Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration

By avenging his mentor, Alex Pereira left no doubt: He is the unquestioned king of the light heavyweight division.

“Poatan” made short work of Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event, winning via knockout at the 3:14 mark of Round 1 in their 205-pound title bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Hill, who was forced to vacate the title he won by besting Glover Teixeira in 2023, never had a chance against the Brazilian knockout artist. Thanks to his latest victory, Pereira ascends to the No. 1 spot at light heavyweight, surpassing former Bellator champ Vadim Nemkov, who made his transition to heavyweight earlier this year. He’s trailed by Jiri Prochazka, who returned to the win column with a second-round TKO of fellow contender Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Max Holloway is now ranked in two divisions after his memorable knockout of Justin Gaethje in their BMF title bout on the UFC 300 main card. While “Blessed” has been a staple of the featherweight rankings, his triumph over Gaethje allows him to enter the lightweight poll at No. 4. Holloway wasn’t the only lightweight who made a significant move on Saturday. After taking a split verdict over former 155-pound champ Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan climbs to No. 2, though he’ll have to wait on a title shot until Islam Makhachev faces Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

Elsewhere, Kayla Harrison proved her dominance extends beyond the confines of the Professional Fighters League cage, as she throttled Holly Holm en route to a second-round submission victory at 135 pounds. It remains to be seen if the Olympic judoka can consistently make the cut to bantamweight, but her successful debut is rewarded with a No. 4 ranking. While Harrison made a splash as the new addition, it was more of the same for Weili Zhang, who secured her fifth victory in a strawweight title bout by vanquishing Xiaonan Yan in the UFC 300 co-main event. For that, Zhang remains the clear-cut No. 1 at 115 pounds.

In other noteworthy action, Aljamain Sterling makes his debut in the featherweight rankings at No. 10 after grinding his way to a victory over Calvin Kattar, while Deiveson Figueiredo holds steady in the bantamweight poll at No. 11 following a submission of Cody Garbrandt. Finally, Renato Carneiro joins the lightweight bubble after rallying for a stoppage victory over Jalin Turner, while Bobby Green maintains his footing at 155 pounds after battering beloved veteran Jim Miller.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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