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David Brown
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 a small part in the process.
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
dB rankings:
1. Jon Jones
2. Kamaru Usman (C)
3. Francis Ngannou (C)
4. Jan Blachowicz (C)
5. Israel Adesanya (C)
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Ciryl Gane (IC) *
8. Stipe Miocic -1
9. Alexander Volkanovski (C) -1
10. Max Holloway -1
11. Robert Whittaker -1
12. Charles Oliveira (C) -1
13. Brandon Moreno (C) -1
14. Aljamain Sterling (C) -1
15. Petr Yan -1
UFC rankings:
1. Jon Jones
2. Kamaru Usman (C)
3. Israel Adesanya (C)
4. Alexander Volkanovski (C)
5. Francis Ngannou (C)
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Jan Blachowicz (C)
8. Stipe Miocic
9. Max Holloway
10. Charles Oliveira (C)
11. Brandon Moreno (C)
12. Robert Whittaker -1
13. Petr Yan
14. Ciryl Gane (IC) *
15. Justin Gaethje -1
Out of dB rankings: Justin Gaethje
Out of UFC rankings: Aljamain Sterling (C)
X: Have I mentioned how pointless pound-for-pound rankings are? This also might be the first time UFC rankings didn’t include one of the champs, Sterling, yet the guy he just beat – albeit by disqualification – in Yan is in the top 15. Are we sure Khabid Nurmagomedov isn’t coming back?
FLYWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Brandon Moreno
1. Askar Askarov
2. Deiveson Figueiredo
3. Alex Perez
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Joseph Benavidez
6. Brandon Royval
7. Kai Kara France
8. David Dvorak
9. Rogerio Bontorin
10. Matt Schnell
11. Tim Elliott
12. Amir Albazi +1
13. Su Mudaerji +1
14. Matheus Nicolau +1
15. Zhalgas Zhumagulov *
UFC rankings:
C: Brandon Moreno
1. Deiveson Figueiredo
2. Askar Askarov
3. Alexandre Pantoja
4. Alex Perez
5. Joseph Benavidez
6. Brandon Royval
7. Kai Kara France
8. Rogerio Bontorin
9. Matt Schnell
10. Tim Elliott
11. David Dvorak
12. Matheus Nicolau +1
13. Su Mudaerji +1
14. Amir Albazi +1
15. Tyson Nam *
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Raulian Paiva, who moved to BW.
X: Hopefully, FW is gearing up for a strong finish to the year, as the top five are all booked except for Moreno. Here’s hoping he faces Askarov next and not a Figueiredo rematch or bout with Garbrandt, who needs to win in this weight class first before getting a title shot. Meanwhile, Zhumagulov has a prior win over Nam, making him a better entry into the rankings this month.
BANTAMWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Aljamain Sterling
1. Petr Yan
2. T.J. Dillashaw *
3. Cory Sandhagen -1
4. Rob Font -1
5. Marlon Moraes -1
6. Jose Aldo -1
7. Frankie Edgar -1
8. Pedro Munhoz -1
9. Cody Garbrandt -1
10. Dominick Cruz -1
11. Merab Dvalishvili -1
12. Jimmie Rivera -1
13. Raphael Assuncao -1
14. Marlon Vera
15. Timur Valiev
UFC rankings:
C: Aljamain Sterling
1. Petr Yan
2. T.J. Dillashaw *
3. Cory Sandhagen -1
4. Rob Font -1
5. Marlon Moraes -1
6. Jose Aldo -1
7. Frankie Edgar -1
8. Pedro Munhoz -1
9. Cody Garbrandt -1
10. Dominick Cruz -1
11. Merab Dvalishvili -1
12. Jimmie Rivera -1
13. Raphael Assuncao -1
14. Marlon Vera
15. Cody Stamann
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Kyler Phillips
X: Dillashaw proved he still has it, but the stain of his two-year suspension for using performance enhancing drugs lingers. Paiva almost snuck into the rankings with his comeback win over Phillips, but there are at least 20 fighters who deserve ranking consideration at BW. The winner of the upcoming Valiev vs. Ricky Simon scrap will decide who gets to keep the No. 15 spot.
FEATHERWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Alexander Volkanovski
1. Max Holloway
2. Brian Ortega
3. Yair Rodriguez
4. Chan Sung Jung
5. Arnold Allen
6. Calvin Kattar
7. Josh Emmett
8. Dan Inge
9. Edson Barboza
10. Gigi Chikadze
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. Arnold Allen
7. Josh Emmett
8. Dan Ige
9. Edson Barboza
10. Giga Chikadze
11. Bryce Mitchell
12. Sodiq Yusuff
13. Movsar Evloev
14. Shane Burgos
15. Ilia Topuria
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Not much action at 145 pound this month, but that will change in September, when Volkanovski defends his title against Ortega, both fresh off coaching in the return of The Ultimate Fighter.
LIGHTWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Charles Oliveira
1. Dustin Poirier
2. Justin Gaethje
3. Beneil Dariush
4. Islam Makhachev +3
5. Michael Chandler -1
6. Tony Ferguson -1
7. Rafael dos Anjos -1
8. Conor McGregor
9. Dan Hooker
10. Kevin Lee
11. Gregor Gillespie
12. Brad Riddell
13. Grant Dawson
14. Diego Ferreira
15. Rafael Fiziev *
UFC rankings:
C: Charles Oliveira
1. Dustin Poirier
2. Justin Gaethje
3. Beneil Dariush
4. Michael Chandler
5. Islam Makhachev +4
6. Tony Ferguson -1
7. Rafael dos Anjos -1
8. Dan Hooker
9. Conor McGregor -2
10. Gregor Gillespie
11. Kevin Lee
12. Diego Ferreira
13. Brad Riddell
14. Rafael Fiziev *
15. Arman Tsarukyan
Out of dB rankings: Damir Ismagulov
Out of UFC rankings: Thiago Moises
X: Makhachev finishing Moises bounced him all the way into the top five, with dos Anjos on deck, while Fiziev’s scintillating victory over Bobby Green last weekend pushed him into the rankings after four straight wins, despite losing his first fight in the UFC. Lee moving to WW this month will open the door for another LW to make a move into the top 15.
WELTERWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Kamaru Usman
1. Colby Covington
2. Gilbert Burns
3. Leon Edwards
4. Stephen Thompson
5. Vicente Luque
6. Jorge Masvidal +2
7. Michael Chiesa -1
8. Neil Magny -1
9. Geoff Neal
10. Belal Muhammad
11. Li Jingliang
12. Sean Brady
13. Demian Maia
14. Santiago Ponzinibbio
15. Muslim Saikhov
UFC rankings:
C: Kamaru Usman
1. Colby Covington
2. Gilbert Burns
3. Leon Edwards
4. Vicente Luque +2
5. Stephen Thompson -1
6. Jorge Masvidal +1
7. Michael Chiesa -2
8. Neil Magny
9. Belal Muhammad
10. Geoff Neal
11. Demian Maia
12. Li Jingliang
13. Santiago Ponzinibbio
14. Sean Brady
15. Muslim Saikhov
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Little movement this month, other than Luque jumping ahead of the guy he just beat in Chiesa as well as the last guy to beat him in Thompson. Chiesa said he “cracked,” but me thinks he just got caught by the most opportunistic finisher at WW. There are no bad matchups at 170.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Israel Adesanya
1. Robert Whittaker
2. Paulo Costa
3. Jared Cannonier
4. Derek Brunson
5. Marvin Vettori
6. Jack Hermansson
7. Darren Till
8. Sean Strickland +2
9. Kelvin Gastelum -1
10. Brad Tavares +1
11. Uriah Hall -2
12. Chris Weidman
13. Edmen Shahbazyan +1
14. Brendan Allen *
15. Andre Muniz
UFC rankings:
C: Israel Adesanya
1. Robert Whittaker
2. Paulo Costa
3. Jared Cannonier
4. Marvin Vettori
5. Derek Brunson
6. Jack Hermansson
7. Darren Till
8. Sean Strickland +3
9. Kelvin Gastelum
10. Uriah Hall -2
11. Edmen Shahbazyan -1
12. Chris Weidman +1
13. Brad Taveras -1
14. Kevin Holland
15. Andre Muniz *
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Omari Akhmedov, who was released by the UFC.
