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. Kamaru Usman (C) 2. Israel Adesanya (C) 3. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 4. Charles Oliveira (C) 5. Francis Ngannou (C) 6. Max Holloway 7. Aljamain Sterling (C) 8. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) 9. Petr Yan 10. Brandon Moreno 11. Jiri Prochazka (C) * 12. Glover Teixeira -1 13. Robert Whittaker -1 14. Colby Covington 15. Stipe Miocic -2 |
UFC rankings 1. Kamaru Usman (C) 2. Alexander Volkanovski (C) 3. Israel Adesanya (C) 4. Charles Oliveira 5. Francis Ngannou (C) 6. Max Holloway 7. Dustin Poirier 8. Aljamain Sterling (C) +1 9. Jon Jones +1 10. Jiri Prochazka (C) * 10. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) +1 12. Stipe Miocic 13. Petr Yan 14. Robert Whittaker 15. Glover Teixeira -7 |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Ciryl Gane
Out of UFC rankings: Brandon Moreno
X: Adesanya and Volkanovski have a chance to make their case for the top spot this weekend to cap off the UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. Prochazka joins the top 15 after winning the LHW crown, but Teixeira didn’t deserve to fall seven spots since he was winning the fight right up until he wasn’t late in the fifth round. Moreno can rejoin the P4P pals if he picks up an interim championship belt at the end of the month. But with nearly two and a half years of inactivity, Jones no longer deserves a spot on this list. Rankings are supposed to be about merit today, not a career achievement award.
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dB rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo 1. Brandon Moreno 2. Kai Kara France 3. Askar Askarov 4. Alexandre Pantoja 5. Brandon Royval 6. Alex Perez 7. Matheus Nicolau 8. David Dvorak 9. Matt Schnell +3 10. Manel Kape 11. Tim Elliott 12. Amir Albazi +1 13. Sumudaerji +1 14. Tagir Ulanbekov +1 15. Jeff Molina * |
UFC rankings C: Deiveson Figueiredo 1. Brandon Moreno 2. Kai Kara France 3. Askar Askarov 4. Alexandre Pantoja -1 5. Brandon Royval 6. Alex Perez 7. Matheus Nicolau 8. Matt Schnell +1 9. David Dvorak +1 10. Tim Elliott +1 11. Sumudaerji +1 12. Amir Albazi +1 13. Manel Kape +1 14. Tagir Ulanbekov +1 15. Jeff Molina * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Rogerio Bontorin (released)
X: Moreno and France will fight for a belt of the interim variety on July 30, much to Figueiredo’s disdain. Meanwhile, Pantoja can finally be called a true contender if he takes out Perez that same night. Bontorin became the latest weight-cut casualty of trying to fight at 125 pounds, costing him a UFC roster spot. And why isn’t the newest ranked fighter’s nickname Jeff “Funky Cold” Molina? (Shout out to Tone-Loc.)
BANTAMWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Petr Yan 2. T.J. Dillashaw 3. Cory Sandhagen 4. Jose Aldo 5. Marlon Vera 6. Rob Font 7. Merab Dvalishvili 8. Dominick Cruz 9. Yadong Song 10. Frankie Edgar 11. Pedro Munhoz 12. Ricky Simon 13. Sean O’Malley 14. Jack Shore 15. Adrian Yanez * |
UFC rankings C: Aljamain Sterling 1. Petr Yan 2. T.J. Dillashaw 3. Jose Aldo 4. Cory Sandhagen 5. Marlon Vera 6. Merab Dvalishvili 7. Rob Font 8. Dominick Cruz 9. Pedro Munhoz +1 10. Yadong Song -1 11. Frankie Edgar 12. Ricky Simon 13. Sean O’Malley 14. Jack Shore 15. Umar Nurmagomedov * |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Umar Nurmagomedov
Out of UFC rankings: Raphael Assuncao
X: Yanez and Nurmagomedov both deserve a spot in the rankings, and if Munhoz – who is somehow ranked above Edgar, a man who just beat him, then magically jumped over the surging Song last week – loses to O’Malley on Saturday there may be an opening. The upcoming Vera vs. Cruz bout looks like fun.
