As MMA continues to grow its presence with the UFC, Bellator MMA, KSW, PFL and ONE Championship, fighters are constantly jockeying for position in the eyes (and rankings) of the media.
Every month, 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 the previous rankings.
- Stipe Miocic (1)
- Francis Ngannou (2)
- Alistair Overeem (3)
- Alexander Volkov (6)
- Fabricio Werdum (4)
- Junior dos Santos (5)
- Curtis Blaydes (7)
- Mark Hunt (8)
- Derrick Lewis (9)
- Vitaly Minakov (10)
Former Bellator MMA champion Alexander Volkov continued his march toward the UFC title. The Russian stopped former champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC Fight Night 127 in London. The victory moves Volkov into the No. 4 spot in the rankings.
- Daniel Cormier (1)
- Alexander Gustafsson (2)
- Ryan Bader (3)
- Phil Davis (4)
- Glover Teixeira (5)
- Volkan Oezdemir (6)
- Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (7)
- Jan Błachowicz (-)
- Ilir Latifi (9)
- Jimi Manuwa (8)
Dropped from the rankings: Ovince Saint Preux (10)
UFC Fight Night 127 in London featured a light heavyweight rematch between Jan Błachowicz and Jimi Manuwa. Błachowicz exacted revenge on the Brit and climbs into the eighth spot in the top 10. Manuwa slides to No. 10, pushing Ovince Saint Preux out of the rankings.
- Georges St-Pierre (1)
- Robert Whittaker (2)
- Yoel Romero (3)
- Luke Rockhold (4)
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (5)
- Gegard Mousasi (6)
- Chris Weidman (7)
- Kelvin Gastelum (8)
- Michael Bisping (9)
- Ben Askren (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Tyron Woodley (1)
- Stephen Thompson (2)
- Rafael dos Anjos (3)
- Colby Covington (4)
- Demian Maia (5)
- Robbie Lawler (6)
- Rory MacDonald (7)
- Jorge Masvidal (8)
- Kamaru Usman (9 )
- Santiago Ponzinibbio (10)/Douglas Lima (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Conor McGregor (1)
- Tony Ferguson (2)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (3)
- Eddie Alvarez (4)
- Justin Gaethje (5)
- Edson Barboza (6)
- Dustin Poirier (7)
- Kevin Lee (8)
- Al Iaquinta (9)
- Brent Primus (10)/James Vick (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Max Holloway (1)
- José Aldo (2)
- Brian Ortega (5)
- Bibiano Fernandes (4)
- Frankie Edgar (3)
- Cub Swanson (6)
- Jeremy Stephens (7)
- Josh Emmett (8)
- Ricardo Lamas (9)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (10)
UFC 222 featured one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, as undefeated Brian Ortega became the first fighter to finish former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Ortega and Edgar swap the third and fifth positions with the unexpected outcome. Also in action last month was ONE Championship titleholder Bibiano Fernandes, who edged Martin Nguyen by split decision and remains at No. 4.
- T.J. Dillashaw (1)
- Cody Garbrandt (2)
- Dominick Cruz (3)
- Raphael Assunção (4)
- John Lineker (5)
- Marlon Moraes (6)
- Jimmie Rivera (7)
- John Dodson (8)
- Darrion Caldwell (10)
- Cody Stamann (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Bryan Caraway (9)
March was a busy month for the bottom half of the bantamweight division. At UFC 222, No. 8-ranked John Dodson eked out a decision win over Pedro Munhoz, while Cody Stamann stole victory from Bryan Caraway. Stamann jumps into the top 10, pushing Caraway out. Bellator MMA champion Darrion Caldwell moves up to ninth this month after his first-round submission victory over Leandro Higo at Bellator 195.
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Joseph Benavidez (2)
- Henry Cejudo (3)
- Kyoji Horiguchi (4)
- Ray Borg (5)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (6)
- Sergio Pettis (7)
- Wilson Reis (8)
- Brandon Moreno (9)
- Dustin Ortiz (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Georges St-Pierre (2)
- Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (3)
- Daniel Cormier (4)
- Conor McGregor (5)
- Stipe Miocic (6)
- Max Holloway (7)
- T.J. Dillashaw (8)
- Amanda Nunes (9)
- Tyron Woodley (10)
UFC women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino needed less than a round to dispatch of challenger Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222. The win keeps the Brazilian firmly planted in the third spot in the rankings.
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 twice in their new division. Fighters who announce their retirement will remain ranked for a period of six months following their final bout.