X: Strickland may indeed be a psychopath, as Michael Bisping put it before the Hall fight, but his face-first, volume-heavy attack has yet to be figured out at MW, where I had him ranked years ago when he was still undefeated. Meanwhile, I again point out that Allen has a submission win over Holland and only a loss to the aforementioned Strickland on his UFC record.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Jan Blachowicz
1. Glover Teixeira
2. Jiri Prochazka
3. Aleksandar Rakic
4. Magomed Ankalaev
5. Anthony Smith
6. Dominick Reyes
7. Thiago Santos
8. Volkan Oezdemir
9. Nikita Krylov
10. Johnny Walker
11. Ryan Spann
12. Misha Cirkunov
13. Jim Crute
14. Paul Craig
15. Jamahal Hill
UFC rankings:
C: Jan Blachowicz
1. Glover Teixeira
2. Jiri Prochazka
3. Aleksandar Rakic
4. Thiago Santos
5. Dominick Reyes
6. Anthony Smith
7. Magomed Ankalaev
8. Volkan Oezdemir
9. Nikita Krylov
10. Johnny Walker
11. Ryan Spann
12. Paul Craig
13. Misha Cirkunov
14. Jim Crute
15. Jamahal Hill
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: No movement this month at 205 pounds this month as well. Blachowicz vs. Teixeira in October should be a barn-burner for the belt between two savvy veterans of the sport, and the always exciting Prochazka apparently has next.
HEAVYWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Francis Ngannou
IC. Ciryl Gane +3
2. Stipe Miocic -1
3. Derrick Lewis -1
4. Curtis Blaydes
5. Alexander Volkov
6. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
7. Augusto Sakai
8. Marcin Tybura
9. Alexandr Romanov
10. Chris Daukaus
11. Tom Aspinall
12. Shamil Abdurakhimov
13. Sergei Pavlovich
14. Walt Harris
15. Serghei Spivac
UFC rankings:
C: Francis Ngannou
IC. Ciryl Gane +3
2. Stipe Miocic -1
3. Derrick Lewis -1
4. Curtis Blaydes
5. Alexander Volkov
6. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
7. Shamil Abdurakhimov
8. Marcin Tybura
9. Augusto Sakai
10. Chris Daukaus
11. Walt Harris +1
12. Blagoy Ivanov -1
13. Tom Aspinall
14. Serghei Spivac
15. Sergei Pavlovich
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Gane looked absolutely sensational in his domination of Lewis, making his upcoming fight with Ngannou not just the next lamb to the slaughter, but the beginning of what could be the biggest – and best – HW rivalry of all time. If Jones comes over next year, start counting those pay per views now.
WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
dB rankings:
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Rose Namajunas
4. Weili Zhang
5. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
6. Germaine De Randamie
7. Holly Holm
8. Aspen Ladd
9. Jessica Andrade
10. Carla Esparza
11. Katlyn Chookagian
12. Lauren Murphy
13. Jennifer Maia
14. Cynthia Calvillo
15. Irene Aldana
UFC rankings:
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Rose Namajunas
4. Weili Zhang
5. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
6. Jessica Andrade
7. Germaine De Randamie
8. Holly Holm
9. Carla Esparza
10. Aspen Ladd
11. Katlyn Chookagian
12. Mackenzie Dern
13. Lauren Murphy
13. Xiaonan Yan +1
15. Julianna Pena
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: All women’s titles should be defended in the next few months, making this a good time for viewers.
