In the world of mixed martial arts, the UFC Men's Pound-for-Pound rankings serve as a testament to the sport's elite athletes. These rankings transcend weight classes, showcasing the most dominant and skilled fighters in the Octagon. As fighters rise through the ranks, claiming titles and achieving remarkable feats, the P4P rankings offer a dynamic reflection of their prowess. Join us as we delve into the latest edition of the UFC Men's Pound-for-Pound rankings, analyzing the top contenders, recent performances, and the ever-evolving landscape of MMA excellence.
1. Kamaru Usman (20-1)
There is too much to say about Kamaru Usman. This man has dominated everyone he has faced in the UFC, a 15 fight win streak. I don’t know who will dethrone Usman, maybe Khamzat Chimaev? Usman recently defended his belt against Colby Covington in convincing fashion. Next up for Usman according to Dana White? Leon Edwards. That shall be interesting.
2. Israel Adesanya (21-1)
The Last Stylebender has yet to lose in the Middleweight division, his lone defeat coming to Jan Blachowicz in the Light Heavyweight division. Izzy has his toughest test yet on Feb. 12th, a rematch against Robert Whittaker. Whittaker’s only loss in the Middleweight division came at the hands of Adesanya in October of 2019. I’m very intrigued by the matchup because Whittaker did not try to wrestle one time in their first fight. The rematch should be very different but I am leaning toward Adesanya to win again.
3. Francis Ngannou (17-3)
Ngannou’s recent decision victory over Ciryl Gane was more than impressive. After losing the first 2 rounds, Ngannou completely flipped the switch and showed us his wrestling. Man, oh man I was not expecting to see how impressive Ngannou’s wrestling and ground game looked. We had never seen that before from Ngannou and it showed how hard he has worked to better himself. He truly is the Baddest Man on the Planet right now.
4. Alexander Volkanovski (23-1)
Alexander The Great was originally scheduled to fight Max Holloway for a third time but due to injury Holloway had to pull out. Taking Holloway’s place in the title fight against Volk is the Korean Zombie. Well-deserved title shot for the Zombie and an intriguing matchup indeed. Volkanovski’s last fight was a legendary decision win over Brian Ortega.
5. Charles Oliveira (32-8)
“Do Bronx” really proved his doubters wrong in his last fight, a submission victory over Dustin Poirier. Poirier was the favorite heading into that fight, many of us overlooked Oliveira including Vegas. Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history and doesn’t look like he will be losing any time soon. “Do Bronx” is getting better each fight he has, next up for him is Justin Gaethje in May.
6. Petr Yan (16-2)
Yan’s last fight in October of 2021 was originally scheduled to be a rematch with Aljamain Sterling but Sterling pulled out due to injury. Cory Sandhagen filled in for Sterling and that fight produced fireworks. In most MMA fans opinions, that was the real Title fight not the interim. Yan’s unanimous decision victory over Sandhagen proved that he real champ, not Sterling. Come March 5th, Yan will prove that again.
7. Max Holloway (23-6)
“Blessed” has to remain in the Top 10 P4P list. He has ruled the featherweight division for years and years, his lone losses coming both to Alexander Volkanovski. You can argue he won the second fight because most people would agree, even Dana White. His most recent fight was a war against Yair Rodriguez in which he came out victorious. Max will most likely fight the winner of Volkanovski-Korean Zombie.
8. Robert Whittaker (23-5)
The Reaper hasn’t lost a fight since 2014 to anyone NOT named Israel Adesanya. After his KO loss to Izzy, Whittaker went on to defeat Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. A 3-fight win streak like that automatically puts you back into Title contention. Whittaker has worked his way back up for a rematch against Adesanya next weekend and I can’t wait to see how that goes down!
9. Glover Teixeira (33-7)
With a submission victory over Jan Blachowicz in October 2021, Teixeira became the oldest champion in UFC history. He also won the belt for the first time in his storied career, which makes it even more bittersweet. Glover has looked great at age 41 both on his feet and on the ground. The Champ’s next battle will be a very tough test against a wild and unpredictable Jiri Prochazka.
10. Dustin Poirier (28-7)
“The Diamond” failed in another bid to secure a Lightweight Championship by getting choked out by Charles Oliveira, similar to the way Dustin lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Poirier looked great on his feet but the submission king (Oliveira) found his positioning and didn’t let go. Poirier likely will have a long road back to be in the title picture, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he does a few money fights then retires. Such as a fight against Nate Diaz and/or a fourth fight with Conor McGregor.
Commentaires