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UFC Heavyweight rankings: Curtis Blaydes jumps Jailton Almeida after UFC 299 win

ufc heavyweight rankings
RankFighterRecordLast 3 Results
#1Tom Aspinall14-3W-W-L
#2Jon Jones27-1W-W-W
#3Ciryl Gane12-2W-L-W
#4Sergei Pavlovich18-2L-W-W
#5Curtis Blaydes201-3W-L-W
#6Alexander Volkov37-10W-W-W
#7Jailton Almeida20-3L-W-W
#8Sergey Spivak16-4L-W-W
#9Marcin Tybura24-8L-W-W
#10Jairzinho Rozenstruik14-5W-L-W

The UFC heavyweight rankings are one of the most popular lists in the sport. Despite the big guys not being the quickest and most technical, the weight class remains a favorite because of the consistent knockouts that come from the most powerful fighters in the sport. However, unlike generations past, the current crop of elite heavyweights are some of the most talented that the industry has ever seen.

Related: UFC Tonight – Fight card, betting odds, and watch times for the next UFC event

With that in mind, let’s take a look at where the best of the best land in the official Sportsnaut.com UFC heavyweight rankings.

10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (14-5)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has had his ups and downs in the UFC but he has remained in or around the top 10 of the division because his five losses in the UFC have come to some of the best fighters in the weight class over the last decade. In March he again proved his value when he definitively won a main event opportunity against rising star Shamil Gaziev.

He jumps back into our top 10 after taking Stipe Miocic’s due to the former heavyweight king’s continued inactivity.

9. Marcin Tybura (24-8)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Since 2020, Marcin Tybura has quietly been one of the better heavyweights on the planet. After losing four of five, he bounced back and got better as a competitor by winning seven of his next eight and becoming a legitimate top-10 fighter.

Related: Sean O’Malley next fight – Who will “Suga” face in his UFC return?

Unfortunately, he was hit with a major setback when he lost to top-five talent Tom Aspinall. Nevertheless, he remains a tough out for any fighter that faces him in the division.

8. Sergey Spivak (16-4)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

After losing two of his first three in the organization, Sergey Spivak has rounded into a very talented competitor in the UFC heavyweight division. Scoring notable wins over battle-tested veterans like Augusto Sakai and Alexey Oleynik during a run of five victories in six bouts.

The Moldovan extended that streak at UFC Vegas 68 with the biggest win of his career when he completely manhandled Derrick Lewis with his wrestling and made the former title challenger tap in the opening round. It proved that the “Polar Bear” is a serious talent and only getting better.

He received the biggest opportunity of his career with a main event matchup against Ciryl Gane in France. Unfortunately, he was unable to overcome the elite talent of the Frenchman and saw his win streak end in September.

7. Jailton Almeida (20-3)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Jailton Almeida seemed the next big thing in the heavyweight division. Even before he competed in a 2021 edition of The Contender Series, the Brazilian won eight straight, all by finishes. He has continued that white-hot run with six more wins and finishes in the fabled UFC Octagon.

However, reality finally set in at UFC 299 when his vaunted grappling failed him and led to a definitive loss to Curtis Blaydes. In one moment his likely title hopes for 2024 were dashed.

Related: UFC welterweight rankings – Ranking the top 10 170-pound fighters in the world

6. Alexander Volkov (36-10)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

Alexander Volkov has been a top-level MMA heavyweight for a long time. He proved it once again with a destructive victory over a man thought to be a better striker in Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 56. At UFC Vegas 71 he made his return to the Octagon and topped his last performance with a destructive first-round TKO of top-15 talent Alexander Romanov.

The Russian may never be a UFC champion, but he remains one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world and extended his win streak to three at UFC 293 when he put on a clinic versus previously ranked heavyweight Tai Tuivasa.

Related: How UFC scoring works – Everything you need to know about how to win inside the Octagon

5. Curtis Blaydes (18-4)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

While there have been some very tough losses in the career of Curtis Blaydes, he has remained a top-five level heavyweight for much of the last half-decade. At UFC 299, he had an opportunity to finally right his big-fight wrongs and did so in a major way when he handed Jailton Almeida his first loss in the Octagon. The win moved “Razor” a big step closer to a much-coveted title opportunity.

Also Read: Conor McGregor next fight – When will “Notorious” make his UFC return?

UFC heavyweight rankings top-5

4. Sergei Pavlovich (18-2)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Sergei Pavlovich has been an absolute crushing machine during his much of his UFC career. After a loss to Alistair Overeem in his debut, he reeled off six straight wins and all of those victories came by way of a devastating knockout. His interim title opportunity at UFC 295 was well deserved.

However, like his bout with Overeem, he found himself on the wrong end of knockout power when Tom Aspinall showcased how truly special he was by putting the Russian to sleep in the opening round. Nevertheless, at 31, Pavlovich is going nowhere and is likely to get another title opportunity sooner than later.

3. Ciryl Gane (11-2)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Ciryl Gane is the best heavyweight in the world not named Jon Jones of Francis Ngannou.

The Frenchman proved it once in an impressive display of his amazing striking talents against Tuivasa in the UFC Paris 2022 headliner and showcased why he is a special competitor. He also showed his heart by legitimately getting knocked down and hurt, but fighting back ferociously.

However, when it came time to truly prove he was the best in the division, he was dispatched easily by the new warden of heavyweight, Jon Jones, at UFC 285. In September, he was able to bounce back with a dominant main event win over Serghei Spivac in Paris. The win proved he was still an elite talent and kept him in the title hunt.

Also Read: Khamzat Chimaev next fight – Details on ‘Borz’s’ next scrap in the Octagon

2. Jon Jones (27-1)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Well, after dominating the light heavyweight division for just over a decade, it did not take long for Jon Jones to usurp control at heavyweight. At UFC 285 the MMA legend jumped into the division for the first time and needed less than three minutes to beat former interim champion Ciryl Gane and become the new division king.

The submission finish was his first fight-ender since 2018 and put the sport on notice that a motivated Jon Jones is still a terrifying talent inside the Octagon.

The promotion great was set to headline UFC 295 in a historic matchup with Stipe Miocic, however, he tore his pectoral tendon while training for the bout. He is expected to miss as much as eight months. The injury follows a three-year period away from the sport as he built his body up for the move from light heavyweight to heavyweight.

Also Read: Jon Jones next fight – When will the MMA GOAT be back in action?

1. Tom Aspinall (14-3)

ufc heavyweight rankings
Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. While the current title he holds is an interim belt, with all due respect to lineal champion Jon Jones, Aspinall has beaten many of the best fighters in the division for the last three years instead of a great win in one fight.

His lone defeat in the company came after he tore knee ligaments against Curtis Blaydes, otherwise, he has met little resistance during eight bouts in the Octagon and he stamped his place as the best in the class with a destructive championship win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

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