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Heavyweight
1. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) UFC [2]
After a three-year absence, Jones looked as strong as ever in a new division, authoring a first-round submission triumph against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 headliner on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In victory, “Bones” staked his claim to GOAT status while adding heavyweight gold to his trophy case. The longtime light heavyweight king will next focus on a UFC 295 showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden for his first title defense.2. Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) | UFC [3]
Pavlovich flashed his prodigious power yet again in the UFC Fight Night 222 headliner, overwhelming Curtis Blaydes en route to a first-round technical knockout victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That makes six consecutive first-round KO/TKO victories for the heavy-handed Russian, who cannot be ignored as a top-flight championship contender in the heavyweight division. He’ll likely have to wait for the UFC to book Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic first, however.3. Ciryl Gane (11-2) | UFC [4]
Gane offered little resistance against Jon Jones at UFC 285, succumbing to a guillotine choke just 2:04 into the opening round of their heavyweight championship headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4. His interim title victory aside, “Bon Gamin” is now 0-2 in fights where the undisputed belt is at stake, and in both cases his wrestling has emerged as a glaring weakness. The Frenchman nonetheless has a skillset that can cause problems for much of the division, and as a relatively newcomer to MMA, it’s not inconceivable to envision him making considerable improvements in the coming years. He’ll look to rebound when he meets Sergey Spivak in the UFC Paris main event on Sept. 2.4. Curtis Blaydes (17-4, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
For the second time in his UFC tenure, Blaydes’ rise to title contention was derailed by an opponent with otherworldly knockout power. “Razor” saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end in the UFC Fight Night 222 main event, where he was stopped by Sergei Pavlovich inside of a round. As it stands, Blaydes’ four UFC defeats are as follows: Pavlovich, Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou (twice). Next, he’ll look to slow the momentum of surging Brazilian Jailton Almeida at UFC Sao Paulo on Nov. 4.5. Tom Aspinall (13-3) | UFC [6]
Aspinall showed no ill effects from the knee injury he suffered one year prior, as he rolled through Marcin Tybura in a first-round technical knockout victory at UFC London. Other than the hiccup against Curtis Blaydes, the Englishman has finished all six of his Octagon opponents. He is aiming high for his next fight, setting his sights on the winner of the Ciryl Gane-Sergey Spivak bout scheduled for the UFC Paris headliner on Sept. 2.6. Alexander Volkov (36-10) | UFC [7]
Volkov essentially pitched a shutout against Alexander Romanov, as he thwarted his foe’s takedown attempts before earning a technical knockout stoppage from back mount 2:16 into the opening round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night 221. The former Bellator and M-1 Global heavyweight king has won three of his last four Octagon appearances and will look to continue that momentum against Tai Tuivasa at UFC 293.7. Tai Tuivasa (14-5) | UFC [8]
In what was billed as a heavyweight slugfest, Tuivasa was overwhelmed by the punching power of Sergei Pavlovich en route to a 54-second knockout loss at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando. After compiling a five-bout winning streak from October 2020 to February 2022, “Bam Bam” has suffered back-to-back KO defeats at the hands of Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. The affable Aussie has proven in the past that he can bounce back from a losing streak, and he’ll attempt to do so again when he meets Alexander Volkov at UFC 293.8. Marcin Tybura (24-8) | UFC [9]
It isn’t easy to look good against Tybura, but Tom Aspinall did exactly that in a 73-second TKO victory at UFC London. Tybura, who entered the matchup having won seven of his previous eight promotional appearances, never had a chance to get out of first gear against a more athletic and skilled opponent. With that being said, the former M-1 Global champion remains a solid litmus test for up-and-comers in the heavyweight division.9. Sergey Spivak (16-3) UFC [10]
Spivak made a statement to the rest of the heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 218, as he tossed Derrick Lewis all over the Octagon en route to an impressive first-round submission triumph. “The Polar Bear” has now won three straight fights — all inside the distance — and six of his last seven within the Las Vegas-based promotion. That has earned him a clash with Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris.10. Jailton Almeida (19-2) UFC [11]
Almeida continued to impress in the UFC on ABC 4 headliner, where he overwhelmed Jairzinho Rozenstruik en route to a first-round submission triumph in Charlotte. After beginning his promotional tenure at 205 pounds, Almeida has won four straight contests at heavyweight — all inside the distance. He’ll face his toughest test to date when he meets Curtis Blaydes in the UFC Sao Paulo main event on Nov. 4.Other Contenders: Ryan Bader, Philip De Fries, Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Linton Vassell.
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