UFC pound-for-pound rankings: Who is the most dominant pound-for-pound fighter?

UFC pound-for-pound rankings: Who is the most dominant pound-for-pound fighter?

Claudia Kogi
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:17 PM

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is home to some of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that fans often debate how the elite octagon beasts compare. In this read, you will find the UFC pound-for-pound rankings of different elite fighters with various records.

Who is the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter?
UFC pound-for-pound rankings: Who is the most dominant pound-for-pound fighter? Photo: Neil Lockhart (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

As of November 2022, the UFC pound-for-pound fighters who most linger in their fans' mouths following their most recent encounter are Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. Sooner or later, the two might be dubbed MMA's octagon monsters. But how are the UFC pound-for-pound rankings determined?

Current UFC pound-for-pound rankings as of 2022

Using a criterion that takes into account everything from the accomplishments to their respective current form, here is a list showing the UFC pound-for-pound rankings of all time, stating their previous rankings and records.

10. Leon Edwards - (20-3, 1 NC)

UFC pound-for-pound rankings of all time
Leon Edwards attends the GQ Men of the Year Awards 2022 on 16th November 2022, in London, England. Photo: Mike Marsland
Source: Getty Images
  • Welterweight champion
  • Previous ranking - 10

A true-life champ's story played out in front of MMA fans, especially when the often-overlooked Leon struggled to stop Kamaru Usman dramatically at UFC 278. Consequently, he extended his unbeaten streak to 11 fights since the 2015 defeat to Kamaru.

Full name

Leon Edwards

Date of birth

25 August 1991

Place of birth

Kingston, Jamaica

Age

31 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Jamaican

Height

6 feet or 183 centimetres

Weight

170 pounds or 77 kilograms

9. Charles Oliveira - (33-9)

UFC pound-for-pound rankings
Charles Oliveira attends UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on 2nd July 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Carmen Mandato
Source: Getty Images
  • Lightweight
  • Previous ranking: 8

Most fans allege that Charles Oliveira's one-sided title loss to Islam Mahkachev resulted in a poor stylistic matchup. On the other hand, some fans are convinced that Oliveira's reckless and dramatic deeds finally caught up with him.

However, either way, the 33-year-old mixed martial artist will be forced to regroup after a remarkable 11-fight win streak that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Full name

Charles Oliveira da Silva

Date of birth

17 October 1989

Place of birth

Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil

Age

33 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Brazilian

Height

5 feet 10 inches or 178 centimetres

Weight

155 pounds or 70 kilograms

8. Jiri Prochazka - (29-3-1)

Current UFC pound-for-pound rankings
Jiri Prochazka attends the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena on 2nd July 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Jeff Bottari
Source: Getty Images
  • Light heavyweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 7

Following his extension to a winning streak of 13 in a dramatic and savage fifth-round submission of Glover Teixeira at UFC 275, it is high time he was given his flowers. Additionally, he has ultimately shown an elite chin and will have to flash it again in a rematch with Teixeira set for 10 December 2022.

Full name

Jiří Procházka

Date of birth

14 October 1992

Place of birth

Znojmo, Czechoslovakia

Age

30 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Czech

Height

6 feet 4 inches or 193 centimetres

Weight

205 pounds or 93 kilograms

7. Alex Pereira - (7-1)

UFC pound-for-pound rankings of all time
Alex Pereira of Brazil walks to the Octagon in a middleweight fight during the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena on 2nd July 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Jeff Bottari
Source: Getty Images
  • Middleweight champion
  • Previous ranking: Not revealed

At the age of 35, Alex made a late transition from kickboxing to MMA. Even though it was hard to project how excellent of a fighter the Brazilian star was, he still managed to live up to his hands of stone by stopping middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

Full name

Alexsandro Pereira

Date of birth

7 July 1987

Place of birth

São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil

Age

35 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Brazilian

Height

6 feet or 4 inches or 193 centimetres

Weight

185 pounds or 84 kilograms

6. Aljamain Sterling - (22-3)

  • Bantamweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 6

One fight after shutting his critics up by knocking out Petr Yan in their title rematch, Aljamain's second title defence mainly produced unpredictable results. Despite his severely injured shoulder, he still managed to secure his place in the octagon.

Full name

Aljamain Antoine Sterling

Date of birth

31 July 1989

Place of birth

Uniondale, New York, United States of America

Age

33 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

American

Height

5 feet 7 inches or 170 centimetres

Weight

135 pounds or 61 kilograms

5. Israel Adesanya - (23-2)

How are the UFC pound-for-pound rankings determined?
Israel Adesanya of Nigeria enters the octagon in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena on 2nd July 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Jeff Bottari
Source: Getty Images
  • Middleweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 2

When you hear about Israel Adesanya, the one thing that comes to mind is him being the king of the octagon. He lead in all three scorecards in his UFC 281 title defence against rival Alex Pereira.