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Rose Namajunas
1. Weili Zhang
2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
3. Carla Esparza
4. Marina Rodriguez
5. Amanda Ribas
6. Mackenzie Dern
7. Xiaonan Yan
8. Claudia Gadelha
9. Nina Nunes
10. Tecia Torres +1
11. Michelle Waterson -1
12. Amanda Lemos +2
13. Virna Jandiroba
14. Angela Hill -2
15. Brianna Van Buren
UFC rankings:
C: Rose Namajunas
1. Weili Zhang
2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
3. Carla Esparza
4. Xiaonan Yan
4. Mackenzie Dern +1
6. Marina Rodriguez
7. Nina Nunes
8. Claudia Gadelha
9. Tecia Torres +1
10. Michelle Waterson -1
11. Amanda Ribas
12. Virna Jandiroba +1
13. Amanda Lemos +1
14. Angela Hill -2
15. Felice Herrig
Out of dB/UFC rankings: None
X: Torres has won three straight after losing four in a row, a nice turnaround for the “Tiny Tornado,” although her level of competition might have something to do with that. As much as I can’t help rooting for her, Hill just can’t seem to pick up a big win at the right time. And keep your eye on Ribas and Lemos, who have great potential to work their way up the rankings.
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Valentina Shevchenko
1. Jessica Andrade
2. Katlyn Chookagian
3. Lauren Murphy
4. Jennifer Maia
5. Cynthia Calvillo
6. Joanne Calderwood
7. Jessica Eye
8. Viviane Araujo
9. Roxanne Modafferi
10. Alexa Grasso
11. Andrea Lee
12. Talia Santos
13. Maycee Barber *
14. Miranda Maverick
15. Sijara Eubanks *
UFC rankings:
C: Valentina Shevchenko
1. Jessica Andrade
2. Katlyn Chookagian
3. Lauren Murphy
4. Jennifer Maia
5. Cynthia Calvillo
6. Joanne Calderwood
7. Viviane Araujo
8. Jessica Eye
9. Roxanne Modafferi
10. Alexa Grasso
11. Andrea Lee
12. Talia Santos
13. Maycee Barber +1
14. Miranda Maverick -1
15. Montana De La Rosa
Out of dB rankings: Antonina Shevchenko, Tracy Cortez
Out of UFC rankings: None
X: Barber is back in the winning column, albeit in the most narrow fashion possible over Maverick. Meanwhile, Eubanks is where she belongs at 125 and looked fantastic back in the weight class.
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
dB rankings:
C: Amanda Nunes
1. Germaine de Randamie
2. Holly Holm
3. Aspen Ladd
4. Irene Aldana
5. Yana Kunitskaya
6. Ketlen Vieira
7. Julianna Pena
8. Miesha Tate *
9. Sara McMann -1
10. Lina Lansberg -1
11. Macy Chiasso -1
12. Julia Avila -1
13. Pannie Kianzad -1
14. Karol Rosa -1
15. Alexis Davis *
UFC rankings:
C: Amanda Nunes
1. Germaine de Randamie
2. Holly Holm
3. Aspen Ladd
4. Irene Aldana
5. Julianna Pena
6. Yana Kunitskaya
7. Ketlen Vieira
8. Miesha Tate *
9. Sara McMann -1
10. Macy Chiasson -1
11. Lina Lansberg -1
12. Pannie Kianzad -1
13. Julia Avila +1
14. Karol Rosa +1
15. Alexis Davis *
Out of dB/UFC rankings: Marion Reneau, who retired, and Eubanks, who moved to WFW.
X: Tate came back in a big way after almost four years by finishing the always tough Reneau. Suddenly, WBW looks exciting again, even with Nunes vs. Pena delayed due to COVID-19.
WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
C: Amanda Nunes
No divisional rankings.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING FIGHTS
Aug. 21 – UFC on ESPN 29
Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
Aug. 28 – UFC on ESPN 30
Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Viera
Kevin Lee vs. TBA (Sean Brady injured)
Sept. 4 – UFC Fight Night 191
Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
Paul Craig vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Sept. 18 – UFC Fight Night 192
Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
Racquel Pennington vs. Pannie Kianzad
Arman Tasarukyan vs. Christos Giagos
Sept. 25 – UFC 266
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega for FW title
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy for WFW title
Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz
Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili
The updated September rankings will be posted after UFC 266. Until then, enjoy the fights.
For comments, questions and suggestions, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit me up on Twitter @daviddbstroh.