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Demetrious Johnson, a man once mentioned in the same breath as Jon Jones in recent years as the pound-for-pound GOAT, is exiting the rankings following a lengthy stay in the Top 10.
During a UFC flyweight championship reign that included 12 consecutive victories and 11 successful title defenses, “Mighty Mouse” hovered near the top of the open weight discussion. He fell a little following a closely-contested split-decision loss to Henry Cejudo in his final Octagon appearance at UFC 227, and despite vanquishing a trio of underrated adversaries a weight class above in One Championship’s flyweight (135-pound) grand prix, continued to drop in the rankings simply by virtue of toiling in the relative obscurity of the Singapore-based promotion.
Johnson had a chance to receive some renewed appreciation by adding some more championship hardware to his collection against reigning One flyweight king Adriano Moraes in front of a primetime television audience in the United States this past Wednesday. Instead, the AMC Pankration stalwart suffered the first knockout loss of a 35-fight career, falling victim to a knee to the face that wouldn’t have even been legal under the Unified Rules of MMA. Regardless, such a definitive defeat to a relatively unheralded foe means “Mighty Mouse,” the longest-tenured member of our pound-for-pound rankings, exits a space he has occupied since 2012.
Note: Previous ranking in parentheses.
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) [1]
Maybe 30-0 won’t become a reality, but Nurmagomedov put about a perfect a stamp as one could on his mixed martial arts career with a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 headliner on Oct. 24. “The Eagle” withstood some heavy artillery from his opponent — including some powerful low kicks — while continuing to apply constant pressure. Eventually, Gaethje wilted on the canvas, as Nurmagomedov choked him unconscious at the 1:34 mark of Round 2. In the aftermath, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement, leaving behind a legacy that includes a 13-0 UFC mark and a record-tying four championship victories in the brutal lightweight division. In March, Dana White and the promotion finally accepted Nurmagomedov’s retirement and vacated the 155-pound belt.2. Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) [2]
The competition is catching up to Jones, but it hasn’t surpassed him just yet. “Bones” survived by the skin of his teeth at UFC 247, as he edged Dominick Reyes in a unanimous verdict in the evening’s headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston. In a fight that many observers scored in favor of Reyes, Jones was able to sway the judges’ scorecards with consistent forward pressure and a strong push in the championship rounds. The hard-fought triumph gives Jones 14 victories in championship fights, the most in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. After some public back-and-forth with the UFC and Dana White, Jones vacated his light heavyweight strap in August, signaling a new era for the division. A move to heavyweight looms, and Jones is expected to step right into a title shot in his debut.3. Henry Cejudo (17-2) [3]
Cejudo became only the second fighter in promotion history to successfully defend titles in two divisions at UFC 249 when he defeated Dominick Cruz via second-round technical knockout in the evening’s co-main event at VyStar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. After the victory, the Olympic gold medalist made a surprising retirement announcement, citing a desire to start a family. Retirements often don’t last in MMA, but if it holds up, “Triple C” ends his career with a six-fight winning streak that includes triumphs over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes and Cruz.4. Kamaru Usman (18-1) [4]
Usman displayed true championship mettle at UFC 258, as he survived a scare in the opening frame and rallied to defeat former teammate Gilbert Burns via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 13. “The Nigerian Nightmare” now has four title defenses under his belt, and his 13 consecutive triumphs at 170 pounds allowed him to surpass the legendary Georges St. Pierre for the longest winning streak in the history of the division. At 33 years old, Usman shows no signs of slowing down. Next, Usman will give Jorge Masvidal a rematch in the UFC 261 headliner on April 24.5. Alexander Volkanovski (22-1) [5]
Volkanovski improved to 2-0 against Max Holloway at UFC 251, but victory in the rematch came by a much slimmer margin than it did in their first meeting. After Holloway rocked the Australian featherweight champion at the end of Rounds 1 and 2 to take an early lead on the scorecards, Volkanovski finished strong over the bout’s final 15 minutes to earn a contentious split-decision triumph in Abu Dhabi. That makes nine consecutive UFC victories and 19 straight professional triumphs overall for the City Kickboxing representative. A showdown with Brian Ortega that was originally set for UFC 260 has been postponed after Volkanovski tested positive for COVID-19. That bout figures to be delayed even further, as Volkanovski and Ortega have been tabbed as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 29.”6. Jan Blachowicz (28-8) [6]
Ever the underdog, Blachowicz once again silenced the doubters at UFC 259, where he ended Israel Adesanya’s dreams of two-division dominance with a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 6. After beginning his promotional tenure with an underwhelming 2-4 mark, the Polish standout has won nine of his last 10 outings, besting the likes of Adesanya, Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson, Ronaldo Souza, Luke Rockhold and Jared Cannonier, to name a few. A showdown with surging veteran contender Glover Teixeira appears to be on the horizon for the light heavyweight king.7. Israel Adesanya (20-1) [7]
Adesanya’s presumed coronation as two-division champion hit a speed bump at UFC 259, as he couldn’t deal with the size and skill of Jan Blachowicz in a unanimous decision loss. In addition to losing out on 205-pound gold, “The Last Stylebender” also sees a potential superfight with Jon Jones go up in flames. All is not lost for Adesanya, however. He is still unbeaten at middleweight and should have plenty of motivation to return to his own division to continue his title reign there.8. Francis Ngannou (16-3) [8]
Ngannou brought the same ferocious knockout power into his rematch with Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, but improved takedown defense allowed him to use it much more effectively. The end result was a second-round knockout victory that made “The Predator” the 17th heavyweight champion in UFC history. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman has laid waste to some of the division’s best during his run to the top and if the promotion can make it happen, a victory over light heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones would only add to his overall legacy.9. Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1) [10]
Not only did Figueiredo make his second title defense within a 21-day span, but apparently he did so shortly after being hospitalized overnight with a stomach infection. What transpired was an all-time classic in the flyweight division, as “Deus da Guerra” and Brandon Moreno battled to a majority draw in the UFC 256 headliner that also stands out as one of 2020’s best fights. A deduction for a low blow in Round 3 came back to haunt Figueiredo, whose four-bout finishing streak came to an end. Figueiredo will get a chance to settle unfinished business with Moreno in a rematch at UFC 263 on June 12.10. Patricio Freire (32-4) [11]
After using the entire five rounds to defeat Emmanuel Sanchez in their first meeting in November 2018, Freire blasted the Roufusport product with a left hook and choked him out 3:35 into the opening round of their clash in the Bellator 255 headliner on April 2 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. That makes seven consecutive wins for the Bellator’s reigning 145- and 155-pound champion, who advances to the finals of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix for an enticing matchup against the undefeated A.J. McKee.Other Contenders: Stipe Miocic, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Robert Whittaker.
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, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.