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dB rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski 1. Max Holloway 2. Brian Ortega 3. Josh Emmett +5 4. Yair Rodriguez -1 5. Arnold Allen 6. Calvin Kattar 7. Chan Sung Jung -3 8. Gigi Chikadze -1 9. Bryce Mitchell 10. Movsar Evloev +3 11. Dan Ige -1 12. Edson Barboza -1 13. Sodiq Yusuff -1 14. Shane Burgos 15. Pat Sabatini |
UFC rankings C: Alexander Volkanovski 1. Max Holloway 2. Brian Ortega 3. Yair Rodriguez 4. Josh Emmett +3 5. Calvin Kattar -1 6. Arnold Allen 7. Chan Sung Jung -2 8. Giga Chikadze 9. Bryce Mitchell 10. Movsar Evloev +3 11. Dan Ige -1 12. Sodiq Yusuff -1 13. Edson Barboza -1 14. Shane Burgos 15. Ilia Topuria |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Emmett has now won five in a row and seven of eight, making him the freshest face among the FW top five. But the real question is, if Holloway pulls off a victory in the trilogy Saturday night, would how it played out necessitate a fourth fight with Volkanovski? At least Ortega and Rodriguez will know the deal when they face off later this month in a fun scrap that could also be a No. 1 contender’s matchup.
LIGHTWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Vacant 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Islam Makhachev 3. Dustin Poirier 4. Justin Gaethje 5. Michael Chandler 6. Beneil Dariush 7. Rafael dos Anjos +1 8. Rafael Fiziev +2 9. Mateusz Gamrot +3 10. Arman Tsarukyan -1 11. Damir Ismagulov +2 12. Tony Ferguson -5 13. Conor McGregor -2 14. Brad Riddell 15. Mark Madsen |
UFC rankings C: Vacant 1. Charles Oliveira 2. Dustin Poirier 3. Justin Gaethje 4. Islam Makhachev 5. Michael Chandler 6. Beneil Dariush 7. Rafael dos Anjos 8. Mateusz Gamrot +4 9. Tony Ferguson 10. Rafael Fiziev 11. Arman Tsarukyan 12. Conor McGregor -4 13. Dan Hooker 14. Brad Riddell 15. Diego Ferreira |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Former KSW champion Gamrot made his move into the top 10 with a hard-fought, albeit narrow, victory over Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, Ismagulov is 24-1 and just beat the last fighter to top Gamrot, yet he still can’t get any love from the other rankers; they prefer Ferreira, loser of three straight. Ferguson (four consecutive, and definitive, losses) and McGregor (inactivity, injury and only one win at LW) both continue to fall with younger fighters rising up the chart. Looking forward to Rafael vs. Rafael this month.
WELTERWEIGHT
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dB rankings C: Kamaru Usman 1. Colby Covington 2. Leon Edwards 3. Belal Muhammad 4. Khamzat Chimaev 5. Gilbert Burns 6. Stephen Thompson 7. Vicente Luque 8. Sean Brady 9. Shavkat Rakmonov +5 10. Michael Chiesa 11. Jorge Masvidal -2 12. Neil Magny -1 13. Geoff Neal -1 14. Li Jingliang -1 15. Michel Pereira -1 |
UFC rankings C: Kamaru Usman 1. Colby Covington 2. Leon Edwards 3. Khamzat Chimaev 4. Gilbert Burns 5. Belal Muhammad 6. Vicente Luque 7. Stephen Thompson 8. Jorge Masvidal 9. Sean Brady 10. Shavkat Rakmonov +5 11. Michael Chiesa 12. Neil Magny -2 13. Geoff Neal -1 14. Li Jingliang -1 15. Michel Pereira -1 |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Rakmonov showed against the veteran Magny why he may be the best prospect at 170 this side of Chimaev. Usman defends against Edwards next month in yet another rematch, but other new contenders are rising in Muhammad and Brady. Masvidal has his sights set on McGregor, which is a winnable matchup – unlike Usman and Covington. We’ll see how his battle with the latter in court turns out.
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dB rankings C: Israel Adesanya 1. Robert Whittaker 2. Jared Cannonier 3. Marvin Vettori 4. Paulo Costa 5. Sean Strickland 6. Derek Brunson 7. Jack Hermansson 8. Uriah Hall 9. Brad Tavares 10. Andre Muniz 11. Darren Till 12. Kelvin Gastelum +1 13. Nassourdine Imavov +1 14. Alex Pereira +1 15. Krzysztof Jotko * |
UFC rankings C: Israel Adesanya 1. Robert Whittaker 2. Jared Cannonier 3. Marvin Vettori 4. Sean Strickland 5. Derek Brunson -1 6. Paulo Costa -2 7. Jack Hermansson 8. Darren Till 9. Uriah Hall 10. Kelvin Gastelum 11. Nassourdine Imavov 12. Brad Taveras 13. Andre Muniz 14. Chris Weidman 15. Edmen Shahbazyan |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Chris Weidman (inactivity from injury)
Out of UFC rankings: None
X: Weidman has only won one fight in five years, and with his long injury layoff it made sense to open a spot in my rankings for Jotko, who was won five of six, with his only loss being against the surging Strickland. The self-proclaimed “white trash” fighter could earn a shot at the MW belt with a win over Pereira on Saturday night, as Pereira has two victories in kickboxing over Adesanya. Meanwhile, the champ promises to make Cannonier look like the Silva vs. Griffin fiasco, and for that I can’t wait.
