MARCH 2023
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. I make my votes public monthly in the spirit of openness and transparency.
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
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dB rankings 1. Islam Makhachev (C) 2. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 3. Jon Jones (C) * 4. Leon Edwards (C) -1 5. Alex Pereira (C) 6. Israel Adesanya 7. Kamaru Usman -3 8. Charles Oliveira -1 9. Aljamain Sterling (C) -1 10. Brandon Moreno (C) -1 11. Jamahal Hill (C) -1 12. Jiri Prochazka -1 13. Robert Whittaker -1 14. Deiveson Figueiredo -1 15. Dustin Poirier -1 |
UFC rankings 1. Jon Jones (C) +9 2. Alexander Volkanovski (C) -1 3. Islam Makhachev (C) -1 4. Leon Edwards (C) -1 5. Israel Adesanya 6. Alex Pereira (C) 7. Aljamain Sterling (C) 8. Kamaru Usman -4 9. Charles Oliveira -1 10. Brandon Moreno (C) -1 11. Jiri Prochazka 12. Dustin Poirier 13. Jamahal Hill (C) 14. Robert Whittaker 15. Max Holloway |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Ciryl Gane
Out of UFC rankings: None
X: Trying to figure out where Jones fits into the P4P picture is anyone’s guess, but with just one fight in three years I couldn’t put him in one of the top two spots. Cejudo will try to duplicate that come-back-from-retirement feat in a month. Edwards proved he’s too legit to quit by beating Usman again, this time in a way no one can dismiss as a fluke. Still can’t figure out why other voters have Adesanya ranked over Pereira when he’s never defeated the man in any combat sport.
FLYWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Brandon Moreno 1. Deiveson Figueiredo 2. Alexandre Pantoja 3. Kai Kara France 4. Matheus Nicolau 5. Manel Kape 6. Brandon Royval 7. Alex Perez 8. Amir Albazi 9. Matt Schnell 10. David Dvorak 11. Tim Elliott 12. Muhammad Mokaev +2 13. Sumudaerji -1 14. Tagir Ulanbekov -1 15. Bruno Silva * |
UFC rankings C: Brandon Moreno 1. Deiveson Figueiredo 2. Alexandre Pantoja 3. Kai Kara France 4. Brandon Royal 5. Matheus Nicolau 6. Alex Perez 7. Amir Albazi 8. Matt Schnell 9. Manel Kape 10. David Dvorak 11. Tim Elliott 12. Muhammad Mokaev 13. Sumudaerji 14. Tagir Ulanbekov 15. Bruno Silva * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Tyson Nam
X: Little movement again this month, though Mokaev showed tremendous heart in not tapping and coming back in his last win. Kape vs. Perez being canceled is a bummer, as that fight could have put someone in the pole position for a title shot since Moreno doesn’t have to fight Figueiredo anymore. Silva beating Nam hopefully means he’s on his way upward.
BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Merab Dvalishvili +1 2. Sean O’Malley +1 3. Petr Yan +1 4. Cory Sandhagen +1 5. Marlon Vera -4 6. Rob Font 7. Yadong Song 8. Ricky Simon 9. Dominick Cruz 10. Umar Nurmagomedov 11. Adrian Yanez 12. Chris Gutierrez 13. Davey Grant * 14. Jonathan Martinez * 15. Pedro Munhoz |
UFC rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Merab Dvalishvili +2 2. Sean O’Malley -1 3. Cory Sandhagen +2 4. Petr Yan 5. Marlon Vera -1 6. Rob Font 7. Dominick Cruz 8. Yadong Song 9. Pedro Munhoz 10. Ricky Simon 11. Umar Nurmagomedov 12. Adrian Yanez +1 13. Chris Gutierrez -1 14. Jonathan Martinez * 15. Said Nurmagomedov -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Said Nurmagomedov, Jack Shore (moved to FW)
Out of UFC rankings: Jack Shore (moved to FW)
X: It wasn’t long ago that Yan clearly beat Sandhagen, yet since the latter just picked up a win and the former lost to the new No. 1 ranked contender, other voters decided to put Sandhagen over him, which doesn’t make sense. Nice to see Martinez pull out a strong win over Said Nurmagomedov, but the other voters also forgot that two years ago, Grant KO’d Martinez. We shouldn’t rank fighters based solely on their most recent trip into the Octagon; resume context is required.
