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)
- Daniel Cormier (2)
- Francis Ngannou (3)
- Curtis Blaydes (6)
- Junior dos Santos (4)
- Derrick Lewis (5)
- Alexander Volkov (7)
- Jair Rozenstruik (8)
- Alistair Overeem (9)
- Blagoy Ivanov (10)
UFC on ESPN+ 24 featured sixth-ranked Curtis Blaydes against former champion Junior dos Santos in the main event. Blaydes put away the Brazilian with a second-round TKO. The Denver-based fighter climbs to fourth in the rankings, pushing dos Santos to fifth.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Ryan Bader (2)
- Thiago Santos (3)
- Anthony Smith (4)
- Dominick Reyes (5)
- Corey Anderson (6)
- Jan Błachowicz (7)
- Glover Teixeira (8)
- Volkan Oezdemir (9)
- Johnny Walker (10)/Vadim Nemkov (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Israel Adesanya (1)
- Robert Whittaker (2)
- Paulo Costa (3)
- Yoel Romero (4)
- Darren Till (5)
- Kelvin Gastelum (6)
- Jared Cannonier (7)
- Rafael Lovato Jr. (8)
- Jack Hermansson (9)
- Gegard Mousasi (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Kamaru Usman (1)
- Tyron Woodley (2)
- Colby Covington (3)
- Jorge Masvidal (4)
- Leon Edwards (5)
- Nate Diaz (6)
- Michael Chiesa (-)
- Douglas Lima (8)
- Stephen Thompson (9)
- Demian Maia (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Anthony Pettis (7), Rafael dos Anjos (8)
The welterweight division featured plenty of action in January. At UFC 246, former lightweight champion Conor McGregor was in action against another usual 155-pounder in Donald Cerrone. McGregor demolished Cerrone in less than a minute. However, with the uncertainty about which division the Irishman will fight in next, he remains unranked at 170 pounds. At the same event, seventh-ranked Anthony Pettis returned to lightweight and was submitted by Diego Ferreira. The loss, coupled with his return to 155 pounds, sends Pettis tumbling from the top 10. Speaking of former lightweights, UFC on ESPN+ 24 featured a match-up between Michael Chiesa and former titleholder Rafael dos Anjos. Chiesa was able to defeat the Brazilian and vault into the No. 7 spot in the rankings. Dos Anjos, meanwhile, falls out of the top 10 entirely.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (1)
- Tony Ferguson (2)
- Dustin Poirier (3)
- Conor McGregor (4)
- Justin Gaethje (5)
- Donald Cerrone (6)
- Paul Felder (7)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (8)
- Edson Barboza (9)
- Dan Hooker (10)/Charles Oliveira (10)
As mentioned above, UFC 246 featured both fourth-ranked Conor McGregor and sixth-ranked Donald Cerrone in the Octagon, but the bout took place at welterweight. As such, the result has no impact on either fighter’s ranking in the lightweight division.
- Alex Volkanovski (1)
- Max Holloway (2)
- Brian Ortega (3)
- Zabit Magomedsharipov (4)
- Chan Sung Jung (5)
- Frankie Edgar (6)
- Yair Rodriguez (7)
- Renato Moicano (8)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (9)
- Bibiano Fernandes (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Henry Cejudo (1)
- Marlon Moraes (2)
- Demetrious Johnson (3)
- José Aldo (4)
- Cory Sandhagen (5)
- Raphael Assunção (6)
- Aljamain Sterling (7)
- Petr Yan (8)
- Pedro Munhoz (9)
- Cody Garbrandt (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Henry Cejudo (1)
- Joseph Benavidez (2)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (3)
- Deiveson Figueiredo (5)
- Alexandre Pantoja (6)
- John Moraga (7)
- Dustin Ortiz (8)
- Brandon Moreno (9)
- Askar Askarov (-)
- Rogério Bontorin (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Sergio Pettis (4), Wilson Reis (10)
Bellator 238 featured the promotional debut of former UFC combatant Sergio Pettis, who quickly dispatched of Alfred Khashakyan by guillotine choke in the fight’s first round. The younger Pettis returned to bantamweight in the bout and therefore falls out of the flyweight rankings. The shuffle also pushes former title challenger Wilson Reis out of the top 10, opening the door for both Askar Askarov and Rogério Bontorin to enter the top 10 for the first time.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Amanda Nunes (2)
- Henry Cejudo (3)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (4)
- Demetrious Johnson (5)
- Stipe Miocic (6)
- Daniel Cormier (7)
- Kamaru Usman (8)
- Valentina Shevchenko (9)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, 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 twice in their new division. Fighters who announce their retirement will remain ranked for a period of six months following their final bout.