHTS TO WATCH
Jan. 14 – UFC Fight Night 217
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Dan Ige vs. Damon Jackson
Ketlen Vieira vs. Raquel Pennington
Jan. 21 – UFC 283
Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill for LHW title
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno for FW title
Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny
Updated rankings for January will be posted before UFC Fight Night 218 on Feb. 4, when we’ll make predictions for 2023 and look back at last year’s. Until then, enjoy the 5-ounce glove fights.
For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on Twitter @daviddbstroh.