Full name

Israel Mobolaji Adesanya

Date of birth

22 July 1989

Place of birth

Lagos, Nigeria

Age

33 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Nigerian

Height

6 feet 4 inches or 93 centimetres

Weight

185 pounds or 84 kilograms

4. Francis Ngannou - (16-3)

Who is the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter?
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou attends the UFC 268 event at Madison Square Garden on 6th November 2021, in New York City. Photo: Jeff Bottari
Source: Getty Images
  • Heavyweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 5

Despite suffering a severe knee injury amid a public contract battle with UFC brass during one training session, Francis Ngannou gutted out a unification win against the unbeaten interim champion Cyril Gane.

Full name

Francis Zavier Ngannou

Date of birth

5 September 1986

Place of birth

Batié, Cameroon

Age

35 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Cameroonian

Height

6 feet 4 inches or 193 centimetes

Weight

257 pounds or 117 kilograms

3. Islam Makhachev - (23-1)

UFC pound-for-pound rankings of all time
Islam Makhachev celebrates after his victory over Charles Oliveira in their UFC lightweight championship fight on 22nd October 2022, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Chris Unger
Source: Getty Images
  • Lightweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 4

During the first UFC bout between fighters riding on win streaks of 10 or more, Islam Makhachev made his 11th win as memorable as possible, dominating Charles Oliveira. He is a skillful fighter in the octagon, thanks to his beast coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Full name

Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev

Date of birth

27 October 1991

Place of birth

Makhachkala, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Age

31 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Russian

Height

5 feet 10 inches or 178 centimetres

Weight

155 pounds or 70 kilograms

2. Kamaru Usman - (20-2)

  • Welterweight
  • Previous ranking: 3

At the second position sits Usman, who looked on his way to a sixth title defence and consequently had a tie with Anderson Silva for consecutive UFC wins. Later, an immediate trilogy bout appeared like the next move for him, resulting in his career's first takedown in the opening round.

Full name

Kamarudeen Usman

Date of birth

11 May 1987

Place of birth

Auchi, Nigeria

Age

35 years of age as of November 2o22

Nationality

Nigerian

Height

6 feet or 183 centimeters

Weight

170 pounds or 77 kilograms

1. Alexander Volkanovski - (24-1)

Current UFC pound-for-pound rankings
Alexander Volkanovski of Australia celebrates during his post-fight press conference after his win against Brian Ortega on 25th September 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan
Source: Getty Images
  • Featherweight champion
  • Previous ranking: 1

Who ranks as the best? As of November 2022, Alexander Volkanovski takes the first position in ranking the best UFC pound-for-pound fighters. Concerning Jose Aldo, the mixed martial artist took one step closer to featherweight guru status by leaving former champion Max Holloway in a bloody mess.

Full name

Alexander Volkanovski

Date of birth

29 September 1988

Place of birth

Wales, Australia

Age

34 years of age as of November 2022

Nationality

Australian

Height

5 feet 6 inches or 168 centimetres

Weight

145 pounds or 66 kilograms

Who is the best pound-for-pound UFC female fighter?

And while many would think UFC is only meant for men, women have begun to understand their way around the octagon. Among these best female UFC, pound-for-pound fighters include:

Fighter

Record

Win streak

Amanda Nunes

22-5

1

Valentina Shevchenko

23-3

9

Zhang Weili

23-3

2

Julianna Peña

11-5

0

Rose Namajunas

11-5

0

Today, the UFC pound-for-pound rankings can only be complete with the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya, and Islam Makhachev, among other big names. Nevertheless, all these mixed martial artists are skilled in different ways.

READ ALSO: UFC flyweight rankings: Who is the best flyweight fighter?

Sportsbrief.com recently published an article about UFC flyweight rankings. Even though the UFC had considered eliminating the flyweight division as recently as 2019 due to the rivalry between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, the division has recently seen a surge in popularity.

After Figueiredo's victory over Moreno in their trilogy match at UFC 270, both men have established themselves as two of the sport's all-time greats at 125 pounds. But who is the best flyweight fighter? Click on the link above to find more information about UFC flyweight rankings.

Authors
Claudia Kogi photo
Claudia Kogi
Claudia Kogi is a Kenyan content creator with over 3 years of experience. Claudia joined Sportsbrief.com as a writer in January 2022, covering sports and relatable content.