In the fast-paced world of mixed martial arts, the UFC Men's Pound-for-Pound rankings serve as a barometer of excellence, highlighting the most formidable fighters across all weight classes. As athletes continuously push the boundaries of skill and athleticism, the competition for the top spot intensifies. From dominant champions defending their titles to rising stars making their mark, the landscape of the UFC's P4P rankings is ever-evolving. Join us as we dissect the latest rankings, analyze the standout performances, and explore the narratives shaping the world of UFC.
1. Kamaru Usman (20-1)
After Usman defeated #1 contender and rival Colby Covington for a second time this past Saturday at the Madison Square Garden. Usman has shown improvements every fight in his career since his only defeat back in 2013. Usman is on an 18-fight win streak, 15 straight in the UFC (15-0) and has never really come close to being defeated. Usman has now defended his Welterweight championship five times since taking the belt from Tyron Woodley in March of 2019. Those victories are over Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), and Gilbert Burns. Dana White has said that Usman is on his way to becoming the GOAT of the UFC, and I agree.
2. Israel Adesanya (21-1)
Adesanya has wiped out the entire Middleweight division, similar to the way Usman has. Adesanya’s first career loss came when he attempted to fight at Light Heavyweight, which may not be his best weight class to fight in. Adesanya recently dominated Marvin Vettori in their highly anticipated rematch, squashing any doubt to who the better fighter is. Now, Izzy has perhaps his toughest fight in his Middleweight career coming up in January. A rematch against Robert Whittaker. Whittaker has had no problems against anyone in the Middleweight division, besides Adesanya. Sign me up for the rematch.
3. Alexander Volkanovski (23-1)
Volkanovski’s most recent title defense against Brian Ortega proved to quiet all of his doubters. Volk fought through a lot of close calls in his bout against Ortega to win, and really cemented himself as the king of the featherweight division. Volk has defeated Jose Aldo, Darren Elkins, Chad Mendes, Holloway (twice), and Brian Ortega. Alexander “The Great” has yet to lose in the UFC, an impressive 10-0. Volk is the clear-cut king at 145.
4. Francis Ngannou (16-3)
Ngannou is possibly the scariest man on the face of the earth. Ngannou has been on a tear ever since his loss to Derrick Lewis, Ngannou has won 5 in a row, all by KO. The predator’s improvement in his game from the first fight against Stipe Miocic (U. Dec loss) to his rematch against Stipe three years later is quite impressive. Francis showed significant strides in his ground game, and how patient he was, making him even more scary and well-rounded. One thing Francis has not shown is his gas tank and how he can fight in deep waters, it is hard to put Francis Ngannou in deep waters but if anyone could do it, it would be his next opponent. Undefeated, interm champ, the Frenchman, Ciryl Gane. We are in for a treat in January.
5. Dustin Poirier (28-6)
The Diamond has defeated just about every household named lightweight in the division. Two wins over Conor McGregor, victories over Dan Hooker, Max Holloway twice, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, and Anthony Pettis. Poirier’s only defeat since losing to McGregor in 2014 is to Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Diamond must now defeat Charles Oliveira in December to finally become the lightweight king.
6. Charles Oliveira (31-8)
Charles Oliveira has finally blossomed into the champion we all thought he would eventually become, ten years ago. Oliveira first stepped into the UFC octagon in 2011, hit some bumps in the road, pulling off some victories before really finding his groove with nine straight victories. Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history, including his most recent KO/TKO of Michael Chandler to earn the belt. Next, is the Diamond. Perhaps Oliveira’s toughest matchup of his career. Will Poirier add another historic win to his resume or will “Do Bronx” defend his belt? Tune in, December 11th.
7. Petr Yan (16-2)
We all know, including UFC fighters, that Petr Yan is the Bantamweight champion of the world, not Aljamain Sterling. Yan was punishing Sterling until he made a dumb and costly mistake in the 4th round by illegally kneeing Sterling in the head which resulted in a DQ loss. Sterling has flaunted as if he won the belt by defeating Yan, which has not sat well within the MMA community. Yan recently defeated top contender Cory Sandhagen in thrilling fight where Yan began to pull away and establish himself in the championship rounds. The Yan-Sterling rematch will be quite intense, whenever that happens.
8. Max Holloway (22-6)
Holloway’s most recent fight against Calvin Kattar was a boxing clinic in one of the most dominant 5 round performances we’ve seen in UFC history. Holloway set the record for most significant strikes in a UFC fight with 445, mind blowing. The previous record was 290 significant strikes landed, previously held by the one and only Max Holloway. Max destroyed Kattar for 25 minutes and probably took some years off of his career. Holloway has a bout on Nov. 13th against Yair Rodriguez, with the winner most likely getting a crack at champion Alex Volkanovski.
9. Robert Whittaker (23-5)
Since the KO loss to Adesanya in October of 2019, Whittaker has racked up three straight victories over elite competition in Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker arguably has the most well rounded game in the Middleweight division and hasn’t lost at 185 to anyone besides Adesanya, which sets for a highly anticipated rematch.
10. Brandon Moreno (19-5-2)
Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history with his submission victory over the dominant Deiveson Figueiredo this past June. Figueiredo had dominated most of his opponents in the flyweight division until he ran into Brandon Moreno. The pair fought to a draw in their first fight, then Moreno secured the victory in the rematch. Next is a trilogy bout at UFC 270 on January 22nd.
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