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dB rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski IC. Yair Rodriguez 2. Max Holloway 3. Arnold Allen 4. Brian Ortega 5. Josh Emmett 6. Calvin Kattar 7. Chan Sung Jung 8. Gigi Chikadze 9. Ilia Topuria 10. Movsar Evloev 11. Bryce Mitchell 12. Sodiq Yusuff 13. Dan Ige 14. Edson Barboza 15. Jonathan Pearce |
UFC rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski IC: Yair Rodriguez 2. Max Holloway 3. Brian Ortega 4. Arnold Allen 5. Josh Emmett 6. Chan Sung Jung 7. Calvin Kattar 8. Giga Chikadze 9. Ilia Topuria 10. Movsar Evloev 11. Bryce Mitchell 12. Sodiq Yusuff 13. Dan Ige 14. Edson Barboza 15. Alex Caceres |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Little movement this month, but we do have Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez to look forward to in July. And if Allen can beat Holloway in two weeks, he’ll clearly be next in line for a crack at the FW belt. Emmett vs. Topuria should be a great upcoming bout as well, but too many ranked fighters still don’t have their first one of 2023 even scheduled yet.
LIGHTWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Islam Makhachev 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Beneil Dariush 3. Dustin Poirier 4. Justin Gaethje 5. Rafael Fiziev +1 6. Michael Chandler -1 7. Mateusz Gamrot 8. Arman Tsarukyan 9. Damir Ismagulov 10. Jalin Turner 11. Dan Hooker 12. Grant Dawson 13. Renato Moicano 14. Drew Dober 15. Joel Alvarez |
UFC rankings C: Islam Makhachev 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Dustin Poirier 3. Justin Gaethje 4. Beneil Dariush 5. Michael Chandler 6. Rafael Fiziev 7. Mateusz Gamrot 8. Arman Tsarukyan 9. Rafael dos Anjos 10. Jalin Turner 11. Dan Hooker 12. Damir Ismagulov 13. Renato Moicano -1 14. Drew Dober 15. Grant Dawson |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Gaethje vs. Fiziev was every bit as good as advertised, setting up Gaethje for a potential Fight of the Year 2 with Poirier. The winner of Oliveira vs. Dariush will expect a title shot, and a fellow named Conor McGregor is never more than a win away from another red panty night at any weight. Tsarukyan vs. Moicano this month should be an absolute banger.
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 8. Sean Brady 9. Geoff Neal 10. Vicente Luque 11. Michael Chiesa 12. Neil Magny 13. Jack Della Maddalena 14. Michel Pereira 15. Jorge Masvidal |
UFC rankings C: Leon Edwards 1. Kamaru Usman 2. Colby Covington 3. Khamzat Chimaev 4. Belal Muhammad 5. Gilbert Burns 6. Shavkat Rakmonov +3 7. Stephen Thompson -1 8. Geoff Neal -1 9. Sean Brady -1 10. Vicente Luque -1 11. Jorge Masvidal 12. Neil Magny 13. Michael Chiesa -1 14. Jack Della Maddalena 15. Michel Pereira |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Kudos to Edwards for showing he had it in him all along to be the WW champ; I can’t imagine Usman working his way back to a fourth fight with Rocky, through he could get round 3 with Covington if he manages to take the belt later this year. Rakmonov looks like a beast, and I don’t blame Muhammad for not wanting to fight down in the rankings anymore – especially if Masvidal wins this weekend and Edwards wants a chance to order himself a three piece and a soda.
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dB rankings C: Alex Pereira 1. Israel Adesanya 2. Robert Whittaker 3. Jared Cannonier 4. Marvin Vettori 5. Paulo Costa 6. Sean Strickland +1 7. Dricus Du Plessis +3 8. Roman Dolidze 9. Jack Hermansson 10. Derek Brunson -4 11. Nassourdine Imavov 12. Chris Curtis 13. Brenda Allen 14. Andre Muniz 15. Kelvin Gastelum |
UFC rankings C: Alex Pereira 1. Israel Adesanya 2. Robert Whittaker 3. Marvin Vettori +1 4. Jared Cannonier -1 5. Paulo Costa +1 6. Dricus Du Plessis +4 7. Sean Strickland 8. Derek Brunson -3 9. Roman Dolidze -1 10. Jack Hermansson -1 11. Nassourdine Imavov 12. Brenda Allen 13. Andre Muniz 14. Chris Curtis 15. Kelvin Gastelum |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Adesanya already has an outstanding legacy, but if he can beat Pereira this weekend, Adesanya will be back on track to one day possibly be considered the best ever at 185 pounds, though Anderson Silva will likely always hold that spot for me. Du Plessis has been a pleasant surprise in his sometimes reckless, but always powerful, run up the charts. Really wish Whittaker and Costa had met earlier this year, as once planned, to help clear up what might come next at MW.
