As MMA continues to grow its presence with the UFC, Bellator MMA, WSOF and ONE Championship, fighters are constantly jockeying for position in the eyes (and rankings) of the media.
Every week, Combat Press will rank each weight class from heavyweight to flyweight, as well as the pound-for-pound rankings (including all genders).
Note: the numbers in parentheses represent the fighter’s ranking from last week.
- Stipe Miocic (1)
- Fabricio Werdum (2)
- Cain Velasquez (3)
- Alistair Overeem (4)
- Junior dos Santos (5)
- Ben Rothwell (6)
- Josh Barnett (7)
- Mark Hunt (8)
- Travis Browne (9)
- Derrick Lewis (10)/Francis Ngannou (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Daniel Cormier (2)
- Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (3)
- Alexander Gustafsson (4)
- Phil Davis (5)
- Glover Teixeira (6)
- Ryan Bader (7)
- Jimi Manuwa (8)
- Liam McGeary (9)
- Corey Anderson (10)
Sixth-ranked Brazilian Glover Teixeira took care of business against unranked opponent Jared Cannonier at UFC 208, but the performance was lackluster at best. Teixeira cited a shoulder injury, as well as Cannonier’s toughness, for his inability to finish the fight.
- Michael Bisping (1)
- Yoel Romero (2)
- Luke Rockhold (3)
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (4)
- Chris Weidman (5)
- Lyoto Machida (6)
- Gegard Mousasi (7)
- Robert Whittaker (8)
- Anderson Silva (10)
- Derek Brunson (9)
The lone finish at UFC 208 came from fourth-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The Brazilian completely dominated Tim Boetsch, submitting him with a kimura in the first round. Souza will likely be next in line for the title after current titleholder Michael Bisping battles Yoel Romero. Meanwhile, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva tried to turn back the clock at UFC 208 against Derek Brunson in a strange, yet competitive fight. Brunson appeared to get the better of the clinch and wrestling, while Silva showcased his diverse arsenal at range. When the scorecards were read, it was Silva who left with the victory and the ninth spot in the rankings.
- Tyron Woodley (1)
- Stephen Thompson (2)
- Robbie Lawler (3)
- Demian Maia (4)
- Carlos Condit (5)
- Ben Askren (6)
- Rory MacDonald (7)
- Jorge Masvidal (8)
- Donald Cerrone (9)
- Dong Hyun Kim (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Conor McGregor (1)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (2)
- Tony Ferguson (3)
- Eddie Alvarez (4)
- Rafael dos Anjos (5)
- Edson Barboza (6)
- Nate Diaz (7)
- Justin Gaethje (8)
- Will Brooks (9)
- Michael Chandler (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- José Aldo (1)
- Max Holloway (3)
- Frankie Edgar (2)
- Chad Mendes (4)
- Ricardo Lamas (5)
- Cub Swanson (6)
- Anthony Pettis (7)
- Charles Oliveira (8)
- Chan Sung Jung (9)
- Daniel Straus (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Cody Garbrandt (1)
- Dominick Cruz (2)
- T.J. Dillashaw (3)
- Marlon Moraes (4)
- Bibiano Fernandes (5)
- John Lineker (6)
- Jimmie Rivera (7)
- Urijah Faber (8)
- Raphael Assuncao (9)
- Eduardo Dantas (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Joseph Benavidez (2)
- Henry Cejudo (3)
- Kyoji Horiguchi (4)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (5)
- Wilson Reis (6)
- Dustin Ortiz (7)
- Zach Makovsky (8)
- Tim Elliott (9)
- Matheus Nicolau (10)
UFC 208 featured one flyweight contest, in which sixth-ranked Wilson Reis took on Japan’s Ulka Sasaki. Sasaki did well on the feet thanks to his significant reach advantage, but Reis took him to the mat at will and gave fans a glimpse of his world-class grappling skills. Reis could not put away Sasaki, but the win kept him firmly planted in the top 10.
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Jon Jones (2)
- Daniel Cormier (3)
- Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (4)
- Conor McGregor (5)
- Joanna Jędrzejczyk (6)
- Stipe Miocic (7)
- José Aldo (8)
- Amanda Nunes (9)
- Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action this week, so the rankings remain unchanged.
Editor’s Note: Fighters are eligible to be ranked if they have competed in the last 18 months. Any fighter that chooses to switch weight classes will be ranked in their previous weight class until they have competed in their new division.