In deciding where to rank fighters, I look at head-to-head matchups first, then primarily 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 only a small part in the process.
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
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dB rankings 1. Kamaru Usman (C) 2. Francis Ngannou (C) 3. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 4. Israel Adesanya (C) 5. Max Holloway 6. Charles Oliveira (C) 7. Petr Yan (IC) +3 8. Aljamain Sterling (C) +3 9. Deiveson Figueiredo * 10. Brandon Moreno (C) -1 11. Glover Teixeira (C) +1 12. Robert Whittaker -4 13. Ciryl Gane -6 14. Stipe Miocic -1 15. Colby Covington -1 |
UFC rankings 1. Kamaru Usman (C) 2. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 3. Israel Adesanya (C) 4. Francis Ngannou (C) 5. Charles Oliveira (C) 6. Jon Jones 7. Max Holloway 8. Dustin Poirier 9. Petr Yan (IC) +2 10. Stipe Miocic -1 11. Glover Teixeira (C) +1 12. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) * 13. Brandon Moreno -3 14. Robert Whittaker -1 15. Jan Blachowicz -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Dustin Poirier
Out of UFC rankings: Ciryl Gane
X: January was one of the lighter months for ranked fighters in the Octagon since I can remember, with most of the movement here due to Figueiredo evening his trilogy with Moreno in one of the best FW scraps of all time. Gane takes a fall despite winning the first two rounds of his title fight with Ngannou, who I really, really want to see take on Jones next in a potential GOAT battle for the ages. Note: I removed Jones from the rankings because he hasn’t fought since February 2020.
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dB rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo +2 1. Brandon Moreno -1 2. Askar Askarov -1 3. Alexandre Pantoja 4. Brandon Royval 5. Kai Kara France 6. Alex Perez 7. David Dvorak 8. Rogerio Bontorin 9. Matheus Nicolau 10. Manel Kape 11. Tim Elliott 12. Matt Schnell 13. Amir Albazi 14. Su Mudaerji 15. Tagir Ulanbekov 15. Tagir Ulanbekov |
UFC rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo +1 1. Brandon Moreno -1 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 12. Tim Elliott 13. Su Mudaerji 14. Manel Kape 15. Tagir Ulanbekov 15. Tagir Ulanbekov -1 |
X: Figueiredo-Moreno 4 anyone? Yes please. The winner of the upcoming Askarov vs. France tilt will have a legitimate claim to being the No. 1 contender at FW, but even though I’m not a fan of immediate rematches, with the trilogy standing at 1-1-1 this one just feels like destiny. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Moreno, because it just has to be that way.
BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Aljamain Sterling IC: Petr Yan 2. T.J. Dillashaw 3. Cory Sandhagen 4. Jose Aldo 5. Rob Font 6. Merab Dvalishvili 7. Marlon Vera 8. Dominick Cruz 9. Marlon Moraes 10. Frankie Edgar 11. Pedro Munhoz 12. Ricky Simon 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 4. Cory Sandhagen 5. Rob Font 6. Merab Dvalishvili 7. Dominick Cruz 8. Marlon Vera 9. Pedro Munhoz +1 10. Marlon Moraes -1 11. Frankie Edgar 12. Sean O’Malley 13. Ricky Simon 14. Yadong Song 15. Raphael Assuncao |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: BW has become one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. When Sterling and Yan reunite the belts, former champion and drug cheat Dillashaw will be waiting, with perhaps the winner of a potential Aldo vs. Cruz legacy fight afterward. By 2023, young fighters like O’Malley will be pushing for contention and possibly making 135 pounds the “A” side of a pay per view for a change instead of being co-main event. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Yan, who could have a long rein.
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dB rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski 1. Max Holloway 2. Brian Ortega 3. Yair Rodriguez 4. Chan Sung Jung 5. Calvin Kattar +2 6. Arnold Allen -1 7. Gigi Chikadze -1 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 7. Arnold Allen 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: I love Chikadze, but Kattar showed it was too much, too soon. Allen vs. Dan Hooker, coming back down from LW, should produce a contender in March. Sorry to see Holloway get hurt and delay his trilogy with Volkanovski, but I’m never sorry to see the Korean Zombie fight with everything on the line. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Holloway, if only because he’s so much damn fun to watch.
