The men’s UFC pound for pound rankings is the cream of the crop when it comes to MMA top-10 lists. It is a rundown of the very best fighters on planet Earth today and it features the competitors who best mix power, speed, athleticism, and fight IQ into an absolutely destructive cage fighting force.
It’s also a list that is heavily debated and as subjective a topic as there is in the MMA community. With that said, here are the latest Sportsnaut men’s UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
10. Charles Oliveira (34-9)
Charles Oliveira was dominantly defeated by Islam Makhachev in 2022 but he remained one of the best fighters on the planet. While he did not get an immediate rematch, he proved his place as one of the 155-pound division’s elite when he easily dispatched contender Beniel Dariush at UFC 298.
However, his spot near the top of the division came into question at UFC 300 when he was unable to defeat fast-rising lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.
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9. Max Holloway (26-7)
Max Holloway will go down as one of the great UFC featherweights of all time. His victories over fighters like Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar solidified that fact. However, he elevated himself to a new level when he stepped out of the division at UFC 300 and took the BMF title off Justin Gaethje in a destructive fashion. A 145-pound title fight is likely in “Blessed’s” future.
8. Israel Adesanya (24-3)
Israel Adesanya is not only one of the best UFC middleweights ever, but when all is said and done, he will be viewed as one of the greatest to ever compete in the Octagon in general. However, his case to be called the greatest 185-pounder of all time was effectively closed with his shocking loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Nevertheless, he is still viewed as an elite fighter in the sport today.
7. Sean O’Malley (18-1-1)
Sean O’Malley has been a divisive talent in the UFC since he first entered the company. Many have questioned his rise by claiming he received favorable matchups and avoided certain competition. Nevertheless, “Sugar” worked his way up to a title fight and took home the gold. He is a pressure player who rises to the occasion and is one of the best snipers in the business.
He showed that again at UFC 299 when he was able to pummel uber-tough challenger Marlon Vera for five straight rounds in their main event title fight.
6. Alexander Volkanovski (26-4)
Featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski is one of the most complete fighters in the sport. There is little he can’t do in the cage, and he has the fight IQ to back it up. However, being a champion at lightweight is not a goal he will achieve during his career after falling to lightweight king Islam Makhachev in two opportunities.
He is also no longer the king at featherweight and is no longer among the three best fighters in the world. Nevertheless, he is still a must-have on any UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
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5. Ilia Topuria (15-0)
After five straight wins to start his UFC career, Ilia Topuria became one of the new rising stars at 145 pounds. Then big wins over Bryce Mitchell and former interim championship challenger Josh Emmett cemented his place as not just an impressive talent but a true world title contender. Now he can be called champion after toppling featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski to kick off his 2024 schedule.
4. Alexandre Pantoja (21-5)
Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja has had a long hard road to becoming the new UFC flyweight king. He has toiled away inside the division for five years before he was finally able to earn a title fight at UFC 290. In his first chance at being champion, he made good by scoring a second (third unofficial) win over division king Brandon Moreno. In his first defense of his thrown, he took part in another rematch — this time against Brandon Royval — and again proved he was the better man and still the best 125-pound fighter on the planet.
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3. Alex Pereira (11-2)
Alex Pereira’s UFC story is becoming legendary. After just nine fights he has become a two-division champion and has scored destructive wins over some of the best fighters of this era at middleweight and light heavyweight. While he is 36 years old, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and could eventually make the jump to heavyweight after another dominant title defense at UFC 303 in June.
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2. Leon Edwards (22-3)
The UFC has its second-ever champion who fights out of the UK and the first Jamaican-born titlist. Edwards shook up the MMA world with his last-minute knockout of the best fighter of his generation, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 278.
At UFC 286 he got a chance to prove his win wasn’t a fluke after being beaten in most of the previous seven rounds the duo had. And he did exactly that with an improved wrestling game, smart strategy, and a well-placed cage grab to win the rematch. In his most recent defense, Edwards again showed he is a complete package when he definitively turned away the challenge of former interim champ and two-time title challenger Colby Covington.
1. Islam Makhachev (26-1)
Many doubted how good Islam Makhachev truly was, and there were some doubters of whether he deserved a lightweight title opportunity against Charles Oliveira. However, he proved he truly is the heir apparent to lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 280 when he submitted Oliveira. The man with the most submissions in UFC history.
Since then he has only grown his legend and place among the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. In his first three title defenses, he took on the challenge of featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski, and most recently Dustin Poirier, and has shown the complete and near-unbeatable fighter he currently is.
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