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dB rankings C: Jiri Prochazka +2 1. Glover Teixeira -1 2. Jan Blachowicz -1 3. Magomed Ankalaev 4. Aleksandar Rakic 5. Thiago Santos 6. Anthony Smith 7. Dominick Reyes 8. Volkan Oezdemir 9. Paul Craig 10. Jamahal Hill 11. Nikita Krylov 12. Johnny Walker 13. Ryan Spann 14. Jimmy Crute 15. Dustin Jacoby |
UFC rankings C: Jiri Prochazka +2 1. Glover Teixeira -1 2. Jan Blachowicz -1 3. Aleksandar Rakic 4. Magomed Ankalaev 5. Anthony Smith 6. Thiago Santos 7. Dominick Reyes 8. Paul Craig 9. Volkan Oezdemir 10. Jamahal Hill 11. Nikita Krylov 12. Ryan Spann 13. Johnny Walker 14. Jimmy Crute 15. Dustin Jacoby |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Prochazka captured the LHW crown despite saying he looked horrible against Teixeira, which bodes well for his future prospects if he continues to improve. Teixeira still doesn’t fight his age, as the 42-year-old wonder looked as strong as ever until gassing down the stretch. The winner of Ankalaev vs. Smith could earn the first shot at the new 205-pound champ with a strong showing in their fight later this month.
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dB rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Stipe Miocic 2. Ciryl Gane 3. Tai Tuivasa 4. Derrick Lewis 5. Curtis Blaydes 6. Tom Aspinall 7. Alexander Volkov 8. Alexandr Romanov +1 9. Sergei Pavlovich +1 10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik -2 11. Chris Daukaus 12. Marcin Tybura 13. Walt Harris 14. Serghei Spivac 15. Augusto Sakai |
UFC rankings C: Francis Ngannou 1. Ciryl Gane 2. Stipe Miocic 3. Tai Tuivasa 4. Curtis Blaydes 5. Derrick Lewis 6. Tom Aspinall 7. Alexander Volkov 8. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 9. Chris Daukaus 10. Marcin Tybura 11. Sergei Pavlovich 12. Shamil Abdurakhimov 13. Alexandr Romanov 14. Augusto Sakai 15. Blagoy Ivanov |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Blaydes vs. Aspinall is a fight to look forward to, but in pales next to the shadow of a possible Miocic vs. Jones interim HW title bout while we wait for Ngannou’s knee surgery and uncertain contract status to play out. This division desperately needs some fresh contenders and might have three if Aspinall wins, Pavlovich stops Lewis on July 30 and Romanov remains undefeated once the Octagon dust settles.
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dB rankings 1. Valentina Shevchenko (C) 2. Julianna Pena (C) 3. Amanda Nunes (C) 4. Carla Esparza (C) 5. Rose Namajunas 6. Weili Zhang 7. Jessica Andrade 8. Taila Santos * 9. Marina Rodriquez -1 10. Katlyn Chookagian -1 11. Lauren Murphy -1 12. Ketlen Viera -1 13. Holly Holm -1 14. Raquel Pennington -1 15. Irene Aldana -1 |
UFC rankings 1. Valentina Shevchenko (C) 2. Amanda Nunes (C) 3. Julianna Pena (C) 4. Rose Namajunas 5. Weili Zhang 6. Carla Esparza (C) 7. Jessica Andrade 8. Marina Rodriquez 9. Holly Holm 10. Katlyn Chookagian 11. Ketlen Viera 12. Xiaonan Yan 13. Mackenzie Dern 14. Taila Santos * 15. Raquel Pennington |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB rankings: Xiaonan Yan
Out of UFC rankings: Irene Aldana
X: Shevchenko showed she’s mortal against Santos, but not mortal enough to fall from her spot atop the WP4P list. Santos deserves a lot better than No. 14; I have her at 8. And Dern doesn’t belong here yet.
