Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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Ilia Topuria arguably did it better than Conor McGregor.

When McGregor stopped Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden in November 2016 to become a two-division title holder, he was easily the biggest star in the sport. Topuria isn’t quite there yet, but after his stunning first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, his recent body of work might be superior to the Irishman’s. Topuria’s run to gold at 145 and 155 pounds has included knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Oliveira — as impressive a stretch as anyone has put together in recent memory, and that’s including the “Notorious” one.

While McGregor was never the same after that night in Big Apple, Topuria could just be getting started. He’ll have no shortage of suitors at 155 pounds, and that could begin with Paddy Pimblett, who entered the cage for an impromptu faceoff on Saturday night. Perhaps the biggest fish is Islam Makhachev, who vacated the lightweight belt to pursue a championship at 170 pounds. Maybe Makhachev comes back down to lightweight for a meeting with Topuria, or maybe the Georgian-Spaniard moves up to challenge the Dagestani sometime in the not-too-distant future. Or maybe they never cross paths — which would be a shame. For now, Topuria’s two-division dominance gives him a slight edge over Makhachev in the pound-for-pound poll, though that could change if Makhachev captures welterweight gold later this year.

Though his work was overshadowed by Topuria, Alexandre Pantoja has quietly been carving out an impressive pound-for-pound resume of his own. His fourth flyweight title defense was a shellacking, as he overwhelmed Kai Kara-France en route to a third-round submission victory in the UFC 317 co-main event. Pantoja might be underrated in other pound-for-pound rankings, but not here: “The Cannibal” is No. 3 behind only Topuria and Makhachev.

There’s one other key matter of business to handle in this week’s pound-for-pound update. While he may still be regarded by some as the all-time GOAT, Jon Jones no longer belongs in these rankings. On the heels of an unceremonious retirement announcement and another run-in with the law, we bid farewell to “Bones,” who may very well have enjoyed his last days as a pound-for-pound stalwart. Of course, retirements never seem to last in MMA, so perhaps there may be an opportunity for the former two-division champion to make another comeback. But considering that Jones has just two fights to his credit since February 2020 — don’t hold your breath.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Ilia Topuria (17-0) | UFC [2]

Topuria called his shot and delivered, as he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner. With the victory, “El Matador” becomes the first undefeated fighter to be a two-division UFC champion. Topuria now has successive knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Oliveira — a run that’s as impressive as any in recent memory. There already appears to be plenty of momentum building for a 155-pound title defense against Paddy Pimblett, who entered the Octagon to face off with Topuria after the UFC 317 main event.

2. Islam Makhachev (27-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev left no doubt in the UFC 311 headliner, submitting last-minute opponent Renato “Moicano” with a brabo choke in the opening stanza of their lightweight championship bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The late shift from Arman Tsarukyan to “Moicano” did little to faze Makhachev, who won his 15th consecutive outing and set the UFC lightweight record for most championship victories with five. Makhachev has since vacated the lightweight throne and will face 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena at an as yet to be determined date.

3. Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) | UFC [4]

Pantoja was masterful in his latest outing, as he outclassed Kai Kara-France on the feet and on the mat en route to a third-round submission victory in the UFC 317 co-main event. After wresting the belt from Brandon Moreno in July 2023, “The Cannibal” has authored successful title defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kara-France. A future showdown against surging young contender Joshua Van looms large in the coming months for the 35-year-old Brazilian.

4. Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) | UFC [5]

While much of the talk ahead of UFC 316 revolved around the changes Sean O’Malley made, Dvalishvili ultimately proved to be the more improved athlete, as he gradually wore down his rival en route to a third-round submission victory on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Dvalishvili has won 13 consecutive Octagon appearances — including a pair of title defenses — and warrants serious consideration as the bantamweight GOAT. “The Machine” already appears to be eagerly looking ahead to a future date with top contender Cory Sandhagen next.

5. Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

Anakalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle for Alex Pereira to solve, as the Dagestani outstruck the former Glory Kickboxing champion en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Ankalaev’s victory was that he was unable to land a single takedown against “Poatan,” but that only makes the performance more impressive. Ankalaev will take a 14-bout UFC unbeaten streak into his first title defense at light heavyweight.

6. Alex Pereira (12-3) | UFC [7]

Pereira wasn’t taken down in the UFC 313 headliner, but he also struggled to get his vaunted striking going against a defensively sound opponent in Magomed Ankalaev. The end result was a closely contested unanimous decision defeat that ended the Brazilian’s reign after three successful title defenses. The now former two-divison champion remains perhaps the promotion’s most popular star, but the latest setback might have stifled the momentum behind a potential move to heavyweight.

7. Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) UFC [8]

After a somewhat contentious result the first time around, Du Plessis left no doubt in his rematch with Sean Strickland, as he cruised to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 312 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. “Stillknocks” outstruck his opponent for the majority of the contest and even busted up Strickland’s nose in Round 4 to bring an emphatic conclusion to their rivalry. Du Plessis has won nine straight fights at 185 pounds. He’ll look to extend that streak against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event.

8. Tom Aspinall (15-3) | UFC [9]

Aspinall furthered his case to be considered the top heavyweight in the sport, smashing Curtis Blaydes with first-round punches in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England. Aspinall spent the better part of a year waiting on a title unification booking against Jon Jones before “Bones” abruptly announced his retirement on June 21. As a result, Aspinall was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion. The Englishman has vowed to be an active title holder as he awaits word of his first defense.

9. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [10]

Della Maddalena made the most of his golden opportunity at UFC 315, as he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds to capture the welterweight crown at the Bell Centre in Montreal on May 10. The Australian has won 18 straight professional outings — including eight in the UFC — and earned his spot atop the division with precise boxing, stout takedown defense and timely scrambling. It now appears that he’ll get an even bigger stage for his first title defense: a showdown with lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

10. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) | UFC [11]

Even at 36 years old, Volkanovski showed he still has something left in the tank, as he reclaimed featherweight gold with a hard-fought decision triumph against Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 headliner. It was a much-needed return to the win column for the Aussie on the heels of back-to-back knockout losses against Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev, but having a lengthy second title reign will be more challenging than ever in a talented division.

Other Contenders: Belal Muhammad, Max Holloway, Francis Ngannou, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Movsar Evloev.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.