LIGHTWEIGHT
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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 13. Mateusz Gamrot 14. Damir Ismagulov 15. Brad Riddell |
UFC rankings C: Charles Oliveira 1. Justin Gaethje 2. Dustin Poirier 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 12. Mateusz Gamrot 13. Arman Tsarukyan 14. Brad Riddell 15. Diego Ferreira |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Oliveira vs. Gaethje appears to be next for the LW championship, with the winner of the Dariush-Makhachev bout in March lined up next and dos Anjos vs. Fiziev another one to watch. Let’s all just say no to another McGregor title shot, and instead happily watch him and Nate Diaz go at it one last time. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Makhachev, with Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner.
WELTERWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Kamaru Usman 1. Colby Covington 2. Gilbert Burns 3. Leon Edwards 4. Vicente Luque 5. Belal Muhammad 6. Stephen Thompson 7. Jorge Masvidal 8. Sean Brady 9. Michael Chiesa 10. Neil Magny 11. Geoff Neal 12. Khamzat Chimaev 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 6. Jorge Masvidal 7. Stephen Thompson 8. Neil Magny 9. Sean Brady 10. Michael Chiesa 11. Khamzat Chimaev 12. Geoff Neal 13. Li Jingliang 14. Santiago Ponzinibbio 15. Muslim Salikhov |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Edwards has apparently done enough to earn a WW title shot, with the winner of the Luque vs. Muhammad rematch possibly on deck. The real treat this year will be watching Chimaev grow. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Usman, who hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down.
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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 14. Nassourdine Imavov 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 15. Chris Weidman |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Adesanya-Whittaker 2 should be much better than the original, as Whitaker has found his best form since then, while Adesanya has learned how to lose. The winner of Cannonier vs. Brunson will be lined up to fight the champ later the year, while Hermansson vs. Strickland will give us another contender. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Adesanya, as all of his upcoming matchups favor his style.
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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 13. Jim Crute 14. Paul Craig 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 13. Ryan Spann 14. Jim Crute 15. Ion Cutelaba |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Teixeira vs. Prochazka in May sounds like an MMA culture clash, and I’m all in for it. The winner of Blachowicz vs. Rakic could be up next, while Ankalaev is only a win away from joining the mix. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Prochazka, who would bring some pizzazz back to 205.
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dB rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Ciryl Gane -1 2. Stipe Miocic 3. Derrick Lewis 4. Curtis Blaydes 5. Alexander Volkov 6. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 7. Tom Aspinall 8. Alexandr Romanov 9. Chris Daukaus 10. Shamil Abdurakhimov 11. Marcin Tybura 12. Walt Harris 13. Serghei Spivac 14. Tai Tuivasa 15. Augusto Sakai |
UFC rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Ciryl Gane -1 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 13. Blagoy Ivanov 14. Walt Harris 15. Sergei Pavlovich |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Ngannou showed he knows some grappling to bring the HW titles together against Gane, but he did not look nearly as intimidating as in his power-punching past. A Miocic trilogy awaits him if the Jones fight doesn’t come together, but with knee surgery and his contract situation, there’s a chance we may not see Ngannou fight in the UFC again, which would be one of the bigger misses in MMA history. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Ngannou, though there will be another interim title at some point.
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dB rankings 1. Valentina Shevchenko 2. Julianna Pena 3. Amanda Nunes 4. Rose Namajunas 5. Zhang Weili 6. Jessica Andrade 7. Carla Esparza 8. Marina Rodriquez 9. Holly Holm 10. Katlyn Chookagian 11. Lauren Murphy 12. Jennifer Maia 13. Raquel Pennington 14. Irene Aldana 15. Norma Dumont |
UFC rankings 1. Valentina Shevchenko 2. Amanda Nunes +1 3. Rose Namajunas -1 4. Julianna Pena 5. Zhang Weili 6. Jessica Andrade 7. Holly Holm 8. Carla Esparza 9. Marina Rodriquez 10. Katlyn Chookagian 11. Yan Xiaonan 12. Irene Aldana 13. Lauren Murphy 14. Mackenzie Dern 15. Aspen Ladd |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Pena’s rematch with Nunes will be the hottest women’s bout of 2022. Alas, there are precious few non-rematches available at the top of each division, so some younger fighters need to climb faster.