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dB rankings C: Jamahal Hill 1. Jiri Prochazka 2. Magomed Ankalaev 3. Jan Blachowicz 4. Aleksandar Rakic 5. Nikita Krylov +1 6. Anthony Smith -1 7. Volkan Oezdemir 8. Johnny Walker 9. Ryan Spann 10. Paul Craig 11. Azamat Murakanov 12. Khalil Rountree Jr. 13. Dustin Jacoby 14. Jimmy Crute 15. Dominick Reyes |
UFC rankings C: Jamahal Hill 1. Jiri Prochazka 2. Magomed Ankalaev 3. Jan Blachowicz 4. Aleksandar Rakic 5. Anthony Smith 6. Nikita Krylov 7. Johnny Walker 8. Volkan Oezdemir +1 9. Paul Craig +1 10. Ryan Spann -2 11. Dominick Reyes 12. Jimmy Crute 13. Khalil Rountree Jr. 13. Dustin Jacoby 15. Azamat Murakanov |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Not much to report this month other than Krylov continues to be one of the funnest finishers to watch in the UFC. The champ and top four fighters remain unbooked, so we hopefully will have some great scraps set this summer at LHW.
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dB rankings C: Jon Jones * 1. Curtis Blaydes +1 2. Sergei Pavlovich +1 3. Ciryl Gane -2 4. Stipe Miocic 5. Tai Tuivasa 6. Tom Aspinall 7. Alexander Volkov 8. Marcin Tybura 9. Serghei Spivac 10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 11. Derrick Lewis 12. Jailton Almeida +1 13. Blagoy Ivanov +1 14. Alexandr Romanov -2 15. Marcos Rogerio de Lima |
UFC rankings C: Jon Jones * 1. Ciryl Gane 2. Stipe Miocic 3. Sergei Pavlovich 4. Curtis Blaydes 5. Tom Aspinall +1 6. Tai Tuivasa -1 7. Alexander Volkov +1 8. Serghei Spivac -1 9. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 10. Marcin Tybura 11. Derrick Lewis 12. Jailton Almeida +2 13. Chris Daukaus -1 14. Blagoy Ivanov +1 15. Alexandr Romanov -2 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Former LHW Almeida will soon have a chance to hit the top 10 at HW when he takes on the tough but eminently hittable Rozenstruik. The winner of Blaydes vs. Pavlovich will deserve a crack at Jones, but who knows if the GOAT will stick around after he takes on the aging Miocic. Aspinall’s return from injury is something else we can look forward to.
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dB rankings 1. Amanda Nunes (C) 2. Weili Zhang (C) +2 3. Alexa Grasso (C) * 4. Valentina Shevchenko -2 5. Rose Namajunas -2 6. Julianna Pena -1 7. Erin Blanchfield -1 8. Jessica Andrade -1 9. Amanda Lemos -1 10. Taila Santos -1 11. Manon Fiorot -1 12. Carla Esparza -1 13. Marina Rodriquez -1 14. Raquel Pennington -1 15. Katlyn Chookagian -1 |
UFC rankings 1. Amanda Nunes (C) 2. Alexa Grasso (C) * 3. Valentina Shevchenko 4. Weili Zhang (C) -1 5. Rose Namajunas -1 6. Julianna Pena -1 7. Carla Esparza -1 8. Jessica Andrade -1 9. Erin Blanchfield -1 10. Amanda Lemos -1 11. Manon Fiorot 12. Taila Santos -2 13. Raquel Pennington 14. Marina Rodriquez -2 15. Holly Holm -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Ketlen Viera
Out of UFC rankings: Tatiana Suarez
X: Nice to see so many names in this list that weren’t there a year ago, although the old guard may still have something to say about their rise in the rankings. This is where I bemoan that the wonderfully skilled Namajunas fights so infrequently.
