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 (4)
- Junior dos Santos (5)
- Derrick Lewis (6)
- Alexander Volkov (7)
- Jair Rozenstruik (8)
- Alistair Overeem (9)
- Blagoy Ivanov (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Ryan Bader (2)
- Dominick Reyes (3)
- Thiago Santos (3)
- Anthony Smith (5)
- Jan Błachowicz (6)
- Corey Anderson (7)
- Glover Teixeira (8)
- Volkan Oezdemir (9)
- Vadim Nemkov (10 – tie)
Dropped from the rankings: Johnny Walker (10 – tie)
UFC on ESPN+ 28 did not go well for Brazil’s Johnny Walker. The No. 10-ranked fighter was neutralized by the wrestling-heavy attack of Nikita Krylov, who claimed a decision victory. Walker tumbles from the top 10 with the defeat.
- 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)
The main event of UFC 248 is not a fight that most will want to relive anytime soon, but nonetheless, top-ranked Israel Adesanya left the cage with UFC gold. Fourth-ranked Yoel Romero failed in his latest bid for the belt, but he keeps his spot in the rankings after the closely contested bout.
- Kamaru Usman (1)
- Tyron Woodley (2)
- Colby Covington (3)
- Jorge Masvidal (4)
- Leon Edwards (5)
- Gilbert Burns (-)
- Nate Diaz (6)
- Michael Chiesa (7)
- Douglas Lima (8)
- Stephen Thompson (9)
Dropped from the rankings: Demian Maia (10)
The co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 28 may have been a changing of the guard in the welterweight division, as Brazilian Gilbert Burns demolished former title challenger Demian Maia in the first round. The win vaults Burns into the No. 6 spot in the rankings, while Maia drops out of the top 10 with the defeat.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (1)
- Tony Ferguson (2)
- Dustin Poirier (3)
- Conor McGregor (4)
- Justin Gaethje (5)
- Dan Hooker (6)
- Paul Felder (7)
- Donald Cerrone (8)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (9)
- Edson Barboza (10)/Charles Oliveira (10)
Lightweight Charles Oliveira continued his path of destruction at UFC on ESPN+ 28, where he stopped former interim title challenger Kevin Lee via third-round guillotine choke. The win was Oliveiria’s seventh-straight stoppage, but he fails to move up the rankings in the sport’s most crowded 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.
- Deiveson Figueiredo (1)
- Joseph Benavidez (2)
- Alexandre Pantoja (4)
- Brandon Moreno (7)
- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva (3)
- John Moraga (5)
- Dustin Ortiz (6)
- Askar Askarov (8)
- Kai Kara-France (9)
- Hiromasa Ogikubo (10)
The flyweight division is still an enigma, as fighters in the top 10 jostle for position. UFC on ESPN+ 28 featured Mexico’s Brandon Moreno, who upended Brazil’s Jussier Formiga by narrow decision. Moreno climbs all the way to fourth with the win, with Formiga sliding to fifth in defeat.
- Jon Jones (1)
- Amanda Nunes (2)
- Henry Cejudo (3)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (4)
- Demetrious Johnson (5)
- Stipe Miocic (6)
- Valentina Shevchenko (7)
- Kamaru Usman (8)
- Daniel Cormier (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.