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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 8. Tecia Torres 9. Michelle Waterson 10. Amanda Lemos 11. Virna Jandiroba 12. Angela Hill 13. Ariane Carnelossi 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 8. Michelle Waterson 9. Amanda Ribas 10. Amanda Lemos 11. Virna Jandiroba 12. Angela Hill 13. Jessica Penne 14. Brianna Van Buren 15. Luana Pinheiro |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Namajunas-Esparza 2 is deservedly the next title fight, but someone needs to make a case for No. 1 contender status after that, with Rodriguez the best candidate if she can win just one more. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Namajunas, who is 5-2 against Weili, Esparza, Andrade and Jędrzejczyk.
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dB rankings C: Valentina Shevchenko 1. Jessica Andrade 2. Katlyn Chookagian 3. Lauren Murphy 4. Jennifer Maia 5. Talia Santos 6. Joanne Wood 7. Jessica Eye 8. Viviane Araujo 9. Alexa Grasso 10. Roxanne Modafferi 11. Andrea Lee 12. Cynthia Calvillo 13. Casey O’Neill 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 6. Viviane Araujo 7. Joanne Wood 8. Andrea Lee 9. Jessica Eye 10. Cynthia Calvillo 11. Alexa Grasso 12. Roxanne Modafferi 13. Maycee Barber 14. Manon Fiorot 15. Casey O’Neill |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Shevchenko hasn’t gone anywhere, and neither will her belt this year, although Santos is good everywhere if they meet. Tate moving to 125 pounds potentially gives Shevchenko the kind of big-name opponent she has been looking for. O’Neill, Blanchfield, Gatto and Fioret are the next generation at WFLW, though they all need to beat fighters above them to be considered serious contenders. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: And still Shevchenko, of course.
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dB rankings C: Julianna Pena 1. Amanda Nunes 2. Holly Holm 3. Raquel Pennington 4. Irene Aldana 5. Aspen Ladd 6. Yana Kunitskaya 7. Ketlen Vieira 8. Miesha Tate 9. Sara McMann 10. Lina Lansberg 11. Macy Chiasson 12. Julia Avila 13. Pannie Kianzad 14. Karol Rosa 15. Jessica Rose-Clark |
UFC rankings C: Julianna Pena 1. Amanda Nunes 2. Holly Holm 3. Irene Aldana 4. Aspen Ladd 5. Ketlen Vieira 6. Yana Kunitskaya 7. Raquel Pennington 8. Miesha Tate 9. Sara McMann 10. Macy Chiasson 11. Lina Lansberg 12. Pannie Kianzad 13. Karol Rosa 14. Julia Avila 15. Norma Dumont |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: After the Pena-Nunes rematch, there are few compelling options available. Let’s hope someone near the top of the list has an impressive victory the first half of the year to earn a shot at the winner. Predicted champ on Jan. 1, 2023: Pena, who has sold me on her self-belief and mom power.
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C: Amanda Nunes No divisional rankings. |
IMPORTANT UPCOMING FIGHTS FOR RANKINGS
Feb. 5 – UFC Fight Night 200
Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
Sam Alvey vs. Ian Heinisch
Feb. 12 – UFC 271
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker for MW title
Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa
Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier
Feb. 19 – UFC Fight Night 201
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
Alexandr Romanov vs. Ilir Latifi
Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill
Feb. 26 – UFC Fight Night 202
Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Alvarez
Updated rankings for February will be posted after UFC Fight Night 202. Until then, enjoy the fights.
For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on Twitter @daviddbstroh.