New Rankings! Merab Cracks Top 5 At P4P
01/21/2025 09:47 AM
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently updated its official rankings in the wake of the UFC 311 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Los Angeles. As expected, lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, retained his top spot on the promotion's pound-for-pound list after making quick work of late-replacement, Renato Moicano.
In addition, current bantamweight titleholder, Merab Dvalishvili, climbed two spots to No. 5 at pound-for-pound after defeating Umar Nurmagomedov. The once-beaten contender slipped one spot to No. 3 behind Petr Yan. Similarly, Jamahal Hill lost ground at light heavyweight with his loss to fellow ex-champion, Jiri Prochazka.
Here's how the rankings are compiled, at least until AI takes over:
Rankings are generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.
Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).
MEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Jon Jones
3. Alex Pereira
4. Ilia Topuria
5. Merab Dvalishvili +2
6. Belal Muhammad -1
7. Dricus Du Plessis -1
8. Tom Aspinall
9. Alexandre Pantoja
10. Leon Edwards
11. Alexander Volkanovski
12. Max Holloway
13. Sean O'Malley
14. Sean Strickland
15. Charles Oliveira
FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Alexandre Pantoja
1. Brandon Royval
2. Brandon Moreno
3. Amir Albazi
4. Kai Kara France
5. Tatsuro Taira
6. Manel Kape
7. Alex Perez
8. Asu Almabayev
9. Steve Erceg
10. Tim Elliott
11. Tagir Ulanbekov
12. Charles Johnson
13. Bruno Silva
14. Kai Asakura
15. Joshua Van
BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Merab Dvalishvili
1. Sean O'Malley
2. Petr Yan +1
3. Umar Nurmagomedov -1
4. Cory Sandhagen
5. Deiveson Figueiredo
6. Marlon Vera
7. Henry Cejudo
8. Song Yadong
9. Rob Font
10. Mario Bautista
11. Jose Aldo
12. Kyler Phillips
13. Aiemann Zahabi
14. Marcus McGhee
15. Montel Jackson
FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Ilia Topuria
1. Alexander Volkanovski
2. Max Holloway
3. Diego Lopes
4. Movsar Evloev
5. Yair Rodriguez
6. Brian Ortega
7. Arnold Allen
8. Josh Emmett
9. Aljamain Sterling
10. Calvin Kattar
11. Lerone Murphy
12. Giga Chikadze
13. Bryce Mitchell
14. Dan Ige
15. Edson Barboza
LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Islam Makhachev
1. Arman Tsarukyan
2. Charles Oliveira
3. Justin Gaethje
4. Dustin Poirier
5. Max Holloway
6. Dan Hooker
7. Michael Chandler
8. Mateusz Gamrot
9. Beneil Dariush
10. Renato Moicano
11. Rafael Fiziev
12. Paddy Pimblett +1
13. Jalin Turner +1
14. Benoit Saint Denis -2
15. Grant Dawson *NR
WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Belal Muhammed
1. Leon Edwards
2. Shavkat Rakhmonov
3. Kamaru Usman
4. Jack Della Maddalena
6. Sean Brady
6. Joaquin Buckley
7. Ian Machado Garry
8. Gilbert Burns
9. Colby Covington
10. Geoff Neal
11. Stephen Thompson
12. Michael Morales
13. Carlos Prates
14. Vicente Luque
15. Michael Page
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Dricus Du Plessis
1. Sean Strickland
2. Israel Adesanya
3. Khamzat Chimaev
4. Robert Whittaker
5. Nassourdine Imavov
6. Caio Borralho
7. Marvin Vettori
8. Jared Cannonier
9. Brendan Allen
10. Roman Dolidze
11. Paulo Costa
12. Anthony Hernandez
13. Jack Hermansson
14. Shara Magomedov
15. Michel Pereira
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Alex Pereira
1. Magomed Ankalaev
2. Jiri Prochazka
3. Jan Blachowicz +1
4. Jamahal Hill -1
5. Aleksandar Rakic
6. Carlos Ulberg
7. Khalil Rountree
8. Nikita Krylov
9. Volkan Oezdemir
10. Johnny Walker
11. Dominick Reyes
12. Azamat Murzakanov
13. Bogdan Guskov
14. Anthony Smith
15. Alonzo Menifield
HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Jon Jones
1. Tom Aspinall
2. Ciryl Gane
3. Alexander Volkov
4. Sergei Pavlovich
5. Curtis Blaydes
6. Jailton Almeida
7. Serghei Spivac
8. Marcin Tybura
9. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
10. Derrick Lewis
11. Tai Tuivasa
12. Marcos Rogerio De Lima
13. Waldo Cortes Acosta
14. Shamil Gaziev
15. Mick Parkin
WOMEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Valentina Shevchenko
2. Zhang Weili
3. Alexa Grasso
4. Julianna Pena
5. Manon Fiorot
6. Erin Blanchfield
7. Kayla Harrison
8. Rose Namajunas
9. Raquel Pennington
10. Tatiana Suarez
11. Yan Xiaonan
12. Virna Jandiroba
13. Jessica Andrade
14. Natalia Silva
15. Maycee Barber
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Zhang Weili
1. Tatiana Suarez
2. Yan Xiaonan
3. Virna Jandiroba
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Amanda Lemos
6. Mackenzie Dern
7. Iasmin Lucindo
8. Amanda Ribas
9. Marina Rodriguez
10. Tabatha Ricci
11. Loopy Godinez
12. Gillian Robertson
13. Angela Hill
14. Luana Pinheiro
15. Tecia Pennington
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Valentina Shevchenko
1. Alexa Grasso
2. Manon Fiorot
3. Erin Blanchfield
4. Maycee Barber
5. Natalia Silva
6. Rose Namajunas
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Katlyn Cerminara
9. Viviane Araújo
10. Amanda Ribas
11. Tracy Cortez
12. Jasmine Jasudavicius
13. Karine Silva
14. Ariane Da Silva
15. Miranda Maverick
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Julianna Pena
1. Raquel Pennington
2. Kayla Harrison
3. Ketlen Vieira
4. Norma Dumont
5. Macy Chiasson -1
6. Irene Aldana
7. Mayra Bueno Silva -1
8. Karol Rosa +1
9. Yana Santos +1
10. Miesha Tate +1
11. Ailin Perez +2
12. Julia Avila
13. Jacqueline Cavalcanti +1
14. Chelsea Chandler +1
15. Nora Cornolle *NR
Note: Holly Holm was released from the promotion
You can expect these rankings to change in roughly two weeks, particularly in the middleweight division, following the UFC Saudi Arabia: "Adesanya vs. Imavov" mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN+, scheduled for Sat., Feb. 1, 2025 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
For much more on that upcoming fight card click here.