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dB rankings C: Carla Esparza 1. Rose Namajunas 2. Weili Zhang 3. Jessica Andrade 4. Marina Rodriguez 5. Xiaonan Yan 6. Amanda Ribas 7. Mackenzie Dern 8. Virna Jandiroba 9. Tecia Torres 10. Amanda Lemos 11. Nina Nunes 12. Michelle Waterson 13. Luana Pinheiro 14. Jessica Penne 15. Angela Hill |
UFC rankings C: Carla Esparza 1. Rose Namajunas 2. Zhang Weili 3. Marina Rodriguez 4. Mackenzie Dern 5. Yan Xiaonan 6. Jessica Andrade 7. Nina Nunes 8. Tecia Torres 9. Amanda Ribas 10. Michelle Waterson 11. Amanda Lemos 12. Virna Jandiroba 13. Angela Hill 14. Jessica Penne 15. Luana Pinheiro |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: The fighter happiest about Esparza regaining the belt is Weili, WHO KO’d Jedrzejczyk into retirement and herself into another shot at regaining the belt she lost to Namajunas. Rodriguez, who has a draw against Esparza, is the clear loser, as her title shot dreams are likely going to be delayed. Andrade continues to be a two-weight class terror, making her a favorite of both the UFC and fans; she heads to WFW next.
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dB rankings C: Valentina Shevchenko 1. Talia Santos +1 2. Katlyn Chookagian -1 3. Lauren Murphy 4. Alexa Grasso 5. Manon Fiorot 6. Jennifer Maia 7. Jessica Eye +1 8. Viviane Araujo +1 9. Casey O’Neill +1 10. Andrea Lee +1 11. Tracy Cortez +1 12. Erin Blanchfield +2 13. Cynthia Calvillo 14. Maycee Barber +1 15. Miranda Maverick * |
UFC rankings C: Valentina Shevchenko 1. Katlyn Chookagian 2. Talia Santos +2 3. Lauren Murphy -1 4. Jessica Andrade -1 5. Alexa Grasso 6. Viviane Araujo +1 7. Manon Fiorot -1 8. Jennifer Maia 9. Andrea Lee 10. Cynthia Calvillo +2 10. Jessica Eye +1 12. Casey O’Neill +1 13. Maycee Barber +1 14. Erin Blanchfield * 15. Tracy Cortez |
* New entrant into rankings
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Joanne Wood (released)
X: Sorry to see Wood go; the Scottish fighter with the soft voice is a hard-luck story, as she took a short-notice fight instead of waiting for a title shot against Shevchenko, lost it and hasn’t been the same since. The champ also doesn’t look quite like herself, as Santos showed by taking her to a tight decision; a rematch is possible unless Pena beats Nunes again and Shevchenko wants another crack at WBW.
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dB rankings C: Julianna Pena 1. Amanda Nunes 2. Ketlen Vieira 3. Holly Holm 4. Raquel Pennington 5. Irene Aldana 6. Aspen Ladd 7. Yana Kunitskaya 8. Miesha Tate 9. Sara McMann 10. Pannie Kianzad 11. Lina Lansberg 12. Macy Chiasson 13. Julia Avila 14. Karol Rosa 15. Josiane Nunes |
UFC rankings C: Julianna Pena 1. Amanda Nunes 2. Ketlen Vieira 3. Holly Holm 4. Irene Aldana 5. Raquel Pennington 6. Yana Kunitskaya 7. Aspen Ladd 8. Sara McMann 9. Pannie Kianzad +3 10. Miesha Tate -1 11. Macy Chiasson -1 12. Lina Lansberg -1 13. Karol Rosa 14. Julia Avila 15. Norma Dumont |
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Pena vs. Nunes 2 happens on July 30, after we find out who wins The Ultimate Fighter, which either will mark the beginning of the end for Nunes or place a trilogy in the offering. Vieira and perhaps WFW champ Shevchenko are the only fighters with a good enough resume to shout, “Next!” at 135 pounds.
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C: Amanda Nunes No divisional rankings. |
UPCOMING FIGHTS THAT AFFECT RANKINGS
July 2 – UFC 276
Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier for MW title
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 for FW title
Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira
Pedro Munhoz vs. Sean O’Malley
Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
July 9 – UFC Fight Night 209
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
July 16 – UFC on ABC 3
Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez
Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate
Amanda Lemos vs. Michelle Waterson
July 23 – UFC Fight Night 210
Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Paul Craig
July 30 – UFC 277
Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2 for WBW title
Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara France for interim FW title
Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Anthony Smith
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Alex Perez
The updated rankings for July will be posted before UFC Fight Night 211 on Aug. 6. Until then, enjoy the fights.
For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on Twitter @daviddbstroh.