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)
- Francis Ngannou (3)
- Junior dos Santos (4)
- Derrick Lewis (5)
- Curtis Blaydes (6)
- Alistair Overeem (7)
- Alexander Volkov (8)
- Blagoy Ivanov (10)
- Ryan Bader (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Aleksei Oleinik (9)
The UFC on ESPN 4 co-main event featured one of the quickest finishes in UFC history, as heavyweight Walt Harris put away ninth-ranked Aleksei Oleinik in just 12 seconds. The loss sends Oleinik tumbling from the top 10. This opens the door for Bellator heavyweight tournament winner Ryan Bader to sneak into the top 10.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Ryan Bader (2)
- Thiago Santos (3)
- Anthony Smith (4)
- Alexander Gustafsson (5)
- Dominick Reyes (6)
- Corey Anderson (7)
- Glover Teixeira (8)
- Johnny Walker (9)/Jan Blachowicz (-)
- Aleksandar Rakić (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Volkan Oezdemir (9)
UFC 239 nearly sent the light heavyweight division into chaos. Top-ranked Jon Jones squeaked past a one-legged Thiago Santos to retain his belt via split decision after five rounds. Jones remains atop the rankings, and the Brazilian Santos stays at No. 3 despite the defeat. At the same event, Poland’s Jan Blachowicz worked his way back into the top 10 with a brutal knockout of former middleweight titleholder Luke Rockhold. Blachowicz moves into a tie for ninth, pushing Volkan Oezdemir from the rankings.
- Robert Whittaker (1)
- Israel Adesanya (2)
- Yoel Romero (3)
- Luke Rockhold (4)
- Kelvin Gastelum (5)
- Jack Hermansson (6)
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (7)
- Rafael Lovato Jr. (8)
- Gegard Mousasi (9)
- Chris Weidman (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Kamaru Usman (1)
- Tyron Woodley (2)
- Colby Covington (3)
- Jorge Masvidal (-)
- Leon Edwards (-)
- Rafael dos Anjos (5)
- Anthony Pettis (7)
- Stephen Thompson (8)
- Ben Askren (4)
- Robbie Lawler (6)
Dropped from the rankings: Rory MacDonald (9), Demian Maia (10)
The month of July completely turned the welterweight division upside down. First, Jorge Masvidal scored the fastest knockout in UFC history, demolishing Ben Askren in five seconds at UFC 239. Masvidal skyrockets into the fourth spot in the rankings with the violent display, while Askren falls all the way to ninth. Then, at UFC on ESPN 4, Britain’s Leon Edwards continued his ascension through the division by dominating former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos en route to a unanimous decision. Edwards claims the fifth spot with the victory. The inclusion of Masvidal and Edwards has pushed two very deserving fighters in Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia from the rankings.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (1)
- Tony Ferguson (2)
- Conor McGregor (3)
- Dustin Poirier (4)
- Justin Gaethje (5)
- Donald Cerrone (6)
- Al Iaquinta (7)
- Edson Barboza (8)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (9)
- Paul Felder (10)/Michael Chandler (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Max Holloway (1)
- Alex Volkanovski (2)
- José Aldo (3)
- Brian Ortega (4)
- Frankie Edgar (5)
- Zabit Magomedsharipov (6)
- Chan Sung Jung (7)
- Renato Moicano (8)
- Jeremy Stephens (9)
- Josh Emmett (10)/Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (10)
If there were any doubts about UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway after his failed bid for lightweight gold, they were quickly erased at UFC 240. The Hawaiian thoroughly beat former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to re-establish his dominance at 145 pounds. Holloway still sits atop the division, while Edgar remains at No. 5. Also in the cage during July was 10th-ranked Josh Emmett, who dispatched Mirsad Bektic in the first round at UFC on ESPN+ 13.
- Henry Cejudo (-)
- Marlon Moraes (2)
- Raphael Assunção (3)
- Demetrious Johnson (4)
- Kyoji Horiguchi (5)
- Aljamain Sterling (6)
- Pedro Munhoz (7)
- Cory Sandhagen (8)
- Petr Yan (9)
- Cody Garbrandt (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Henry Cejudo (1)
- Joseph Benavidez (2)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (3)
- Sergio Pettis (4)
- Deiveson Figueiredo (5)
- Alexandre Pantoja (6)
- John Moraga (7)
- Wilson Reis (8)
- Dustin Ortiz (9)
- Brandon Moreno (10)
The UFC’s flyweight division is far from dead. UFC 240 showcased two of the division’s best. Brazilians Deiveson Figueiredo and Alexandre Pantoja earned “Fight of the Night” honors after a three-round war. Figueiredo’s decision victory keeps both fighters in their respective spots in the top 10.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Daniel Cormier (2)
- Amanda Nunes (5)
- Henry Cejudo (3)
- Max Holloway (6)
- Demetrious Johnson (4)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (7)
- Kamaru Usman (8)/Valentina Shevchenko (10 – tie)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (9)
- Jessica Andrade (10 – tie)
A busy July certainly had its impact on the pound-for-pound rankings. Jon Jones remains at No. 1 despite a narrow victory over Thiago Santos at UFC 239. The same event produced another victory for Amanda Nunes, who put away former champion Holly Holm with a nasty head kick in the first round. The victory vaults Nunes to No. 3 in the rankings. Max Holloway’s title defense at UFC 240 results in the Hawaiian moving into fifth. The shuffling had a ripple effect on the bottom portion of the division, where women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko moves out of a tie for 10th and into one for eighth.
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.