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dB rankings C: Weili Zhang 1. Jessica Andrade 2. Amanda Lemos 3. Rose Namajunas 4. Carla Esparza 5. Marina Rodriguez 6. Xiaonan Yan 7. Mackenzie Dern +1 8. Virna Jandiroba +1 9. Tatiana Suarez +1 10. Tecia Torres +1 11. Michelle Waterson-Gomez +1 12. Luana Pinheiro +1 13. Angela Hill +1 14. Tabatha Ricci * 15. Kanaoko Murata -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. Virna Jandiroba +1 10. Michelle Waterson-Gomez +1 11. Amanda Ribas -2 12. Tatiana Suarez +1 13. Angela Hill -1 14. Tabatha Ricci * 15. Luana Pinheiro -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Amanda Ribas
Out of UFC rankings: Emily Ducote
X: I felt like I had no choice but to remove Ribas from the SW rankings after two consecutive fights at FLW, even though she was still eligible. Andrade has gone back and forth in the same calendar year, giving her more credence to be ranked in two weight classes – though I prefer not to do that in order to give another fighter some well-deserved recognition. I hope Weili isn’t held out of action until the UFC returns to Adu Dhabi this fall, as we need to see the best fight more often.
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dB rankings C: Alexa Grasso +6 1. Valentina Shevchenko -1 2. Talia Santos 3. Erin Blanchfield -2 4. Manon Fiorot -1 5. Jessica Andrade -1 6. Katlyn Chookagian -1 7. Lauren Murphy 8. Jennifer Maia 9. Maycee Barber +4 10. Amanda Ribas * 11. Viviane Araujo -2 12. Casey O’Neill -2 13. Andrea Lee -2 14. Tracy Cortez -2 15. Miranda Maverick -1 |
UFC rankings C: Alexa Grasso +6 1. Valentina Shevchenko -1 2. Manon Fiorot -1 3. Talia Santos -1 4. Erin Blanchfield -1 5. Jessica Andrade -1 6. Katlyn Chookagian -1 7. Lauren Murphy 8. Jennifer Maia +1 9. Amanda Ribas * 10. Maycee Barber +2 11. Viviane Araujo -3 12. Andrea Lee -2 13. Casey O’Neill -2 14. Tracy Cortez -1 15. Cynthia Calvillo -1 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Maryna Moroz
Out of UFC rankings: Miranda Maverick
X: Grasso’s unexpected victory over P4P queen Shevchenko is everything I love about mixed martial arts; the fact that anyone, at anytime, can suddenly snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Congrats to Ribas and Barber for recent wins that have them listed as contenders. Calvillo’s drop back to SW opens the door for someone new to be ranked in April.
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Amanda Nunes 1. Julianna Pena 2. Raquel Pennington 3. Ketlen Vieira 4. Holly Holm 5. Irene Aldana 6. Karol Rosa 7. Pannie Kianzad 8. Yana Santos 9. Macy Chiasson 10. Mayra Bueno Silva 11. Julia Avila 12. Josiane Nunes 13. Stephanie Egger 14. Chelsea Chandler 15. Tamires Vidal |
UFC rankings C. Amanda Nunes 1. Julianna Pena 2. Raquel Pennington 3. Holly Holm 4. Ketlen Vieira -1 5. Irene Aldana 6. Yana Santos 7. Pannie Kianzad 8. Macy Chiasson 9. Karol Rosa 10. Mayra Bueno Silva +2 11. Miesha Tate -1 12. Julia Avila -1 13. Norma Dumont 14. Josiane Nunes 15. Chelsea Chandler |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Nothing much to say here, with Nunes and Pena still waiting to see if a trilogy occurs. I’d prefer a fresh matchup, but Pennington would be a rematch for the champ, too, though their first fight was in 2018. Holm still winning after surpassing age 40 is inspiring, but a bit boring, as she has evolved into a grind-heavy clinch game that resembles nothing like the fighter who is enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame and kicked Ronda Rousey’s face off in 2015.
WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
C: Amanda Nunes
No divisional rankings.
UPCOMING FIGHTS TO WATCH
April 8 – UFC 287
Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 for MW title
Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
April 15 – UFC Fight Night 221
Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
Azamat Murakanov vs. Dustin Jacoby
April 22 – UFC Fight Night 222
Curtis Blaydes vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Ricky Simon vs. Song Yadong
Brad Tavares vs. Bruno Silva
April 29 – UFC on ESPN 43
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Renato Moicano
Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Emily Ducote vs. Polyana Viana
Updated rankings for April will be posted before UFC 288 on May 6, when Henry “The Cringe” Cejudo reappears from retirement to take on Aljamain “The Backpack” Sterling for the BW belt. Until then, enjoy the 5-ounce glove fights.
For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on Twitter @daviddbstroh.