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.
- Daniel Cormier (1)
- Stipe Miocic (2)
- Alexander Volkov (3)
- Curtis Blaydes (4)
- Derrick Lewis (5)
- Francis Ngannou (6)
- Alistair Overeem (7)
- Fabricio Werdum (8)
- Junior dos Santos (9)
- Mark Hunt (10)/Vitaly Minakov (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Daniel Cormier (1)
- Alexander Gustafsson (2)
- Ryan Bader (3)
- Phil Davis (4)
- Volkan Oezdemir (5)
- Corey Anderson (6)
- Ilir Latifi (7)
- Glover Teixeira (8)
- Anthony Smith (9)
- Dominick Reyes (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Georges St-Pierre (1)
- Robert Whittaker (2)
- Yoel Romero (3)
- Luke Rockhold (4)
- Gegard Mousasi (5)
- Chris Weidman (6)
- Kelvin Gastelum (7)
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (8)
- Israel Adesanya (9)
- Derek Brunson (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Tyron Woodley (1)
- Colby Covington (2)
- Stephen Thompson (3)
- Rafael dos Anjos (4)
- Robbie Lawler (5)
- Darren Till (6)
- Rory MacDonald (7)
- Kamaru Usman (8)
- Jorge Masvidal (9)
- Demian Maia (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Tony Ferguson (1)/Khabib Nurmagomedov (1)
- Dustin Poirier (2)
- Eddie Alvarez (3)
- Kevin Lee (4)
- Justin Gaethje (5)
- Edson Barboza (6)
- Anthony Pettis (7)
- Brent Primus (8)
- Al Iaquinta (9)
- Michael Chandler (10 – tie)
Dropped from the rankings: James Vick (10 – tie)
The month of August was a busy one for the lighter weight classes. Former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje proved to James Vick why he’s more than just a “B-league fighter” with a vicious, first-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 135. The embarrassing loss by Vick sends him tumbling out of the top 10, while Gaethje remains firmly planted in the top five following his second UFC victory.
- Max Holloway (1)
- José Aldo (2)
- Brian Ortega (3)
- Bibiano Fernandes (4)
- Frankie Edgar (5)
- Chad Mendes (6)
- Renato Moicano (10 – tie)
- Jeremy Stephens (7)
- Josh Emmett (8)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (10 – tie)
Dropped from the rankings: Cub Swanson (9)
The biggest move in the featherweight rankings came as a result of UFC 227, where Brazilian Renato Moicano steamrolled veteran Cub Swanson. Moicano submitted Swanson inside the first round. The loss drops Swanson from the top 10 altogether. Moicano, meanwhile, climbs into the seventh spot with the dominant win.
- T.J. Dillashaw (1)
- Cody Garbrandt (2)
- Dominick Cruz (3)
- John Lineker (4)
- Raphael Assunção (5)
- Marlon Moraes (6)
- Jimmie Rivera (7)
- John Dodson (8)
- Darrion Caldwell (9)
- Kyoji Horiguchi (10)
If there was any doubt as to who the best bantamweight in the world is, that doubt was erased at UFC 227. T.J. Dillashaw demolished Cody Garbrandt for a second time, this time doing so inside the first round. Dillashaw retains his No. 1 ranking with the decisive knockout triumph, but Garbrandt holds firm in the No. 2 spot as well. Bellator champion Darrion Caldwell was also in action this month, but his outing took place in the featherweight division. Caldwell topped UFC veteran Noah Lohat at Bellator 204.
- Henry Cejudo (4)
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Sergio Pettis (2)
- Joseph Benavidez (3)
- Ray Borg (5)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (6)
- Deiveson Figueiredo (-)
- John Moraga (7)
- Wilson Reis (8)
- Dustin Ortiz (9)
Dropped from the rankings: Alexandre Pantoja (10)
The biggest upset of the month and well, the last few years, took place at UFC 227. Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo managed to do just enough to wrestle the belt away from the sport’s long-running pound-for-pound king, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. The result was controversial, with not only the judges being split on the verdict, but the media as well. Nevertheless, Cejudo takes over the top spot in the rankings, pushing Johnson to second. Also impacting the rankings this month was the UFC Fight Night 135 match-up between Deiveson Figueiredo and former title challenger John Moraga. Figueiredo pounded out Moraga in the second round to earn the seventh spot in the rankings. His inclusion forces his countryman Alexandre Pantoja out of the top 10.
- Daniel Cormier (2)
- Georges St-Pierre (3)
- Demetrious Johnson (1)
- Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (4)
- Max Holloway (5)
- T.J. Dillashaw (6)
- Henry Cejudo (-)
- Amanda Nunes (7)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (10)
- Tyron Woodley (8)
Dropped from the rankings: Rose Namajunas (9)
Cejudo’s split-decision victory over Johnson sends the pound-for-pound rankings into total chaos. The loss for Johnson causes him to slide to third, behind Daniel Cormier and Georges St-Pierre. Cejudo enters the top 10 for the first time at seventh. Johnson’s body of work, including a record number of title defenses, keeps him above the current UFC flyweight champion. The result had other effects to the rankings, though. Johnson’s downward shuffle and Cejudo’s entrance combine to push women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas just to the outside, looking in.
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.